It’s Time

‘Damn’ I cursed as my wifi went out. Again.

I looked over to the router, willing the reset button to push itself. I grabbed my phone and went into the wifi settings. Maybe if I log out and back in it will work. I disconnected and started counting.

One.

Two.

Three. Does it make a difference? It’s not 2004.

Seven.

Eight. Close enough.

I clicked back into the wifi list. They slowly loaded, the neighbours, the neighbours neighbour … and a new network.

THE DRONE

My brow furrowed. Never seen that before. I unintentionally started listening harder, what was that?

Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz

Knock Knock

I checked my phone. 1:35am.

I looked up towards my front door. Ugh. What is it? I looked back at my phone. The drone network was gone, my wifi was now at the top of the list. I selected it then trudged towards the door. In my trackies with food stains, I was hoping it wasn’t a guest. I opened the door to see an empty street. Poked my head out, left to right. Not a soul in sight. As I turned to return to the couch, I looked down.

A box.

Plain carboard. No label, no postmarks, no name. A plain brown cardboard box.

I looked back down the street. Nothing. I grabbed the box and headed inside. Pushing aside last night’s takeout I placed the box on the coffee table. I picked it back up, shook it. No sound.

‘Hmm’

I put it back on the coffee table and mentally fought with myself.

It was on your doorstep.

It doesn’t have your name on it.

It doesn’t have any name on it.

It doesn’t have anything on it.

I shook it again. Silence. It wasn’t huge, it wasn’t tiny either. Once you open it you will know what to do. I looked back at my phone, the wifi symbol was hovering in the corner. At least that’s working. I picked up the TV remote and put my show back on. Sitting on the couch I couldn’t help but look at the box.

Open it. You’re being ridiculous.

I fell asleep.

Startled awake by a revving engine in the distance, I knew what time it was. Same car, same time, every morning.

I went to the toilet then beelined to the fridge for milk. I love cold milk. Glass in hand I went down the hallway towards bed. Nearly at my room I saw the photo in the hallway.

‘Should I open it?’ I asked. Turning, I went back to the coffee table. No box. A half-cleared table, take out rubbish on the floor.

No box.

I stood staring blankly at the empty spot on the coffee table. Did I imagine it? Was it a dream? Did I drink that much? The empty bottle of wine lay incriminatingly on its side. I nodded my head, willing the hangover to fall out the back of my skull.

Surely …

I was on the first train of the day, heading to the office. The shower helped but my hangover was still lingering. The train wasn’t too packed so at least I could sit. I was forcing my eyes not to close when the crackly voice announced my stop.

I headed up back into daylight and scrunched my nose up at the sun. Why was it always so bright?

I walked at the morning brisk pace of the busy office workers. A noise snuck up from behind me. Familiar.

Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz

What the hell?

The drone was hovering at the second floors of the building around me. It moved slowly and stopped frequently.

‘What is that!?’ I asked to an older guy who happened to be next to me.

Confused he said, ‘What?’

‘That! Up there! Why is it here?’ I sounded more frantic than I intended.

The poor guy picked up his pace and left me behind. I kept walking, looking up before I ducked into a random building.

Thank God, a coffee shop. I got in line, checking inconspicuously for the drone. I couldn’t see it from this angle. I ordered the largest coffee possible then sat. Looking at my phone, 10 minutes till I needed to be at work. On a whim I opened my wifi settings. There it was.

THE DRONE

It wasn’t locked so I clicked onto it. The wifi connected immediately. Now what? My phone went black. I pressed all the buttons but nothing was working. Then two words appeared.

Open it.

I squeezed my eyes shut and started counting.

One.

Two.

Three.

One eye open I looked at my phone. It was back to normal. The wifi was disconnected. Outside was quiet aside from the sounds of cars and people. The drone was gone. Walking briskly now, I dialed work. I’m sick, cough, will be in Monday, cough cough.

Home, I threw my bag down and went straight to the loungeroom. Same as it looked earlier this morning. I started moving everything. Floor things to couch, couch things to coffee table, coffee table things to floor.

Nothing.

My house was a mess, maybe I moved the box before bed last night? I began cleaning. Cleaning and looking. Looking and kind of cleaning. Looking and scrolling through my phone. I decided my only option was wine. Recreate last night in the correct state.

Spiral now complete, I lay in my fresh sheets. I need to do this more often. It’s so crisp. Closing my eyes, I let the chaos of the day melt away and sleep quickly found me.

Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz

Knock Knock

Eyes wide, I checked my phone. 1.35am. Dressing gown on, I ran to the front door. There it was.

A plain cardboard box.

I picked it up and heading back to my bed. Cross legged with the box in front of my I internally argued.

It’s probably nothing.

It could be something.

Fuck it.

I opened the box to reveal a single red rose.

‘What the hell is this?’

I woke up to the curtains bellowing into my room and tickling my face. I got up and closed my bedroom window and turned back to my bed.

No package.

No rose.

It felt like the room was closing in on me. I am sure I didn’t dream it. I know I was awake. It was Saturday so I had nowhere to be. A search of the house yielded nothing. I considered knocking on the neighbour’s door, asking if they heard a buzz late last night. But then I would have to talk to them, and well, I hate that.

I spent the day loitering in my house. Making noodles. Drinking coffee. I googled roses. Got a lot of ads for delivery, none mentioned drones. I learnt they are one of the oldest flowers, you can eat roses and that each colour has a different meaning. Red = Love . Deciding I wasn’t stalker-worthy, I again put this down to wine.

‘Not tonight.’ I poured more coffee and cuddled into my couch. Tonight, I was sober, and staying awake.

1.35am.

Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz

I was ready, I opened the door to see a drone hovering at face height. It held a box. I saw the camera and screamed, ‘WHAT DO YOU WANT!?’.

The drone dropped the box and zipped back into the street. I ran after it, tripping on a pair of old muddy work boots, my heart knocked against my chest, I needed to get rid of those. It darted over head as I sprinted down the road. It picked up its speed and moved over a house. Not giving up I leapt the fence and ran through the back yard. Jumping another fence, I was in an alley. The drone dipped its way through homes as I chased it. Running down a driveway onto a road I didn’t know, I heard the sirens.

‘STOP!’ The police officer was shining his light on me.

‘The drone, I am trying to catch the drone!’ I begged.

‘What drone?’

‘There!’ I pointed just above their cruiser, as the drone hovered, three lights flashing on each propeller.

‘There is no drone there. Please get in the car, we will take you home’. Confused, I remembered the box. ‘Yes, home! The box will be there!’ I said as I hopped into the car.

We pulled up to my house. The front door was wide open and lights were on. I ran up to the doorstep. No box.

The police left me with a citation. Shaking, I shut the door and melted onto the floor. What the hell was happening? I made it to bed before sleep overwhelmed me.

The next few days were uneventful. I trained into work, worked, came home. Ate my favourite takeout and drank my favourite wine. My house was clean and I continued to keep it tidy. I slept choppily, in and out. Listening actively in the early mornings.

I went to after work drinks on Friday. My first social event in years. That night I came home tipsy but still able to walk in my heels. I was oddly proud of that. Robe on, I curled up on the couch with a movie I had seen a thousand times. I sat on my phone scrolling through pointless photos when an ad caught my eye. I scrolled back up.

Red Rose Dates

Meet your soulmate for only $1.35 a month

A bee buzzed around the rose, smiling as wide as a cartoon bee possibly could.

I looked over at the photo of my late husband.

‘It’s time.’