A stranger approached me today.

I was actually kind of terrified at first, since the last time a stranger approached me it was a security guard telling me I had overstayed my welcome in a mall that was closing for the night. (I was trying to get work done while waiting for a family member to return from a sidequest.)

But this person was just curious, and friendly. And she spoke loudly enough that I could hear her through her mask. She — a stranger — spoke to me, asking where I had bought my iPad keyboard case. I told her I forgot the brand name, and after a brief inspection I realized it wasn’t written anywhere on the case itself.

So I looked it up for her.

The experience reminded me of the hazy, mythical before-time, when humans would interact regularly in public — or so the old tales tell us.