Tsering and I passed a lot of time lying on the couches, relating the stories of our lives to each other. Turns out I actually had a few albums he’d produced; they were among the few musical commonalities that Zoe and I had shared.

I mention the “lying on the couch” part because we basically ended up staring into the blue grid light show that played out in the window above. If you’ve ever heard that story of the old guy on Press Your Luck who noticed the patterns, it was a similar story—I got used to the routines.

The first couple of weeks turned into the first couple of months. About six months in I started getting an odd nagging feeling, like trying to remember a dream you had but can’t. Initially it was chalked up to a lack of being outside.

Then one day, it hit me, and I sprang up from my couch to tell Zowie. Soon it was confirmed.

The routines were changing. The lights were getting brighter. Their pace was getting faster. And the structure looked like it was gradually collapsing towards the window.