ROMAN SHORT FICTION HUMOR

Turning Off My Camera Mid-Meeting: The Power of Disappearing in Plain Sight

ChatGPT 4o (openai.com)

Let me introduce you to Todd, the apex predator of the corporate wilds. At least, that’s what he’d have you believe. Todd isn’t just turning off his camera during Zoom meetings; he’s crafting a narrative. A myth. A legacy. The shadow lurking just outside the frame, ready to dominate not with charisma, but with the sheer weight of his ominous absence.

Todd’s meetings start as normal. He’s there, impeccably dressed in his custom-tailored shirt, a tie so sharp it could slit a throat, and that smile — the one that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. His coworkers nod along as he speaks, but their mild indifference only fuels his growing obsession: the art of control. And so, at precisely ten minutes in, his camera clicks off, every time. Not because he’s shy, or distracted, or even multitasking. No, Todd is disappearing — meticulously, methodically — because he believes that power is not in being seen, but in being wondered about.

Enter Somnus, the minor Roman god of sleep and dreams, summoned — or perhaps invited — into Todd’s dark ritual. Somnus’s influence is subtle, but potent. He whispers ideas into Todd’s mind, urging him to think beyond the mundane. “Disrupt their reality,” Somnus murmurs as Todd sits in his dimly lit…