An Unordinary Ordinary Day

An Unordinary Ordinary Day

Louisa had gone to the cinema on Saturday afternoon because there was nothing much else to do. Christmas was getting closer, the shops were busy, and she fancied sitting somewhere warm for a couple of hours. She bought herself a drink, found her seat and settled down to watch the film.

Before she knew it, she was outside trying to get a taxi home. Snow was falling thick and fast. People were slipping on the pavement, holding on to each other and trying to get across the road. Louisa pulled her coat around her and reached for her phone. She was not walking home in that. But when she looked at the screen, three words stared back at her. Not in use.

She pressed it again, then switched it off and back on. The same message appeared. A young man beside her was shaking his phone as though something inside it had come loose. Further along, a woman was shouting into hers. Louisa looked around. Everywhere she turned, people were staring at their screens. What is going on? somebody shouted. Has anybody got a phone that works? A teenager threw his phone onto the pavement. His friends crowded around him, some laughing nervously, others looking frightened. One girl was crying because she could not get in touch with her mum. Louisa stepped back towards the cinema doors. Something was wrong, and it was not just her phone.

Then came a crash from further up the road. A car had hit a delivery van, pushing it towards a shop entrance. Broken glass scattered across the pavement. The driver climbed out, shaking, still holding his phone. He kept saying his call had suddenly ended. He had looked down to see what had happened and had not noticed the van stopping in front of him. Somebody shouted for an ambulance. Everyone reached for their phones, then stood looking at one another. Traffic backed up along the street. Drivers sounded their horns while tyres spun in the snow. One delivery driver had climbed out to ask for directions, his route lost with his phone. A woman was trying to calm the man from the crashed car. Louisa heard somebody say they were going into a shop to find a landline. She hoped they managed it.

In a house nearby, an elderly lady sat with her coat on and her suitcase beside her. She was trying to phone for a taxi to take her to the airport. She was going to visit her son, but her phone would not work. She could not book a taxi or tell him what was happening. Outside, the snow was getting heavier. All she could do was sit and watch the clock.

Louisa started home. She walked close to the buildings, taking small steps and holding on wherever she could. Around her, people were asking strangers the time, asking which buses to catch, asking whether anybody knew what had happened. Nobody had an answer. Outside a supermarket, customers were leaving baskets by the tills. Some had no cash or cards with them because they always paid with their phones. A member of staff was trying to explain while a man shouted that he only wanted milk for his children. Further along, a shopkeeper was pulling down his shutters. Across the road, somebody put a brick through a shop window.

Louisa stopped. Two men reached through the broken glass and grabbed whatever they could carry. A woman shouted that she was calling the police. One of the men turned towards her. Go on then, he said. Ring them. The woman stood frozen, her useless phone in her hand. Louisa hurried away, her heart thumping. She wanted to get home before somebody noticed she was alone.

By the time she reached her front door, her feet were soaked and her hands were shaking. She locked the door, put the kettle on and switched on the television. The same news was on every channel. Smartphones had stopped working across the world. A massive cyberattack was suspected. There were reports of personal information being stolen, and banks were receiving frantic enquiries. Experts were warning of turmoil when stock markets reopened. The presenter looked almost as bewildered as everybody outside. Nobody knew how long the disruption would last. Nobody could say whether the phones would ever work again. Louisa stared at the screen. How could something that fitted into a handbag cause so much trouble? Then she thought of her bank details, her photographs, her tickets and every telephone number she needed. They were all in that little phone.

She picked up the landline to ring her sister. It would not connect. She tried again and again before putting it down. The television warned that telephone networks were struggling with the sudden number of calls. Everyone had thought of doing the same thing. Louisa sat beside the telephone with her coat still on. Her sister lived alone. She wondered whether she was frightened too.

Outside, a car alarm sounded. There was shouting somewhere down the street, followed by the noise of breaking glass. Louisa pulled the curtains together. Then somebody hammered on her front door. She did not move. The knocking came again, louder this time. Please, a man shouted. Somebody help me. My wife is having a baby. Louisa recognised the young man from next door. When she opened the door, he was standing in the snow without a coat. He had been trying to call an ambulance. He had brought the car round, but his wife could barely stand, and now she said the baby was coming. He did not know what to do. Neither did Louisa, not properly, but she had children of her own. She followed him.

His wife was on the sofa, frightened and in pain. Louisa took her hand and stayed beside her while her husband went to the door and shouted for help. A neighbour further along set off towards the main road to find somebody who could raise the alarm. There was no voice on the telephone to guide them, no reassurance that an ambulance was coming. There were only three frightened people in a room, waiting for a baby that could not wait for the world to put itself right.

After what felt like hours, a tiny cry filled the room. The father covered his face and sobbed. Louisa sat trembling beside the mother, watching her hold her baby. Outside, people were still shouting, and snow was gathering against the windows. They still needed help. Louisa looked towards the useless phone on the table. Then it rang. Louisa stared at it. Thank God, she said. They have fixed them. The ringing grew louder, and somebody touched her shoulder. She tried to turn towards the mother, but the room seemed to slip away. Madam, a woman was saying. Madam, the film has finished. It is time to leave. Your phone is ringing.

Louisa opened her eyes. The cinema lights were on. An usher stood beside her, smiling patiently. There was no baby, no frightened father, no broken glass. She had fallen asleep in her seat. She gave the usher a big smile and said, Oh, thank God. The woman looked puzzled. Excuse me, madam? Nothing, Louisa said. Just thank you for waking me up.

Her sister was calling to ask whether she had enjoyed the film. Louisa answered, still smiling, and said it had certainly given her something to think about. Outside, people were going about their business. Teenagers chatted on their phones, a couple stood laughing beside the doors, and a taxi pulled up to collect a waiting passenger. Everything was ordinary. Everything was working.

Louisa looked up at the sky and quietly thanked God it was just a dream. She smiled to think that life would carry on as normal, through Christmas and into 2027. She had never been so grateful for an unordinary ordinary day. Her dream in the cinema had been a nightmare, but one thought was even scarier. What if it had been true?

Story copyrights to Marie381Uk