1 Chapter 0 - Prologue
December 14, 2020.
To the wind,
This year has sucked for the most part, but it's almost over. Maybe 2021 will be a new start. Who knows what lies around the corner. It can't be any worse than what we have now, can it? I mean, it's hard to beat a global health crisis and being locked up in your home.
I miss leaving the house more often.
Still, being cooped up in your home has it's benefits. For starters, I get more time for all the plans I've had but had to end up pushing back for one reason or another. I still push it back, just a lot less now.
In other news, the house next to ours is empty. I could've sworn we had neighbours. I can even remember their faces to some extent... actually, no. I'm drawing blanks. Nothing. The house is still fully furnished though. Pretty expensive stuff, some of it. Surprising that people would leave it behind.
The landlord said that he thought he saw three shadows in a room and ran in to see an empty room, He ended up doubling security. They say that it was a burglar that broke in to steal some of the stuff in the room. Still, how did the person escape from the room? There were no exits other than the windows, but we live on the 10th floor of an apartment complex... well, no use stressing over that.
Talk to you soon,
Joseph
-
December 16, 2020
To the wind,
I know it's random, but I decided that I'm gonna get a Twitter account. I'm using the handle @JosephJ42672844. Maybe I'll try and follow my friends on it like I planned... or just follow some YouTubers and stay the anti-social potato that I am.
Who knows what'll happen?
...
I'm, not gonna contact my friends, am I? Maybe some of them.
Also, while I'm at it, I saw the shadow in a room from the empty apartment right beside mine. It didn't move at all so I took a look but there was no one there. The shadow was still there though. Was it spray painted? Did the landlord miss it in the hurry to search for the burglar? Maybe I'll ask him more about it...
What was the guy's name again? Damnit, never been good when it came to remembering names. And come to think of it, I haven't seen him in a while either. God knows where he went. Still, I find it odd that he would just leave without having someone take his place.
Also found a bag in the room. Just random but it's there.
Anyway, chat with ya later,
Joseph
-
December 24, 2020
To the wind,
And there went another uneventful Christmas. We don't really do the whole "gifts" thing that seriously so me and my brother end up not getting anything 9 times outta 10.
Still, Christmas means good food. My mom usually makes something that she knows will make us hungry from the mere scent of it around this time, the same goes for birthdays and other celebrations.
Today, it was Biriyani, which if you don't know is rice with meat curry mixed into it, and don't you tell me that the veg version is Biriyani too. That stuff's a Pulav and I ain't going anywhere near it.
Anyway, Merry Christmas. Talk to you later,
Joseph
-
December 25, 2020
To the wind,
I did not see that coming... my parents actually bought us Christmas presents this year. I don't think it was all that great, the gift, but I'm happy with it.
It's a little camera, like I said, nothing amazing, but I'm still happy I got it. I've been taking all these photos of me and my family with it. Wish I could show it to you. Anyway, Until next time then.
Vale...
That's bye in Latin.
Joseph
-
December 28, 2020
To the wind,
To be honest, this is the first time I've ever gotten this into writing a diary. I'm still writing pretty irregularly, but hey, it's an improvement from dropping it after day 1. I guess this is just gonna be the highlight reel of my life or something like that. Anyway, this is pretty fun.
I'll write again when something noteworthy happens... so that's probably my way of telling you to wait for 31st December, New Year's Eve.
Anyway, see you later,
Joseph
-
December 31, 2020.
To the wind,
Turns out I was right about the whole "not gonna get time to write till the New Year" thing. That aside, we're going out today!
Finally! After months of being cooped up inside our house, only leaving for groceries and other essentials, me and my family are finally going out to eat at a restaurant! I'm also bringing you with me to record everything that happens...
Okay, I'm probably gonna end up carrying you around for no reason but, hey, who knows if something exciting or something like that might happen. Talk to you very soon, but first, DINNER CALLS!
Joseph
-
Still December 31, 2020
23:45... ish. It's 23:48... basically, just before midnight.
To the wind,
The countdown's about to start. I completely forgot about why I brought you and it would be a shame to have brought you for no reason so here goes. I'm gonna try my best to record this New Year:
So someone told the person with control over the TV that he wanted to see the New Year countdown. The person, probably in a good mood from the attitude of the people around him, conceded.
The crowds are gathering around the TV.
The host of the show began to talk about how the year had been a tough one for everyone and how we have to move forward to the future. I'm not even sure if he believed it, but hey, he's got a job to do.
He recaps the year in it's entirety and as soon as he finishes, he says, "And now, to the for the countdown to New Year Eve" he turned to the screen, "For now, I suppose we can take a few minutes to pray for those we lost along the way to 2021."
Okay, I'm not gonna be writing down every word spoken... that conversation is going on and doesn't look like it's gonna stop for a while, probably till it's time for the countdown, for which we have a few minutes. Sorry for getting carried away there. Anyway, back on topic, I got to eat a steak for dinner. Medium rare, unlike the ones my mom rarely makes which, she insists, have to well done...
Maybe next year, things will be better. On the topic of getting better, I've decided on my new year's resolution. I'm going to try to improve my relationship with the rest of my family.
There are only 30 seconds left for the year to end...
Wait, is this restaurant emptier than when we got in? Huh...
23.
22.
21.
20.
What's up with all these shadows?
15.
14.
13.
12.
Despite there being plenty of space between people, more shadows are covering the floor, kinda like a blanket or something like that made out of shadows...
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
-
January 1, 2021
00:00
To the wind,
In the seconds I took to write that, the countdown went on... but there's no shouting, screaming, whooping or celebration.
Just silence.
Pure silence.
Like the world had gone still.
There wasn't anyone around the TV anymore, at least not that I could see... I'm alone in this restaurant after all, though I could've sworn that I came here with others... and that there were others here before us.
Hold on, from the stuff I wrote earlier, I came... with my family? But... they aren't here.
That's when it hit me, how the emptiness didn't strike me as odd yet...
Not even the employees were there.
Weird.
I turned back to the TV screen, the Host was gone... I was just looking at him a second ago, but I can't remember all too much about how he looked.
Their shadows were still here though... how does that work?
Maybe it's kinda like the atomic shadows that form when you get caught in the blast radius of a nuke.
Was it a nuke?
No, you idiot! It's a nuclear EXPLOSION, not a nuclear light breeze. You would know, and feel the explosion, and you would most likely disintegrate leaving a shadow like everyone else if one were to happen... and it's global from the looks of it, I looked at other channels that broadcast from other countries and they seem to have had the same thing happen to them. There isn't a nuke on Earth that could do that... right?
Why am I still fixated on nukes?!
I switched stations for a bit and eventually reached one which was showing the New Year's Ball Drop in Times Square, New York in real time.
The ball stayed there, at the bottom, fallen with no one to get it back to the top. Something told me that no one would come to it's aid. It almost felt like someone was telling me, "You thought the last year was bad? Well, how about this time round, we have a never ending year where you are the only one there? How's that sound?"
Thanks, I hate it.
At least you're still with me, even if it's the same as talking to the wind. At least the wind is a good listener. Maybe there's someone else out there somewhere as well.
I'll write to you later,
Joseph
