It was a beautiful evening. The crimson glow of the setting sun blended with the blue hues of the sky, creating a perfect painting—something worthy of hanging on the wall of any room. Tom could have taken another sip from the coffee cup in his hand. But he was startled by the shrill scream of a man standing right beside the café. "There's a car coming!" Tom dropped his coffee cup. It shattered on the ground. This time, the source of the shrill scream wasn't just one man; it was everyone in the café. Just as he was about to turn around, his vision blurred. The sounds disappeared. He felt as if he were being detached from his surroundings. His vision became even blurrier, and then everything faded into darkness.
Ding dong.
Tom's eyes were fixed on the empty ceiling above his bed. The room was pitch-black. His heart seemed to be beating a little faster than usual. It took him a few moments to realize that he had been dreaming. The effects of the dream still lingered. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. For a moment, he wasn't entirely sure that the object on top of the wardrobe was a basketball. Then he remembered buying it just yesterday morning. For an instant, he thought he saw a red light and heard a sound. Maybe he wasn't fully awake yet.
Ding dong.
Someone was ringing the doorbell, but he didn't want to get out of bed.
"Lily, someone's at the door."
No answer.
"Lily?"
Still nothing. She must have been sleeping deeply. With great effort, he sat up and got to his feet. As he made his way toward the door, his vision suddenly went dark. That always happened when he stood up too quickly. He crouched down to avoid losing the balance he was barely managing to keep.
Ding dong.
He moved into the hallway, but he could barely see anything. He wished he could turn on the light. He reached for the light switch and fumbled around, trying to find it. He couldn't find it.
Ding dong.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
He gave up looking for the switch and headed for the door instead. He opened it. He could hardly see, but it seemed like no one was there. He looked again. Yes, no one was there. Then why had the bell rung? A voice came from inside the apartment.
"Tom, come here. You need to see this."
He pushed the door shut with his hand. It was Lily's voice. He headed toward the living room. The moment he took a few steps-
Ding dong.
He wasn't going to check. It was probably the kids from the building across the street playing a prank. They'd leave soon enough. What time was it, anyway?
"Tom, get over here right now!"
He hurried forward and entered the living room. Lily was staring out the window.
"Tom, come here."
Tom walked over to the window. But in all his years of life—years long enough for his hair to turn gray—he had never seen anything like this. Outside, red lightning flashed across the sky again and again. A violent wind had knocked over every trash bin on the street, sending garbage swirling through the air. Trees had been torn from the ground, their roots exposed. Lily stood frozen in front of the window. In a faint voice, she could only say:
"Tom..."
Ding dong.