An irrational deduction would have us conclude that the torture of the soul by one method is seemingly as torturous as another, as reality itself is a conflagration of non-existence.
ANONYMOUS
This hypothetical scenario was inspired by the events that occurred surrounding the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020. Despite this drawing of inspiration from a specific point of origin, their general applicability transcends their specificity to a more broader sense of everyday life.
The events that transpire occur in Anytown, in the country of Anywhere, on Terra, or as natives would call it planet Earth. In this particular case Anytown is located on a coast, in a warm place, as many major cities are across the globe, and is therefore a hub for all season sea based shipping and seaport related activities. In this particular case, our Anytown is Desertown-On-The-Sea.
As most towns go, their architectural image would be considered ugly for some. To it, there is somewhat of a calm demeanor and it would require a person spend some time there in order to fully grasp the small details that as a whole, would differentiate it from other towns that enjoy access to the sea. It would be difficult to imagine this to be a town in which birds were not present, did not sing or flap their wings, where there was no vegetation and flora, no parks or gardens, a certain neutrality that strips away these attributes and makes it devoid of what we most take for granted.
Since it was a town located in a desert climate, one could not tell when the seasons would change, as there was no snow during winter, no rain during spring, and no trees to have their leaves fall off during autumn. The locals would tell the change in seasons only by changes in the sky. A change in air quality would indicate spring is upon the land, and merchants would often bring baskets of flowers from the suburban areas to inner city markets and bazaars to ironically sell a symbol of spring blossom, despite it not being immediately apparent in the landscape. The houses mostly made from the materials gathered from the land, a sort of clay and sand mixture, would have their walls dried out even more so than they were before, during the summer, and would subsequently be enveloped in a gray dust resembling a sort of ash. During this period the heat makes outdoor living unbearable, and most people retreat into their domiciles to enjoy the cool created by the closure of blinds, so as to not let in the sunshine. During autumn mud would plague the landscape, and make traversing the streets often unflattering. It is during the winter that life becomes bearable and a hospitable equilibrium sweeps the land.