ritual from three houses by dave malloy

SADIE
after the first month or so,
the mechanics and rituals of the game
started to seep into my everyday life.

in the village,
you had to perform various chores each day,
to keep everything and everyone looking spiffy:

SADIE, ZIPPY & SUSAN
cut down trees
gather fruit
gather mushrooms
collect honey once you’ve unlocked the beekeeper tree
feed the goblins
dig up relics
check the grimoire for new crafting recipes
go to the woodshed
make your wares
sell them at the market

SADIE
and then in my actual life,
i also had to do certain things each day
to keep my mind and body okay.

SADIE, BECKETT & SUSAN
wake up
get out of bed
make tea
do the dishes
exercise
shower
drink water
eat a small midday meal
go outside
take a walk
ride my bike
play the guitar
cook dinner
read a book
journal
go to bed

see there’s this clicking in my head
when certain things line up
when like is put with like
and there is order.

SADIE
i spent so much time making this perfect schedule
gamifying my life.
but i don’t think i actually did it all even once.

i’d had the same problem in beforetimes,
only then it was jasmine who kept messing up my routines.
she was always so spontaneous!
and sometimes i just couldn’t deal.

SADIE, BECKETT & SUSAN
she’d ignore my spreadsheets,
show up at random times,
put dishes back in willy-nilly places.
put eggs on the bottom shelf,
tell long stories,
when we’re trying to get out the door.
ask about my feelings
at times when i didn’t even understand
what my own feelings were.

SADIE
things were so much easier in the game.

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