The Belt: one night at a parcel depot

One night at a parcel depot, told in the first person by the temp worker who worked it.

He leaves home at three in the afternoon for a twelve-hour shift, rides a bike to the edge of the bus route, and reaches the gate thinking he is early. They take his phone and let him keep a clear plastic bag for food and water. From six to six he stands at a belt, putting each parcel in the exact centre of its little cell, until watching it makes him seasick. At one in the morning the belt stops for half an hour. At twenty past five the last parcel is sorted, and there is still a room's worth of ties to move and the empty bags to stack.

This is one person's account, as they posted it publicly in Chinese, translated and retold in the order they told it. It has not been independently verified. The people, the place and the company are left out: 1