Todd is going to become a hollow person.

It’s been on his mind for weeks. He hasn’t done any actual facility research or reservations, but he has indeed been preparing for several weeks.

Todd does not take pride in where he graduated, or rather, whether he has a degree or not is insignificant to him, for he works hard without much of a goal in life. Maybe he dropped out in middle school, maybe high school, it’s neither important to him nor to the story. He currently works in a shipyard. The job’s not complicated, just installing parts, painting, laying planks, and other chores, but the salary is higher than expected. His life is also simple: wake up, go to work, go back home, eat dinner, sleep, and repeat. His dinner is usually “microwavable”, accompanied by a can of beer. It can be said that Todd is quite satisfied with his life; well, when you don’t hope for much, the standard for satisfaction is lower too. 

Todd first heard about the “hollow person procedure” on a Wednesday.

As usual, he put on a plain checkered shirt, and plain jeans, stepped into his not-new-yet-not-worn-out boots, put his house keys in his back pocket, and went to work. It’s a five-minute walk from his apartment to the bus station. It was an especially nice day to be outside; wisps of cool wind followed the movement of people and their goings, and the sun, as if being polite, allowed the clouds to cover half its glare so that only mellow rays swept through the city. Todd would never really “people-watch”. He does observe his surroundings, to see if someone is walking in his way, to see if there are stairs to beware of, to see if a lamp post is in the middle of the road, but he never looks more than needed. Todd turned a corner, almost running into a man wearing a suit and black-rimmed glasses. Todd moved out of the way and said sorry under his breath. This “sorry” was the type of sorry that usually didn’t expect a response, yet weirdly, it did get a response, though not in the common sense. The “sorry” seemed to bounce back in the air, not squished into the walls, flowing into the gutters, or saturated into the skins of the passersby. Todd noticed this, of course. He was not oblivious to these changes, only that he didn’t care. 

He kept on walking, got on the bus, and arrived at the shipyard. One of his colleague’s mother was sick, thus he was asking around for a different cure, as the machinery for the current care was too large for their house. Todd was painting the bow of the ship with him and two others.

“I heard about these public clinics, where the doctor performs the procedure for free, but they keep what they take out from you. It sounds weird; I know; I had the same reaction, but, you know, heard that the success and recovery rates are real high.”

“Yeah, I heard about this too. Someone in my sister’s company went and did it. He’s quite healthy now. My sister was just complaining about him taking a day off to a party or something, leaving her to work overtime.”

“You talking about the” hollow person procedure”? Yeah, I considered that, but my mom doesn’t really believe it. Though if it’s so popular…I’ll try convincing her again. It’s not like she won’t be able to eat again. I think she just doesn’t want to say goodbye to her tummy!”

Todd laughed along with his fellow workers, adding, “She’s gonna kill you if she hears that!”. Chatting on some other topic, they finished the first coat and moved on to a different spot.

That was how Todd learned about the “hollow person procedure”. It somehow reminded him of the man he met who made his “sorry” bounce around in the air.

The “hollow person procedure” worked as such: first, the doctor removes the internal organs of the patient. Then, they add installations that will allow the body to function as usual. These installations often leave empty spaces in the patient, so they are pumped with air to retain their original body shape. After a period of recovery, the patient will be good as new (well, as new as they were before the procedure). It is open to all sick people aged six and above and all healthy people aged 18 and above. For sick individuals, this procedure removes the sickness from its roots, while for healthy individuals, it acts as disease prevention or just a more convenient form of life, not needing to watch their calorie intake or such. Saying to be free of charge, the procedure’s “payment” actually takes place in two forms: one is entirely for charity, while the other is like a form of investment. In the first solution, the clinic performs the procedure for free, but they keep whatever is taken out of the patient’s body; the tissues and parts taken out are thus the “payments”. Most people choose the “for charity” path, thinking that they got themselves a deal. For the second method, patients pay a set fee beforehand and get reimbursement, even earn some, if their tissues and parts are especially valued. This method is preferred by younger people who feel like the content they provide promises so much. To cynical eyes, this might remind one of those who lost themselves to gambling, going all in, with the stakes being themselves. Yet, many athletes depended on this method to cope with that period at sea after they retired. This procedure is listed as a major scientific development that propels all of humankind forward, though grey industry still lurks in the shadows. 

