Steve walked down the busy New York street, looking at all the new sights that assaulted his senses. He reached a hand down into one of his pockets and jangled the loose change in it, trying to feel distract himself. Even coins felt different now, lighter than he was used to, but he was learning not to let it bother him.
It was so strange to him; it felt like only a month or so had passed between then and now. For him it had, but for everybody else, the world had spun out of control and he'd been dropped back into it without any warning or knowledge of life today. He hated it.
He remembered the streets he used to walk in his time being much bigger and less crowded. There was less sun now too, what with so many buildings that really did scrape the sky as their name suggested. And there were so many people here now. Though, it was amazing to him how many people could be around him, walking shoulder-to-shoulder, and yet he was still completely and utterly alone. How could there be so much life here and yet he wasn't connected to any of it anymore.
And everything was so loud now. He flinched as cars honked at each other and music blared from a clothing store across the street. The bass pounded so hard he could feel it jarring his entire body and it gave him a slight sense of panic. He quickened his pace to go away from it as fast as possible. For the millionth time since he'd returned to the now, he wished he could go back. To the then. The then he knew and understood and desperately missed.
Just before turning to walk back to the apartment he'd been placed in upon his return, he saw a small grocery store on the corner and walked into it. He was supposed to get out into the world and interact with it now. This would be a good opportunity to do so. He walked up and down all the aisles, trying to make eye contact with and smile at all the people he saw. Occasionally somebody returned the smiled with one of their own or a nod.
The candy aisle was fully stocked with all sorts of things he'd never heard of. But one thing caught his eye: a chocolate bar that was familiar to him. Memories flooded his mind as he looked at the deep purple outer wrapper with the word HERSHEY on the front. He picked it up and smiled as he wrapped his hand around the familiar sweet. He purchased it and tried his best to ignore how much it cost compared to what he was used to. It was nearly impossible for him to part with so much money at one place for such a small item, but this was the way of the world now and he had no other choice but to accept it. So he'd handed over the coins to the clerk, though he felt that sense of panic return as he did.
As he left the shop, Steve held the chocolate bar up to his nose and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and reveling in the sweet scent that made him think of his childhood. He slowly felt the panic slip away and smiled to himself. He ripped the foil wrapper open and took a bite, sighing as the comforting flavor soothed his spirits.
The chocolate slowly melted in his mouth and he sighed again. Perhaps it was worth continuing to adapt to this new world. A world with chocolate in it couldn't be so bad, could it?
