I open the blinds to a Matisse landscape that sifts through the fog. My clock melts Dali-like until the caffeine kicks in.

The piece narrates the experience of an adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who returns and must re-adjust to their workplace after Covid-19 lockdowns. It applies the conventions of microfiction to promote empathy with adults with ASD and makes an original and innovation addition to literary works on ASD and on the pandemic.

It's July; the air has a bite that promises snow. You wear your facemask, the navy blue one with paisley patterns that you bought from Etsy, with a nose wire to stop it fogging your glasses. You waddle from two blocks away, your thirtyeight-week belly stretching out in front of you like a smuggled basketball. Your pelvis splits apart with each step to the entrance. Hand sanitizer on your chapped hands.