Todd returned home from work, riding the same bus, walking on the same tiles. He heated that day’s dinner, “Joe’s Chicken breast with gravy, mashed potato, and veggies”, a classic in the “Dinners served in 5 min” series. Afterward, he opened a can of beer and opened the TV before water beads started forming on the silver and blue surface. The TV faced a faded yellow two-person couch, which Todd liked to sit on the left side. In front of the sofa is a small coffee table, glass-topped. Water started beading on the silver and blue surface, and he placed it onto a coaster, which had faded from green to gray, watermarks making organic shapes. News played on TV, and an entirely new ad showed during the sponsored break:

“Do you want to be ‘hollow’? Oh! You don’t know what being ‘hollow’ means? The ‘hollow person procedure’ is the most significant breakthrough of this century! It helps cure sickness, prevent disease, and improve living standards. What? Are you still in doubt? Hear from some ‘hollow fellows’ from our facility!” A large man in a cheap suit shouted these words. Then, several “hollow fellows”(people who had undergone the procedure) echoed his words and told a few stories about how their lives changed. This ad was commonplace at most, but it did successfully attract many people. It had climbed to the top five list of “most successful hollow person procedure clinics”. One even had to wait in line for an appointment.

The can of beer was almost empty, a faint shade of water still lingered on the coaster. Todd knew that healthy people could and did hollow person procedures, it was even safer. He imagined what it would be like to become “hollow”—- will it be like floating? Will he perceive the surrounding air differently? It sounded quite inviting to be hollow, like unloading part of oneself will unload some weights of life. Yes, Todd thought, why keep so much of himself in a place he’s just plain living in? His parts could be used for other people who cared more. His family didn’t really believe in an afterlife, so there was no importance of keeping so much weight that would just be ashes later. He never thought that a person would become so much ash. 

But yet, it still took him a few weeks to decide. What did Todd have to lose?

He told himself this as well. He convinced himself that this was too much of a change; he was content with his current conditions, why go to lengths to break the routine? He didn’t want becoming hollow to change anything. Todd wasn’t sure if this was the complete reason. 

His coworker had to return home to care for his mother, who could not do errands due to her medical condition. That is a big change. A change Todd did not care for.

In these days of struggle, a few more ships arrived at the shipyard and went through their routine checkups. The ship they were painting on that particular Wednesday was already northbound, unbothered by storms. 

Todd decided to become hollow.

He booked the clinic advertised by the man in the cheap suit and asked for a week of leave. On the arranged date, he rode the same bus route to the clinic. He was led to a room where he would spend the rest of his week. It was clean and had that hospital smell that was hard to place; he smelled it on the hands of the nurses prepping him for the procedure. The operation room was lit in the center, where Todd lay on his back. His eyes went hazy as he was injected with anesthesia. His hearing began to be whirled into the haziness that brought close his eyes. His vision went dark, slowly and comforting, and he expected his hearing to follow. Before his ears closed off, he heard the doctors talking.

“He looks healthy. Reminds me of that red-haired man a few days ago.”

“I actually saw him on the news. Will his family ever find out?”

“Find out wha——Its not our place…they promised…”

Todd had a bad dream during the procedure.

He saw his organs, put into plastic crates and shipped to a storage room. He then saw through a telescope, into his skin. He saw glinting machinery; then a man with a mop, mopping up colors from the ground, or was it the walls of his body? He saw himself from the distance, floating like a balloon; then his own hands poked the balloon, and Todd the balloon disintegrated. “Will there be nothing left of him?” Todd wondered. He thought he didn’t care. He wasn’t sure if he cared. That scared him.

The procedure went very well, and the doctor assured him that he wouldn’t experience any side effects, that he just needed a few days of rest, and he’d be good as new. The nurse in charge of his recovery told him that for the first few days, eating and drinking may feel a bit weird, but soon he’ll get used to it. After two days of bed rest, Todd did some small exercises to get used to the new gravity arrangements. He did not drink his can of beer for the entire week. 

Todd sat down in front of his TV, opening a new can of beer. Water started beading on the silver and blue surface, and he placed it onto the same coaster. News played on TV. The beer and the dinner felt different. It was not so much that the taste changed; Todd kept buying these not actually for their good taste, but rather for the calming routined actions. The microwaved dinner and beer changed. It did not offer the comfort of routine. Todd, the brain, understood that they already ingested the regular meal, but Todd’s body did not seem to catch up. He felt more human and less human as he swallowed the remaining beer.   

With his leave days spent, he returned to his work at the shipyard. He woke up at the same time and walked the same five minutes to the bus station. He turned a corner, almost running into a woman wearing a suit and blue hairpins. She moved out of the way and said sorry under her breath. This “sorry” was the type of sorry that usually didn’t expect a response, yet weirdly, it did get a response, though not in the common sense. The “sorry” seemed to bounce back in the air, not squished into the walls, flowing into the gutters, or saturated into the skins of the passersby. Confusion flashed across her eyes, and she searched momentarily for the source of the echo.