Renter life: some Discord messages by Anj Baker

“No way is this legal, Anj.”

I am the frog in the pot of slowly boiling water

I am the dog in the house on fire

I am the Anj in the apartment full of mold

Everything is fine.

I'll live.

Hey guys, guess what, my sink overflowed again

Hey guys, welcome to my crib

Should I open up a shitty bar out of my bathroom and sell Fernet and PBR because there’s a very

literal hole in the wall

Like, guys, I can see the pipes.

They're gonna jackhammer up my bathroom floor

Let's take a vote

Mold or no mold.

“Mold

Mold, definitely

If there's no mold I'll eat my own ass.”

_________

Anj Baker was raised in rural Appalachia, in the USA, but now lives in suburban Illinois and works in scientific research. A 2024 graduate of the Clarion Writers' Workshop, they usually write speculative fiction. Their short horror has appeared on the Bram Stoker Award's Reading List.