The once lazy river ceased to flow. Why bother, the river thought. So I get to the sea, the sea is boring. I'm nobody there, just blend in like I'm invisible. I'm tired of the whole tedious cycle. Tired of these narcissists expecting me to reflect them. I just get dumped on and have trash thrown at me. I look good from a distance and in the right light. Let’s leave it at that.
People started calling it the apathetic river. Without realizing it the whole town became apathetic. No one felt like doing anything, especially new stuff. A strange species of gray jellyfish began to proliferate. So many that the river resembled a bowl of Spagetti-Os. Jellyfish beached themselves on the banks to get some space.
A man who called himself a doctor said the jellyfish were tasty and nutritious but he couldn't eat them because he was vegan. No one believed him. Doctors were way down the list of credible sources. Someone who played poker with the doctor spread the rumor that the jellyfish had magical powers for sexual prowess though the doctor insisted he never said that. Soon everyone was hunting and eating the jellyfish, even some former vegans. Most children found them too rubbery.
The aphrodisiac powers were never proven but there was a huge uptick in sexual activity. The town was like an episode of Grey’s Anatomy for awhile there until the river got overfished and the jellyfish went extinct. Everyone swapped their partners like a big square dance and then the dosey-do died down like musical chairs. The doctor had been collecting data but noted no significant changes, much to his disappointment. He’d hoped to discover a new medicine or cure, a hypothesis, interesting correlation at the very least but the jellyfish era was a big rubbery zero. Publishing possibilities were nil. The doctor became apathetic. People only want me when they have complaints, he realized.
DIY MFA 