Tabula Rasa

This is the second time this month, she thought to herself with a gleam of frustration. Since the factories had shut down, most of the town had left. It had become almost impossible to hire a reliable worker. Anybody with any real skill had fled to neighbouring cities, leaving behind those who had never dreamed of anything more. She’d have to call the same electrician, all the others had gone. Making a note on her dwindling to-do list, she turned off the light so that the flicker wouldn’t bother her. Although it was cold out, and getting darker by the minute, she knew a walk around the block would do her cloudy head some good. Grabbing her thickest coat and scarf, she walked out and took a left, feeling that an anti-clockwise journey would make a nice change. Over time, the streetlights had stopped working one by one, and now only a small handful remained operational, a devastatingly obvious metaphor for the migration of all her neighbours. Now, the streets were so dim and empty, that she felt almost as if she was walking through a strange dream, not certain what her reality truly consisted of. She allowed herself to settle into this feeling of limbo, and as she walked, the cool night air cleared the small frustrations of her day, and she could feel herself lighten with each step. Turning the corner back onto her own street, she saw a car she didn’t recognise parked a few doors down from her own. Where she was standing, the nearest light was a few metres away so she was cloaked in darkness, hidden from anyone’s view. Someone in the passenger seat of this strange car turned on their interior light and she could just about make out their face. Nobody she recognised, which made their presence even more peculiar. She took one more step forward and then caught herself as she noticed someone else looking in through her living room window. She’d heard rumours of looters who descend on abandoned towns, rummaging through the homes of those who had left with no intention of coming back, and it looked like they had finally found her town. Having never been burgled before, she didn’t have the faintest idea of what to do now. Mobile phones were a luxury, and even if she could call the police, the nearest station was an hour’s drive away. An unexpected courage came over her and she charged over to the car, swinging open the passenger door and demanding the identity of this strange man. “Jean, it’s me, Lee. The electrician? You called me back to fix your light.” His face was drenched in confusion. She blinked slowly. As she opened her eyes she couldn’t believe how bright it was. “What time is it?” “It’s three in the afternoon. Are you okay, Jean?” She wasn’t sure. She could have sworn it was evening. She was wearing her coat. She saw a flicker of something in his eyes.