Safety in Numbers

Being alone is perilous, because visible targets are exposed and vulnerable.

But there is safety in numbers. As a group we are more than the sum of its parts. We are secure in the knowledge that anonymity offers protection. We won’t be singled out.

We congregate inside boxes, one stacked against the other to form an impenetrable wall and evade the world’s horrors. And then, we crowd into oblong metal tins, neatly slotted in, snug and tight. And finally, we lie shoulder to shoulder, head to head, and nose to nose.

We are wild sardines in extra virgin olive oil.

Florian writes stories, likes cheese, and is a friend to dogs and pandas everywhere. @ndbag.bsky.social