A Complete Sentence

"Nice Words! Come read my words, too! Subscribe me, too! You will like it!"

Jennifer sighed as she read the first comment on her new Vocal Challenge entry. She'd been so excited to see a notification arrive just minutes after it had gone live; usually she saw only one or two comments on any of her writing. Getting feedback so soon must be a good sign, right?

Just a spammy comment with no sincere feedback or anything relating to her entry. Should she ignore it? Report it? Is there some way to delete it? (no, no there isn't)

She closed the page and saw that another notification was there, with another comment. Really? She clicked back and saw

"You read comment and ignored me? What up with you? Why is that? Are you two goodly?"

stated the notification

"That's weird. I don't think anyone can see when a message is read" she mused out loud. "Maybe that's the first of those new changes I read about?"

Another notification dot appeared on the little bell in the upper right side of the screen. She thought it was probably for one of her older pieces but refreshed the screen anyway just to be sure.

"I follow you/always know what you read. You read me now. NOW!"

stated the notification

Jennifer stared at the comment, afraid to blink or breathe. What was happening? Was this happening? How was it happening?

"Click Now. Click Now. Click Now! Don't just sit there. You read me now."

stated the notification

Should she reply? Comply? Report? Retort? Just then her watch vibrated, indicating incoming Messenger texts. It was from a Vocal creator in one of the many discussion groups of which she was a part.

We need five judges, three influencers, four editors, and nine collaborators. Send me your top four preferences. Each person will be assigned three of the roles. I need a response within 15 minutes. Failure to respond in a timely manner will result in no choice regarding your participation.

stated the Message

What the-? WHO was this? Did Jennifer sign up for this and forget about it? What exactly are the expectations for this? WHAT is THIS? WHEN does it start? When does it END? WHO is this person and how could they make such assumptions regarding her time? Before she could decide how to respond within the rapidly diminishing 15 minutes allowed, another notification popped up on the screen:

NOW! You read NOW!

stated the notification

Jennifer closed her eyes as she slowly inhaled through her nose, held it for 5 beats, then just as slowly exhaled through her mouth.

This is getting out of hand. What used to delight her, was evidence of her fulfilling a dream to get the words out of her head and out- out- out into the world!, now seemed like being heckled by family members that cared only for themselves. That was a feeling she was all-to-familiar with. Something she had spent years untangling from the snarl they'd occupied in her thoughts and around her spirit.

This isn't something she will do again. Not after all that effort. Not after all those lessons about using her voice, about staying true to herself, about finding her place in this world, about prioritizing those things that make her fulfilled and delighted. At peace. Peace. She needed Peace.

She Deserved Peace.

"It would be easier," she mused to herself, "if Vocal had a Mute or Block button." But since it doesn't surely she can simply ignore unwanted notifications through the platform? Surely she could block unwanted Messenger messages from creators with which she no longer wanted to exchange responses? Surely she could create her own Digital Peace?

"No," she said aloud. "No is a complete sentence."