An Ordinary! Day
When James woke up in the morning, he repeated the same routine. It was James's habit to start the day early. He woke up at the same time every morning so he could get to school on time and this morning he got out of bed as quickly as usual. He lived alone in a small house near the tailor's shop. He had been managing here on his own for a long time.
At the beginning of the day, James showered as usual. He took a nervous breath and then got dressed. The young teacher put on his simple but smart-looking black trousers and shirt. He drank some coffee to start the day better. As he sipped his coffee, he looked out of the window and watched the busy streets. Everything was so ordinary that no one knew what would happen today.
After having his breakfast, James took his rucksack and left the house. He walked to school on familiar roads to reach the school building. He found himself in the familiar surroundings of the school corridors, with students running around and teachers preparing for their early morning classes. On the surface, everything seemed normal. As the students prepared for the day, James went to his classroom to get ready for class. When the bell rang, James had already taken his seat and started his lesson.
During the lesson, James focused on explaining what he knew to his students. He was happy to see that the students were interested and attentive. However, when he entered the classroom, he saw a vague concern in the students' eyes. One of his students, Sara, apologised for being late for the lesson. She looked even more worried when James asked her why she was late. Sara said she had been watching the morning news and there had been some disturbing events in the city. James listened with curiosity, but he didn't quite understand what Sara was saying. He couldn't quite understand what she meant.
He came home, rested a little and ate the dinner he had prepared yesterday in the fridge. Then he sat in front of the television. He heard on the news that strange things were happening in different cities around the country. Suddenly people were behaving violently and there were blackouts in electricity and communication lines. James continued to watch the news anxiously. What Sara had said was true. After a while, all the channels were switched off and the images went black. Bewildered, he switched off the television. What was happening? James tried to understand what was happening but he was more confused. The tiredness of the day was getting to him and James decided to take a nap.
As it started to get dark, James went for his usual evening walk. Everything seemed normal outside, but James noticed that people seemed to be in a bit of a hurry as they walked. Everyone seemed to be rushing somewhere. The wind started to blow and the air became cooler. James started walking quickly towards his house. As he locked the door and went inside, he heard a noise. The television was back on and broadcasting an emergency broadcast. He rushed to the TV.
The presenter was saying that there were serious problems in the country and that everyone should stay at home. People were suddenly behaving violently, hospitals were overflowing and the number of injured people was increasing. James stayed glued to the screen for hours, terrified. What was happening? It was as if the world was turning upside down.
He was startled when the doorbell rang. No one should be there at this hour. He approached the door cautiously and then quickly pulled one of the knives from the drawers. He headed for the door, ready to defend himself. James opened the door slightly and looked out. Bill, his neighbor, called out to him in a panic. James opened the door.
“James, what's going on? Everyone's going crazy. There's a fight at the entrance to the building, people are attacking each other!” Bill said. As James tried to understand what was going on, Bill continued:
“There's a state of emergency on TV. Everyone should stay indoors. What are we going to do?”
James was trying to digest what had been said. The panic-stricken words of the landlord began to create fear and anxiety in himself. The world was really turning upside down ...
