Flood
Two of my colleagues were visiting me, but I didn't feel like getting
up. I closed my eyes and tried to rest, or at least not to think.
I was tired, completely unwilling to socialize. Still, the movement
in the living room disturbed me, as Sari entertained my guests.
Only
when my colleagues were about to leave, I concluded that the least
I could do was to go and say hello. I rose from my bed and greeted
my friends. They said they were on their way to a flea market. In
the vicinity there was a new shop specializing in second-hand stuff.
"Would you like to join us?" they asked.
The
sun had set. The street lamps illumined the cool evening. I noticed
there was quite a crowd going to the flea market. At least fifteen
people had gathered in the street corner, from where we started. Most
were of my age, some were younger. Undoubtedly these were friends
of my colleagues, all of which had received the same invitation to
go for shopping.
There
was still some space in the horse cart, so I sat there. A dozen other
people sat in the wagon. The rest had to go on foot, which didn't
matter much, since the flea market was only a few blocks away. The
distance would be quickly covered walking along the narrow lanes.
Meanwhile I wondered what to buy. Maybe some kitchen utensils...
We
had not reached very far when we came across a group of people running
as fast as they could towards the centre. "Flood!" they
shouted. Without asking for details, we too started running to the
same direction. I could hear a roaring sound that came closer. Behind
my shoulder I saw how the masses of water rolled onwards splashing
against advertisements, chairs and tables that were lined before the
shops and cafés. Among the torrent of flood there were all
kinds of junk carried along, including people and animals.
The
flood rushed towards the centre. I understood that I would soon be
overtaken by the avalanche, unless I turned away. My colleagues were
running in the wrong direction. They would soon be engulfed by the
waters, but they were already too far away. I turned right and ran
to reach smaller alleys. The flood passed the place where I was a
moment ago and continued onwards drowning part of the entourage that
were about to go shopping. They would hardly survive the rough ride.
As
the water retreated I walked to the centre along the wet streets.
By the side of a market place I found an old friend from school. He
was sitting in a mini-size car and, as he saw me, he opened the door.
I greeted my old friend. He pointed up to the sky and directed my
attention to spots of light moving from left to right above the horizon.
The lights looked like satellites but there were too many of them
going in exactly the same direction. I concluded they had to be something
else, since the speed, too, was far too fast. They could not be meteors
either, since the speed was too slow for a falling object. In addition,
the sparks of light had formed into a myriad of constellations. Some
of the constellations were extremely complex and well designed. I
recognized them as crabs and crayfish.
"This
means a new world order!" my friend shouted dramatically. "There's
no return to the past." My friend stood on the street and uttered
his profetic visions, as I marvelled at his miniature size; he was
hardly the size of a dwarf.
Further
away I saw a bigger version of my friend, who grinned at me. I was
puzzled for a moment until I realized that the miniature was a clone
made by him; the clone could be sent for simple errands, such as shopping
food or visiting the post office. I exchanged some news with my school
friend, then moved on to look for Sari.
I
heard some noise from a bar nearby. I found Sari sitting with her
sister, Kati, and her boyfriend, Björn. The bar was crowded.
I found an entire group of old school friends sitting by a table.
I talked with them, particularly with two girls I hadn't seen in fifteen
years. They looked exactly the same as before. I took a picture of
the group.
A
guy, with whom I used to hang around quite much in the primary school,
pondered with me the significance of the flood and the sudden constallation
of crabs. He didn't think these events had any further significance,
but I wasn't so sure; possibly there was some kind of meaning to the
events, certainly it seemed as if the world had changed in an instant.
My old friend laughed, "Why on earth should the world had changed?"
I
looked around. People spent their evening as if there never was any
flood. They looked happy and sociable. The music was danceable and
the floor was getting crowded. I was asked to join there, too.
