Title: The Reasonable Man’s Support Group
Dave considered himself a reasonable man.
He paid taxes. He held doors open for strangers. He even returned his shopping cart.
But lately, Dave had questions.
Not normal questions like, “Where did I leave my keys?”
No.
More like: “Why does my phone show me ads for shoes I only thought about?”
One day, after watching three documentaries, five conspiracy videos, and accidentally clicking “Accept All Cookies” for the 9,000th time, Dave leaned back in his chair and whispered:
“…What if the Earth isn’t round?”
He immediately looked around his apartment.
Not because someone was there.
But because someone might be listening.
His Alexa blinked.
Dave froze.
Alexa said nothing.
But that was exactly what made it suspicious.
The next day, Dave went to work.
He brought it up casually in the break room.
“Hey,” he said, stirring his coffee nervously. “Hypothetically… if the Earth wasn’t round… would they tell us?”
His coworker Steve didn’t even look up from his phone.
“They can’t even tell us why the printer never works,” Steve said. “You think they’re explaining the shape of the planet?”
Dave nodded slowly.
This was the most logical thing anyone had ever said.
That night, Dave stood outside and looked at the horizon.
It looked flat.
Suspiciously flat.
He pulled out his phone and zoomed in.
Still flat.
He zoomed more.
Still flat.
He zoomed until the image turned into blurry pixels.
“Convenient,” Dave muttered.
But then Dave remembered something important.
Last week, he couldn’t find the TV remote.
He searched everywhere.
He accused his wife.
He accused the dog.
He even accused the government.
The remote was in his own hand.
Dave sighed.
He looked at the sky.
“Listen,” he said quietly, to whoever or whatever might be listening, “I’m just a reasonable man.”
His phone buzzed.
A notification appeared:
“Recommended for you: Globe-shaped desk lamp.”
Dave stared at it.
“…Okay,” he said. “Now that’s just disrespectful.”
He slowly turned his phone off.
Then turned it back on.
Because he needed it.
Because everyone needed it.
Because whatever shape the Earth was…
The Wi-Fi still worked.
And that was enough for now.
🌍The Reasonable Man and the Flat Horizon
This story follows a self-described rational individual named Dave who begins to question the physical shape of the world after consuming online content and digital advertisements.
His growing paranoia regarding technological surveillance and government secrets leads him to interpret the horizon as flat, yet his skepticism is constantly challenged by his own forgetfulness.
Despite his deep-seated distrust of modern devices, he ultimately finds a sense of humor in how his phone targets his specific anxieties with ironic advertisements.
Ultimately, the narrative highlights the absurdity of conspiracy theories in an age where people remain tethered to their devices for comfort.
Dave chooses to prioritize the convenience of connectivity over his existential doubts, accepting that his need for internet access outweighs his desire for absolute truth.
