Everything in this part of the city used to be something else, especially the buildings, and all the new office complexes and shopping centers and clubs are really just factories and shipyards and slaughterhouses that have been cleaned with a bit of paint and some LED lighting to contain a new type of work. Even the streets used to be something else, and sometimes the old cobblestones and train tracks crack through the asphalt like wrinkles too deep for even the most skilled makeup artist to cover.…

Originally published on September 6, 2024 in Maudlin House.