One could speak to anyone living in Backwaters Town and ask them what places they could visit every day. One of the memorable ones would include the restaurant located almost in the middle of the town. “Waywalkers Restaurant.” It was a happy place, as far as the others living in the town remembered. Its history was quite old, and the residents could trace its origin far back through their memories.

  Standing inside the same Waywalkers restaurant, Syf could say that the trip was worth it. Even though he had to go through loads of rain splashing at him at many points in the journey.

  “Oops,” Syf said simply as he saw his mom dropping the plate. His mom looked the same as he remembered; her eyes shone the same. Hearing the liveliness in her voice, Syf doubted himself for a moment. His mind told him that everything was false, and it was his memory playing tricks on him.

  Meanwhile, Ellen was going through the same rush of emotions. She covered her open mouth with her two hands as she hesitantly stepped forward, step by step, toward her son. She feared that he would disappear if she decided to run towards him. Although she stood a meter away from him, he still looked at her with the same smile she remembered. However, something was wrong with the eyes. They were full of dark circles and defeat. Was she gleaning too much from it?

  “What happened, darling?” David came running out of the kitchen, hearing the sound of a plate breaking. He first looked at his wife and then at the man standing just in front of her. For a second, he too felt like everything was a dream. However, he quickly gained his composure and stood alongside his wife with one of his hands on her shoulders, giving her comfort. Only David knew how he and his wife both felt in the moment.

  “Um. Will you both say anything, or do I have to stay here standing like a statue? ” Syf asked.

  “Quiet,” Ellen said sternly. However, there was warmth in her eyes as she took hold of her kid’s hand. The cold and the rain had turned his whole body wet and cold, and so she only felt the coldness seep through her hands.

  Tears started to build up in her eyes.

  “Oh, look at you all cold and wet. Let’s get you a towel.” David said with a smile before he went looking for a towel.

  Ellen dragged her son and made him sit on the nearby chair.

  Syf was starting to get awkward with the whole silence thing. “Um, Mom, would you say anything?”

  To which her eyebrows knitted together as she looked at him in anger. “Look at you. Still remembers his mother after all.”

  “Haha.” Syf laughed awkwardly. What else could he say to that?

  David came carrying a towel with him. He handed the towel to Syf. “Seems like it, Ellen. Your son hasn’t forgotten us.”

  While the family was busy reminiscing, the party members sitting at the table on the other side of the restaurant remained silent the whole time. It was Mike who disrupted the family meeting.

  “Hey, if everything is good. Can I get my beer?” Mike said, lifting his empty glass. Ellen turned and glared at the man, but he seemed unperturbed by her behavior.

  “Okay, wait here. Let me make something for you to eat.” Ellen addressed Syf before going inside the kitchen.

  “It’s wonderful to see you, kid,” David said before following his wife. He was but a man of few words.

  Syf continued to wait. This time, he took the whole view of the restaurant. It looked the same, with the addition of a few trinkets here and there for decoration. The restaurant was empty, except for the group playing poker inside. And was it Mike he saw on the table? Syf glanced at the man, who coincidentally was looking at him as well.

  “Hey, kid. Yes, over here, come. Let me take a look at you.” Mike immediately asked Syf.

  Syf decided whether he wanted to go meet that uncle or not. He remembered some of his memories when he was young. This man, who was his mom’s childhood friend, found endless ways to tease him. However, Syf knew he wasn’t the same kid anymore; he had grown courageous with age, and so he went to the table where five folks were sitting together, all looking at him.

  “Hi.” Syf greeted everyone, to which everyone started to smile.

  “Didn’t take long for someone to turn from a boy to a man, eh?” Mike said, and almost as if on cue for him to look cool, he took out a cigarette from his pocket.

  “Say, kid, how is life?” He reached out for his lighter and was almost on his way to light up his cigarette when it was snatched away from his hands.

  “How many times have I told you not to light any cigarettes inside?” Ellen took the cigarette and handed it back to him, albeit crumpled up. She put his beer on the table.

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  Mike put both his hands in the air. “Alright, you win.” He took hold of the beer glass. He decided to just speak with Syf; however, before he could do so, Ellen dragged him away too.

  “Well, whatever. Let’s play poker.” He said back to his group.

  Syf looked at the three dishes kept in front of him. All of them are steaming hot. Noodles, soup, and some chicken dumplings. The food made him even hungrier than he was. As he picked up the chopsticks, he found his two parents looking back at him with intensity.

  Syf knew whatever he would say wouldn’t work. So he directed his attention to the television in the middle of the restaurant. The group was simultaneously watching the news on television and enjoying the poker game.

  The president stood on the podium, surrounded by a stream of mics all belonging to different news houses. Over the past few days, he has faced a constant barrage of questions for which he had no answers. But unlike others who had lost hope, he was the one still trying to stay in the picture and make any changes possible.

