Biscuits

"So... what was the point in all of it?" I said to the man as I walked up to his desk.
"Wasn't it obvious?" he replied, seemingly puzzled.
"Absolutely fucking not," I laughed back,
"Hey. Watch the language."
"Alright, but... what actually was the point?"
"Come," he said as he opened the door, and gestured me through, "Take a seat, and I'll be right back."
I sat down, and I waited, and I waited some more. Time seemed to stretch on and on, the ticking of the clock above the door noting every passing, wasted second of my existence. I stood up, found the nearest breakable object, which happened to be a vase with some very nice white lilies blooming, and smashed it on the ground in rage. Sharp shards and dirt littered the beautiful, clean floor. I made my peace with the situation, and continued to wait.

After what felt like an eternity, he returned, "Oh...", he looked at the mess on the floor, "Sorry to keep you waiting. Any chance you've figured it out yet, or...?"
"No! What the f-", I stopped myself before calming down a little, "Was this supposed to give me some sort of epiphany?"
"Well certainly for some people, but for those who question further, such as yourself, need an explicit explanation. It's quite involved, so usually we get people to wait around and see if they're able to figure it out themselves first. Saves us a lot of time."
"Yeah, like you don't have enough of that already," I muttered under my breath before continuing out loud, "So can we start now?"
"Please, follow me," he began to walk towards a door and I quickly jumped to my feet to follow. He led us down a corridor and into what looked like a friendly version of an interrogation room.

I sat down on one side of the table, and he on the other. I gestured for him to begin.
"Love."
"Love?!", I scoffed.
"Love," he repeated firmly.
"How, on Earth, could it have been about love?!"
"How could it have been about anything else?"
"If it was- Why was- How?"
"Do you remember that time a few years ago, when you and Sera were sitting on that hill in the park, watching the sun set over the city? She looked at you, and something about the way the wind blew through your hair, or the light bounced off of your face, made her smile. So she snapped one of her biscuits and gave half to you? That was perfect."
"I don't- What does that have to do with anything?"
"That was love."
"How does that mean anything? Like, she had a whole packet of them, she could have given me a few whole biscuits and still had loads left."
"That wouldn't have meant as much. You weren't hungry, and you know she knew that."
"But what's that got to do with..." I waved my arms around, almost flailing, "...all of this? Everything?"
"That's the point."
"What? Half a biscuit for billions of people? Trillions of souls?"
"Exactly."
"But, but, but, but, but. What about war? Poverty? Plague? How is that love?", I raised my voice as I became more agitated with his answers.
"An accidental side effect, granted. But aren't these merely opportunities for love?"
"It's all just DEATH!!" I screamed.
"Without the possibility of war, there is no possibility for peace. Poverty and plague, rather ironically, bring community. People coming together, loving each other, and becoming something greater."
"That's bullshit!", I screamed as he pointed a finger at me. "Sorry, language. That's fucking ridiculous!" I replied, sarcastically.
"How so?" he said as he tilted his head.

"Alright," I said as I stood up and began to pace around the room, "Remember that pandemic? Back in, like, 2020? Literally everyone on the planet was stuck in their house. And you'll be like 'oh, that's a community coming together', but that feeling didn't last. Families were torn apart because that 'love' extends only to a point that we were pushed so far over. Relationships ended, and it's not like we could start making new ones. So many people died. And yes, they were mourned, and that's some type of love, but they're forgotten. Their legacies destroyed, because it turns out most people are pieces of shit, and they're really good at hiding it until they're gone. Then the aftermath, a whole generation of people grew up without even knowing how to talk to each other. Where's the love in that? And me, how did I make my way through it? I was alone. For years." Thinking back to that time killed the flow of my thoughts. I hung my head. He stood up, walked towards me, and held me for a moment, before walking me back to my seat.

When I was finally able to look at him again, I saw his arm outstretched, his hand holding half of a biscuit. I took it, and thanked him.
"I know you won't listen to this," he said softly, "but it wasn't all bad. Many people thrived, regardless of the obstacles thrown at them. They found solace in the internet, and communities they wouldn't have found any other way. They stole moments, broke the 'rules' in small ways, and that brought them closer. They found new passions, new hobbies to love, new avenues of thought to explore, and they changed the world. Every single cloud-"
"Has a silver lining," I finished his sentence. "Yeah, I know." We sat there for a moment.

"And that's love? That silver lining, in an otherwise grey sky?" I asked.
"No," he replied, "Love is the whole sky. The clouds, and the sun. The rain, and the snow. The terrifying thunder and lightning, and the vast blue that stretches forever."
"And the orange," I continued for him, "That sunset that lasts for only a few minutes, but you look up at it with whoever you're with, and for a moment, everything makes sense."
He smiled.
"Then the moon comes out to shine with the stars," I continued, "But it's not whole. It's never whole. It's cracked like... like half a biscuit. I've missed her. Is she here?"
"Of course," he replied, "Would you like to see her again?"