SOFT SUNDAY // 818-L
FILE: 818l_softsunday.txt
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not official.
not confirmed.
no lab coats.
just a file scraped off a dorm board at 3am.
they called it SOFT SUNDAY.
not because it’s gentle—
because it’s *too* gentle.
the kind of warmth that bends you sideways.
read if you want.
log runs 7 days.
nobody posts on day 8.
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PHENOMENON 818-L : SOFT SUNDAY
DAY 0 : THE LOOP
radio stuck today.
played “listen to your heart” three times.
first and second = normal.
third time, lyrics shifted.
same melody, same voice—
but a verse about forgetting myself.
felt like someone leaned close,
warm breath on my ear,
and whispered sorry.
maybe it was just the static.
DAY 1 : THE LIGHT
sun rose late.
not hours late—
minutes stretched thin.
everything bathed in pale orange.
shadows moved softer,
like they were trying not to upset me.
thought i saw someone wave from the window across.
no one lives there.
it didn’t scare me.
that’s what scares me most.
DAY 2 : THE AIR
air heavy today,
like being wrapped in a blanket that wouldn’t let go.
every time i opened the fridge,
the hum tuned itself to the exact note of my breath.
soft. steady. like it was trying to calm me.
someone left a note under my door.
“you deserve to rest.”
no handwriting.
just typewritten.
still smelled faintly of lavender.
DAY 3 : THE STARES
neighbors all waved today.
every single one.
but the eyes didn’t line up with the hands.
like the waving was for someone behind me.
like they were glad i wasn’t alone.
when i looked in the bathroom mirror,
i swear i caught myself smiling
before i decided to.
CHANNEL 77 INTERMISSION
TRANSMISSION PAUSED FOR YOUR COMFORT.
THE AIR IS SAFE. THE DUCKS ARE ASLEEP.
THIS LOOP IS PROVIDED FOR REST ONLY.
DAY 4 : THE SUNDAY
sunlight felt wrong again.
it wasn’t warm.
it was *gentle.*
like it had been softened before reaching me.
the radio whispered,
not sang.
my name, folded inside the chorus.
“don’t worry.
don’t hurry.
you already belong.”
i pressed record.
tape captured silence.
DAY 5 : THE APOLOGY
this one hurts to type.
because it felt *kind.*
building itself whispered.
vents exhaled in words i almost knew:
“i’m sorry.”
kitchen light flickered in time,
like it was nodding along.
all i wanted was to say back:
“me too.”
but the words stuck.
because i wasn’t sure what i was apologizing for.
DAY 6 : THE EMBRACE
woke up already crying.
like my body knew before i did.
walls leaned close.
air pressed soft against my skin.
not suffocating—just *too much.*
felt like every lost thing in my life
was trying to hold me at once.
a thousand arms i couldn’t see,
all whispering the same thing:
“you were never forgotten.”
couldn’t move for hours.
didn’t want to.
but i think i should have.
DAY 7 : THE STILLNESS
no hum today.
no sunlight.
just stillness.
i thought the silence would be safe.
instead it felt like everything had left.
until i breathed in—
and realized the air was humming *me.*
every inhale, every exhale,
echoed back through the walls,
like the whole world was carrying my breath.
and then a voice so soft it hurt:
“rest.
we’ll remember for you.”
i don’t know if i’m typing this.
or if the hum is.
RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: nightowl
DATE: 20XX
don’t breathe along with it.
the hum will match you.
then it’ll *lead* you.
trust me.
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: anodyne
DATE: 20XX
everyone keeps warning about day 6.
but day 3 is the one that broke me.
the smile in the mirror wasn’t mine.
it was too kind.
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: velvet (?)
DATE: ???
stop calling me.
i never posted this.
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: dialupghost
DATE: 20XX
i hummed back.
building hummed louder.
neighbors knocked on my door asking if i was okay.
problem is—
i don’t have neighbors.
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: [deleted]
DATE: ---
why do you think it’s called soft sunday?
because every sunday repeats until you let go.
check your clock.
what day is it, really?
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: sysop // echo_sys
DATE: 20XX
can confirm: the file won’t delete.
even tried pulling the plug on the whole board.
powered back on with only this file left.
header rewritten.
it just says:
“rest.
we’ll remember for you.”
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: velvet
DATE: 20XX-??-?? [timestamp: 03:11:00]
day 0 not uploaded yet.
why do i remember it already?
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: hum_███
DATE: 1996-07-14
radio never played that song for me.
it was commercials instead.
all apologizing at once.
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: ??????????
DATE: ————
yo͏u̵ ̸a̡lrea͠dy ̨be͞l͜ong.
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: echo.sys??
DATE: 20XX-??-??
looped back to day 2.
checked the archive—
all your posts are still here.
but none of mine are.
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: dial_tone
DATE: 20XX-??-??
stillness never ends on day 7.
don’t wait for day 8.
there is no day 8.
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: [lastpost]
DATE: ???
--
this message brought to you by echo_net™
thanks for reading.
remember to rest.
we’ll remember for you.
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RE: 818l_softsunday.txt
FROM: ???
DATE: [connection lost]
you kept reading.
so now it hums in you too.