Presented by Cross Stitch, Metro Arts (2013)
Creator M’ck McKeague
With Jake Davies
Photos and production assistance Nathan Stoneham
An elaborate blanket fort. A place to hide. Everything is soft. Someone is already inside. Their hand brushes your cheek as they remove your headphones. They offer you a small packet of M&Ms and you notice that there is already a pile of them on a pillow neatly sorted into the colours. You open the packet, eat some and sort some. You both lie down. You’re staring up at the sky of clashing floral sheets and can feel them looking at you. You look over and catch their eyes, feel awkward and glance away. You take a deep breath and look back, this time holding long enough to notice the different strands of colour swimming out from their irises. They whisper to you: I’m tired of hiding. You realise how long it’s been since you saw a stranger. Since you really saw them. You ask: What are you hiding from? Everything. Nothing. Sometimes it’s the only way to slow my brain down. Sometimes I just don’t want to pretend anymore that I’m “happy” or “normal” or that I even know what those things mean. You remember ordering your flat white this morning. You remember the small talk. You remember 9 to 5 and married by thirty and good manners. A tiny burp escapes their throat. You both laugh softly and they offer their hand. You take it. You know what it’s like to feel small.