Days blur now. Can't remember when home.

  Office chair becomes bed. Desk becomes life.

  New project today. Dog food ad. Happy puppy needed.

  Type words. "Puppy eating food. Looks happy."

  Image appears. Dog face wrong. Eyes too human.

  Fix eyes. Now tail weird. Fix tail. Now fur wrong.

  Bob left hours ago. Clock says midnight. Still clicking.

  Window reflects face. Don't recognize self.

  Eyes sunken now. Skin looks gray.

  Calendar shows Tuesday. Started Sunday morning.

  Lost track completely. Time means nothing.

  Desk drawer has crackers. Eat without tasting.

  Water from bathroom. Tastes like metal.

  Back hurts. Ignore it. Pain not important.

  Phone rings. Girlfriend again. Let it ring.

  Only screen matters. Only perfect image counts.

  Type more words. "Normal puppy. Happy. Eating."

  New image. Better dog. Still wrong somehow.

  Cleaning crew comes. Mops floor. Looks worried.

  "You okay?" Woman asks. "Very late now."

  Nod. Don't speak. Keep typing. Keep fixing.

  Woman leaves. Lights dim. Building quiet.

  Just me. Just screen. Just clicking.

  Fingers feel numb. Keep typing anyway.

  Keyboard letters fading. Some missing now.

  Press harder. Type faster. Must beat tiredness.

  Eyes sting when blink. Don't blink then.

  Screensaver starts. Panic rises. Move mouse quickly.

  Dog image returns. Seem to hear bark.

  Just imagination. Just tired mind playing.

  Stretch neck. Bones crack loud.

  Building makes strange sounds at night.

  Pipes hiss. Walls creak. Floor hums.

  Or maybe just hearing things.

  Coffee cup empty. Make new cup.

  Break room dark. Coffee tastes burnt.

  Better than nothing. Need to stay awake.

  Dog image stares back. Eyes follow me.

  Not possible. Must be tired. Must be seeing things.

  Type again. "REGULAR DOG. NORMAL EYES."

  New image. Dog smiles wrong. Teeth human-like.

  Keep trying. Keep clicking. Night deepens.

  Building empty. Air feels thick. Screen only light.

  Chair creaks. Sounds like whisper.

  Thought hear name called. Turn around.

  Nobody there. Building empty. Just echoes.

  Phone screen lights up. Another message.

  "Coming tomorrow if no answer."

  Can't have visitors. Need to finish first.

  Text back quickly. "Working late. Important project."

  Turn phone off. Need focus now.

  Security guard passes by. Flashlight beam.

  Pretend working normal. Just late project.

  Guard nods. Moves on. Footsteps fade.

  Computer fan gets louder. Like breathing sound.

  Monitor glow makes shadows dance.

  Rub eyes hard. See spots now.

  Dog image changes when not looking.

  Turn back, position different. Tail moved.

  Double-check saved version. Hasn't changed.

  Just mind playing tricks. Need sleep.

  But sleep means failure. Sleep means weakness.

  Boss email comes. "Morning meeting. Bring dog image."

  Morning? What time now? Check clock. 3:27 AM.

  No sleep tonight. Just keep clicking. Just keep fixing.

  Eyes burn. Body aches. Don't matter. Must fix image.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Type harder. "DOG. HAPPY. NORMAL. FRIENDLY."

  Image loads. Dog looks right. Finally perfect.

  Feel rush. Feel power. Beat the machine.

  Victory tastes sweet. Better than sleep.

  Hands shake from effort. From triumph too.

  Send preview to self. Check phone version.

  Dog looks perfect there too. No tricks.

  Body suddenly heavy. Victory drains energy.

  Stand up slowly. Legs protest. Back screams.

  Need bathroom again. Walk like zombie.

  Mirror shows ghost now. Face not mine.

  Hair wild. Stubble grown. Eyes bloodshot.

  Splash water. Wake up more.

  Must stay alert. Meeting in hours.

  Need to defend work. Need to explain choices.

  Breathing feels strange. Too shallow now.

  Take deep breaths. Head spins little.

  Save file. Stretch back. Stand up.

  Look at screen again. Dog winks at me.

  Blink hard. Rub eyes. Must be hallucinating.

  Sit back down. Stare at dog. Dog stares back.

  Screen hums louder now. Or is head buzzing?

  Colors seem wrong now. Too bright.

  Office lights flicker. Power surge maybe.

  Or eyes failing. Hard to tell.

  Footsteps in hallway. Early worker maybe.

  Clock says 4:15 AM. Too early though.

  Listen harder. Footsteps stop. Nobody appears.

  Just building settling. Just tired mind.

  Dog image seems to breathe now.

  Chest moves slightly. In and out.

  Know it's static image. Know it's impossible.

  But see it anyway. Can't unsee it.

  Try other project. Open old files.

  Kitchen appliance from last week. Blender image.

  Blender blade spins slowly on screen.

  Close file quickly. Return to dog.

  Dog better now. Dog just image.

  But feel watched. Feel judged by screen.

  Monitor brightness increased. Don't remember changing.

  Eyes hurt from light. Turn brightness down.

  Returns to bright setting. Changes back itself.

  Must be glitch. Must be tired fingers.

  Touch forehead. Skin feels hot.

  Maybe fever now. Maybe getting sick.

  No time for sick. Meeting coming soon.

  One more check. One more click. Make sure perfect.

  Maybe sleep little bit. Head on desk. Just few minutes.

  Dreams come. Dreams of clicking. Dreams of dogs with human eyes.

  Dog speaks in dream. Says my name.

  Voice deep and wrong. Not dog voice.

  More like computer sound. Like digital growl.

  "Durboli, we make more images."

  Wake suddenly. Neck pain sharp.

  Drool on keyboard. Hope not damaged.

  Sun coming through windows now.

  Check clock. 6:52 AM. Meeting at 9.

  Body feels hollow. Like shell only.

  Stand up shakily. Need fresh air.

  Window doesn't open. Building too modern.

  Press face against glass. Cool feels good.

  Street below waking up. People look small.

  Look so normal. Look so distant.

  Not my world anymore. Screen is world.

  Dog image still open. Still perfect.

  But know truth now. Know deeper thing.

  Perfect never stays. Always breaks again.

  Always need fixing. Endless cycle.

  Early workers arrive. Look too loud.

  Talk about weekend. About normal things.

  Can't understand them anymore. Speak different language.

  Language of outside. Language of life.

  Only understand screen now. Only understand clicking.

  Bob will arrive soon. Meeting soon after.

  Must look normal. Must act professional.

  Splash water on face again. Comb hair with fingers.

  Practice smiling in mirror. Looks wrong somehow.

  Practice speaking. Voice sounds strange.

  "The dog image is complete."

  Words feel foreign. Mouth feels numb.

  Return to desk. Prepare presentation file.

  Dog image center stage. My triumph. My prison.

  Know deep truth now. Even perfect image temporary.

  New project waits already. New struggles coming.

  Screen wins eventually. Screen always wins.