Day — Dreams

Elias blinked, his fingers twitching as if still gripping the Solaris’s chrome helm. Daydreaming was his sanctuary, a way to escape difficult situations or the mundane repetition of his 9-to-5 life. Some might call it maladaptive daydreaming if it stole too many hours, but for Elias, it was a necessary bridge between who he was and who he wished to be —a version of himself that was brave, adventurous, and untethered.

In his mind, he wasn't a junior data analyst with a damp umbrella and a lukewarm latte. He was Captain Elias Thorne, standing on the deck of the Solaris , a ship that sailed not on water, but on the shimmering rings of Saturn. The air there didn't smell of wet wool and diesel; it smelled of ozone and stardust. Day Dreams

The train lurched to a halt. The doors hissed open. The cold morning air rushed in, dissolving the rings of Saturn and the deck of the Solaris . Elias stepped onto the platform, adjusted his bag, and merged into the sea of commuters. He was back in the "real" world, but as he swiped his badge at the turnstile, he whispered a single word to the crew still lingering in the corners of his mind: What do my day dreams look like this mental health month? Elias blinked, his fingers twitching as if still

"Next stop, Blackfriars," the intercom crackled, momentarily thinning the veil of his fantasy. In his mind, he wasn't a junior data