Tom Staudt

Alone

It’s the same scene every day. He stares at the screen, beside him is a pile of Red Bull cans to keep him focused.

His world. His life takes place in fictional places. He has adventures with digital friends and fights artificial creatures. 

The only taste of real life is his mind-numbingly boring job. The constant late night gaming is starting to show.

After work, as always, he’s glued to his laptop, when suddenly he sees a bright light and feels a wave of calm …

week after week
he looks at the ad 
Trip of a lifetime
he planned to go soon 
they say at his funeral

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About the Author

Tom Staudt lives in Sydney, Australia. He moved to Sydney from Germany in 2002. He writes mainly Japanese poetry and has been published in several online journals. He has also written short stories, two of which have been published in a short story collection called Phoenix Ink.

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