Out of Time!

Tick...tock!

It is 11:49 pm, just 11 more minutes till go time. Ever since sunset, we sought refuge underground. Sitting in absolute silence. Waiting for the right moment to strike!

Tick…tock!

11:50 pm, A darkness encompassing us. Like that moment when you turn your light off before going to bed. Swimming through the depths of blackness. Squinting to reassure your are still alive before drifting off into nothingness.

Tick…tock!

11:51 pm, Boom…Boom…BOOM! Like rhythm from a constant drumbeat. Marching to our dooms, being buried alive as the constant vibrations of every moment spreads throughout our bodies. Reverberating in our souls goes the clock. Almost ready!

Tick…tock!

11:52 pm, the pittering, pattering of the soft rain coming down on the roof reminding us of bullets raining over our home. One might think we were in World War III. But it helped, helped to hide the harsh breathing of present company. We did not want to give ourselves away just yet.

Tick…tock!

11: 53, Thunder shook the home now. A little girl sitting to my right, started to shake with the sway of the dust falling from the ceiling trying desperately to muffle her sounds. Of fear, of nervousness, of uncertainty, I do not know.

Tick…tock!

11:54 pm, drip…drip, the sound of whispers starts to emanate in the darkness. Almost as if, the souls of the dead are reaching out to us from the beyond. Sending warnings to the living to live for every moment!

Tick…tock!

11:55 pm, “When is it time?”, came the quiet voice of the girl sitting next to me. “Almost little one”, came my reply. Knowing full well that I am lying to her. Because I do not know when the time is coming. All I know is that it is ticking.

Tick…tock!

11:56 pm, a sound suddenly fills the empty air. The sound of a car coming up the street. Screeching to a halt right outside our front door, we hear the open and shutting of two car doors. Would they know we are here?

Tick…tock!

11:57 pm, three knocks, loud and long rang through the silence of our hiding place. We were moments away from being discovered. I panned the crowd of occupiers and saw complete panic in their faces. Not knowing what to do. A hiss spreading through the group. People pushing and shoving each other to be better hidden. The moment has come.

Tick…tock!

11:58 pm, a key was scrapping the inside of the doorknob, like nails on a chalkboard being dragged across. The jitters of my accomplices getting louder and louder as the time of the jingling keys went on.

Tick…tock!

11:59 pm,

“They are coming…they are coming”, the little girl whispered, bit overly enthusiastically. Strange, for a four-year old girl to be saying this about a complete, stranger that she never met before. But, then again, I’ve never met this person either. We did not know what to expect, but it was a favor to some friends.

Tick…tock!

11:59:30 pm, We heard the, click clack, of ominous footsteps. Could they be heels? No, the sound it was making was too heavy. I knew there was two, because of the sound of two car doors closing earlier. But it sounded like one set of footprints, like people marching one after the other. The military would hire these people on the spot for their rhythm.

Tick…tock! Silence, 11:59:45, the jiggle of the handle outside our hiding place.

Tick…tock! Whispers, 11:59:52, the hushes reverberating from person to person, like a den of hissing snakes ready to strike.

Tick…tock! Eureka, 11:59:59, the lights turn on, the shouts come from every direction of the room. Our intruders stunned by the volume of the commotion we are starting. Explosions from mechanical devices filled with paper substance issue from every direction, covering the room.

12:00 Midnight…!

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”, came our harmonious voices to the birthday girl. She could not believe it. Tears of joy issued from her eyes.

And, to top it all off, the little girl ran over to the birthday girl and enthusiastically said, “Here’s a slice of chocolate cake for you! Do you like?”

She took it in her hand, took an enormous bite and replied lovingly, “I love it! And thank you. It has been another wonderful year around the calendar, and here is to many more!”

Tick…Tock!