Decameron: Add to Cart? [I/8]
“...more frozen pizzas, more beans, more tomatoes, a couple boxes of cereal, smoked paprika, yogurt, Greek yogurt, non-dairy yogurt, and hand soap if they have it.,” Erwin finished tentatively. “That’s what I’ve got so far, but is there anything else you can think of?”
“No,” Greg said.
“Clementines…” Erwin read aloud as he added it on the list. “Pre-diced sweet potatoes... Canned corn… am I forgetting anything?”
“No,” said Greg.
“Right, we’re low on honey,” Erwin agreed. “I’m adding that, and tortillas, and microwaveable chicken cutlets. And bagged frozen broccoli. Anything I’m leaving out? Anything else we need?”
“Notebook paper,” Greg said. “Since you’ve used all of ours up writing your unbelievable grocery list.” The sheet of lined paper was indeed covered almost completely, dense with black ink. There wasn’t room to add a single extra thing to it. Erwin went quiet.
“Ha,” Greg thought. “My witty response has knocked some sense into him. Just goes to show how keeping a cool head about yourself can help your friends keep a cool head too. Just goes to show how humans can rise above their lizard brains with cleverness. Just goes to—“
“P A P E R,” Erwin spelled out in ketchup a disposable napkin.
Decameron is a newsletter recounting the 14th Century set of quarantine tales for 2020. Read the original story.