THE REMORATICK

     Rachel is always late.

     It's not that she doesn't care. In fact, it's quite the opposite. No matter how hard she tries, Rachel can't bring herself to get anywhere on time. With a million things on her mind, she gets caught, snagged on each line, pulled in every direction, and only manages to break free with just enough energy to arrive late. Every... Single... Time.

     She can't help it.

     It's not her fault. As if it were by some design or incredible fate, there is something invisible, a creature of sorts, that grips on to her, holding poor Rachel back from every situation; Keeping her from her destinations. It's why she misses her trains. It's why she is stopped at every traffic light. It's why every incoming call is missed before it could be answered.

     This force, this unknown slithering thing, the Remoratick, it consumes time and energy in every way it can.

     Even on days Rachel plans to leave early, it is this little parasite that turns off her alarm. And while she's getting ready, the Remoratick sneaks off and hides her phone. She swears she set it down on the counter, but when she returns to it, it's gone. It's then that she realizes the keys she held in her hand have also wandered off. It's that same  fishy fiend that swims up ahead, leaving tacks on the road to give her a flat tire before an important meeting.

     One would think with the amount of distress it causes, that the Remoratick is a mean, evil spirited monster... But it doesn't hate Rachel. In fact, it finds comfort in her. The Remoratick feeds off the delays, consuming every sweet and wonderful second it manages to siphon out of Rachel's day. It is nourished by the stolen thoughts and the wandering mind it creates. It cherishes being attached to her. Like a ghost, bonded to a house in a coupled haunt, the two are inseparable.

     You may know a Rachel, or someone just like her. You might even think she does it on purpose. Rachel thinks it's her fault too. She tries. Oh, how she tries to keep moving forward. To be mindful. Trying to be on time. But she can't...

     How could she?  

     She doesn't even know the Remoratick is there.

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Remora- hindrance, drag. (Also a boney parasitic fish)