#maxfreeman

This is an excerpt from my novelette “Curator’s Creation” It describes an early moment in the story when for the first time – Emma realizes the city’s new calm might not be natural...

Emma noticed it again on her walk home — that strange, softened rhythm the city had adopted. People moved as if cushioned from the inside, their steps unhurried, their expressions warm and unfocused. Even the air felt thicker, like it wanted to hold her in place.

She told herself it was nothing. A long day. A tired mind. But then she passed a café window and saw a dozen people lifting the same pastel drink in perfect, absentminded unison. Happy Hour. The same warm calm she’d been reaching for without thinking.

Inside her apartment, Jennifer greeted her with a slow smile, softer around the edges than she’d been just a week ago. She handed Emma a chilled bottle without a word. Emma took it automatically, the condensation cold against her palm.

For a moment, she hesitated.

Something in her chest whispered that she should ask a question — any question — about why everything felt so easy lately. Why everyone seemed heavier, calmer, content in a way that didn’t feel earned.

But the warmth of the drink seeped through her fingers, and the thought drifted away before it fully formed.

She took a sip. And the city exhaled with her.

Lately the calm felt too calm, like someone had turned the whole city down a notch. People smiled longer, argued less, and moved with a softness that didn’t feel natural.

Even Jennifer seemed different — relaxed in a way that didn’t match the world Emma thought she knew.

The drink was called Happy Hour. Mild taste, forgettable scent. But the warmth that spread through her chest was immediate, smoothing out every sharp edge she’d carried home with her.

Outside, the city lights flickered on in perfect unison. The streets quieted as if choreographed. Emma watched it all, wondering if she was imagining the shift — or if something larger was settling over everything, subtle and invisible.

For now, the calm was enough.