Whispers
A voice whispered through the phone today.
Sitting at work, your small ‘L’ shaped desk wrapped around either side; nestled in the corner like it would protect you from the burden of your employment, which in turn would protect you from the burden that said employment was not enough. It was one of those days where everything feels off just a bit. Like, when you woke up that morning, you couldn’t shake off that last bit of sleep. You go through your routine in a daze. You get in your car and ready to leave when you stop to rub your eyes. You think for a moment, perhaps you shouldn’t drive, as you feel quite tired. But you put the car in gear anyways. “It's okay”, you think, “I’m going to work. That’s the responsible thing to do”.
It was not the responsible thing to do.
Off you went and, as luck would have it, you made it to work safely. Just before you get out of the car, you feel like you’ve forgotten something. You key into the office building where you’ve spent the majority of the past 5 years. The lights blink on above as you enter the empty hall of cubicles. It's quite early, you’re the first one there, just as you have been for the last 1300 business days (barring holidays, of course). You sit down at your desk and get right to work. But as it turns out, there isn’t much to do. Work had been slow like that for a few days. You didn’t worry much about it.
You sat there and just did little things to pass the time. You played cards on the computer, wrote in your journal, and even invented a neat little game with pens. You’re a real powerhouse of ingenuity. Nothing can knock you down.
The phone lights up.
Not to ring, just light.
Suddenly, at the height of your creative genius, everything falls silent. The air conditioning has shut off, and the tiny hum of computers is distant and faded. You focus your empty gaze on the phone. You wonder why it's lit, but not enough to inspect it. The change is almost welcome.
The phone whispers.
It's faint at first, but then quite clear.
A whisper coming from the phone.
As soon as you realize, you pick up the receiver and put it to your ear. The whisper pauses and then says, “Don’t go outside.”
Nearly horrified you hang up the phone, and its lights shut off. You hadn’t planned on going outside anyways. You hate the heat and it's always so very hot in the summer.
You realize you forgot your wallet.
Today sure is weird.