Vending Machine

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is that of the unknown.”

— H. P. Lovecraft

Insert coins,
press a button,
bend down,
open the slot,
reach inside,
take out the can,
crack it open,
and drink.

It’s a sequence of actions so familiar
that we barely even think about it.

But familiarity doesn’t mean understanding.

One night, in a dark alley,
I saw a vending machine glowing alone.
A machine I had seen every day since childhood suddenly felt alive...
almost like a living creature.

The world is filled with things we do not understand,
and there are far more things to fear than we care to admit.