  “I have said before. I would not let go of any citizen of this country, whatever the situation may arise. We have arranged for a swift meeting with the leaders belonging to different countries, and we are trying to come up with a collaborative solution. Researchers and speculators, not just in name, but those whom everyone knows about. We have gathered the brilliant minds from every field possible.” As the president stopped speaking, the reporters bombarded him with various questions. Syf watched as most of the questions seemed too basic, even considering the situations. However, the president addressed one of them with utmost caution.

  “I have repeatedly told everyone I have come across. I addressed even my family. Please, under no circumstances should you click on the yes button. We don’t know what kind of complications might arise. We might not even be able to save you if that happens. Remember, if you decide to do so, you are all on your own.” The last bit he said, pointing in the direction of the camera.

  Syf felt like he was getting schooled again. He decided to finish his meal silently. Meanwhile, the news continued to relay some of the important names. The first of them was the communication expert ‘Virdis Fenton.’

  Syf knew about him because he was interested in technological stuff. Apparently, he was the pioneer in finding a way for modern transmission to be smooth even in the worst possible cases, including hazards and climates.

  “I am repeatedly trying to crack into the communication system of these aliens. The strangest thing is that they were able to penetrate even the most secure phones and were capable of installing an app on every single device. I am sorry to say this, but even as an engineer, I couldn’t help but say it feels like magic. Real ****ing magic.” The news broadcast was interrupted by a beep. The researcher seemed to be on the verge of gouging his brains out with how he looked and behaved.

  Syf was sure they were among the lot who weren’t getting enough sleep since the things started.

  Among all the brief talks, there was one climate researcher who explicitly stated that this type of phenomenon, where every single area was experiencing the same weather, and the swirling mass in the sky felt bizarre to him.

  “Blanda Clery emphasizes that even those cities that hadn’t seen a single droplet of rain in decades were deluged to the verge of flooding.” The reporter said word-for-word. “This in itself is a sign towards something massive.”

  “Ah, the world is ending, and I can’t even have a cigarette at my favorite restaurant. How tragic.” Mike lamented, letting everyone hear it. However, others just pretended to ignore him.

  One of the reporters took a jab at the president, as the president had called the whole thing a planned terrorist attack against the country. Syf scoffed at it. Who was he trying to fool? Even kids from a young age found ways to entertain themselves with controversy and whatnot.

  “What measures is Mr. President taking against the terrorists?” The reporter said.

  The president went silent for a bit, and his attendant relayed some information back to him. “We are assembling a legion of the most able soldiers from every corner of the world, and we are willing to send them on the expedition to see what happens.”

  Another reporter took the moment to address a fundamental risk associated with it. “Do you think anyone would be willing to listen to anyone on this team? They are, as you say, the pinnacle of their country.”

  “Why wouldn’t they? Everyone is underestimating the lengths army people could go to safeguard their nation, and if it comes to saving the world, you can do the math yourself. They aren’t fools who don’t understand what is important in the moment.” The president took hold of the mic, looking at the camera once again with a deep contemplative expression. “Stay safe, citizens. Thank you.”

  The live stream once again returned to the host, taking the stage. “The world is entering a very strange phase, and the only way we can keep up is hope—"

  Dad took the remote and switched off the television. One of the ladies in the group grumbled. “Come on, David. We could have done with a little deception.”

  David shook his head at that. “See, that’s why I turned it off. It might affect everyone in the wrong way.”

  “I say, we could do with a little truth.” One of the group members said.

  It soon started as a back-and-forth war between Dad and the group sitting in the restaurant. Meanwhile, the most troublesome of all was Mike, who was the only one who was sitting there quietly looking at something on his phone.

  “Your dad has become a bit lively recently.” Mom said to Syf suddenly.

  “I believe so," Syf chuckled.

  “Alright now.” Mom stood up and looked at his attire, and Syf understood instantly what she wanted to say. “Go back upstairs. You could do with a little cleaning.”

  “Right, Mom.” Syf looked as his mom scrunched her nose as he passed by her. He didn’t think he was smelling that badly.

  Going through the familiar steps of stairs and flooring, Syf quickly reached upstairs, where the whole family lived. It was a spacious home, and Syf understood the significance only after living three years out in the city. The cramped space of his was nothing in comparison to his sweet old home.

  His steps took him toward his room. It was a very odd sensation for Syf, for he hadn’t considered coming back to his home after such a long time. Especially after all the ordeals he had to go through. He preferred his own little crumbling world to the false sense of security.

  He stopped.

  He was standing near his room.

  Syf hesitated opening the room. For all he knew, he wanted to escape from this. And he had done so before. Taking a long breath, he let the door open with a little bit of strength. Standing there, he felt like he had returned in time.

  The strangest thing was that the room felt the same as if he had just gone out the other day.