“i think it’s important to address-“

“there’s no way out.”

“well, hey, I wouldn’t say that, we can talk-“

“it’s already happened, it’ll keep happening-“

“it’s over.”

“-until the day i die.”

“do you think about that? do you think about-“

“no.”

“do you-“

“it follows me around. it’s very much alive.”

“how is it alive? do you mean that the feeling’s still around?”

“when i was little i used to think there was someone who would watch the cameras at traffic lights and decide when to change the light… with a button or something. when it looked like there were a lot of cars waiting on one side.”

“and how is that-“

“my camera guy isn’t there. there’s cars spilling into the intersection.”

“i’m sorry, i don’t understand the analogy. you’re overwhelmed?”

“there’s no way out.”

Allyson Kling is a writer from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She desires to spread mental health awareness through her writing, and aims to make those struggling feel seen. Allyson’s creative inspirations include those who make her life better, worse, and constant. She has previously been published in Paragraph Planet and Rivot Magazine.