In Front of The Screen

In front of the screen, a silver fox was absorbed in her work.

Darkurra clicked the keys at an unattainable pace. Click, click, click. If she didn’t keep typing, what would happen to her? The light of the screen pierced through her eyes, forcing them open while also dragging them down. Words and programs danced around on it, expanding and contracting with every edit she made. Yet, still, they refused to work. The borders of the monitor, black as coal, threatened to pull her out of her tunnel vision at a moment's notice. She forced herself to ignore it.

Must stay focused… Darkurra felt her muscles tense. What if I don’t finish the game, and all this time and money goes to waste? What if it’s too rushed, and it makes no income? No, remember, stay focused, listen to the fan.

Her surroundings started to blur out of sight and mind. All that was allowed to exist was the screen and the keyboard. The sensations of key clicking vibrated through her fingers, keeping her from losing her senses, her grip on reality. Simple lines of code became full scripts for boss attacks, and the program continued to expand as needed. The desk pushed and cut against her midriff in an attempt to pull her away. Still, Darkurra allowed it to keep digging into her, all in an attempt to stay productive. Her legs started to ache and cry out, yet she ignored that as well. It would all fade away, if only she could stay focused on her task.

It’s almost time for my break, Darkurra thought. I’ll take it later, just a few more attacks to finish…

So, despite her body's pleas, she continued to work. The screen continued to burn through her eyes—as if it was trying to force her to go on break. She ignored it, like everything else, since if she looked away from the screen for even a moment, her trance would break. The lines of code continued to expand like wood in water. The edges of her keyboard continued to support her hands, keeping them in the perfect place to type. Eventually, the point where she thought she would stop came and went, yet she wouldn’t tear her gaze away.

I’ll stop once I add in the post-boss cutscene, Darkurra thought. Then, I’ll take a ten minute break before I go back to work.

However, inserting the pre-animated cutscene took no time at all—especially when compared to everything else. In the end, she kept adding later game enemies to the overworld. Her eyes drooped like wilting leaves. Her body cried out as it throbbed in pain—begging for freedom, for relief. Even her fingers were starting to ache and slow down, betraying her every instinct.

Maybe I should stop here. Darkurra stretched out her arms. Still, I’d like to get some more stuff done before I—

A sudden brush against her shoulders caused her to jump in her seat. Darkurra stood up and glanced around, frantic and dazed, taken aback by the disturbance. Behind her desk, just inches from the back of her chair, Inez stood with a blank smile on her face. The pale blue cat didn’t notice that she’d been seen. Darkurra continued to sit in dead silence, waiting for Inez to notice her surroundings again. The clock ticked for an eternity. She considered getting up and flicking Inez’s nose, but she figured that would be too mean.

“Oh, hi! You finally noticed me,” said Inez, finally breaking the silence.

“Took you a while to figure that out,” Darkurra smiled. “How long have you been in here?”

“Uhh… maybe like half an hour? Y’know I can’t keep track of this stuff, Darkurra.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? Didn’t you get bored?”

“You looked focused—I thought you wouldn’t want any disruptions. Besides, you just looked sooo cute!”

“Aww, Inez…” Darkurra hid her face in her sweater.

“Hehe.”

Darkurra stood up and tried to stretch, but she quickly found herself in Inez’s embrace. Her face was being peppered with small kisses, which caused her to flinch from the ticklish sensation. Escaping it was no use, so she didn’t bother—not that she wanted to, anyways. Warmth coursed through her body. Her muscles relaxed, relieving her of an ache she hadn’t noticed, causing her to let out a sigh. Her chest lightened, and her mind stopped buzzing, both things she hadn’t noticed were bothering her. All this comfort was something she had thought she’d forgotten. Maybe she’d let her break last longer than 10 minutes, after all.