Alan stood quietly in his room, as if his entire existence had vanished. Regaining his composure, he understood that he needed to find out the truth about this bizarre situation.

  Alana's hands started shaking,his mind completely frozen, his heart pumping so loud like an ironsmith pounding hot iron with his hammer. He picked up a notebook and began to write down the events that had occurred prior to his awakening in this strange world. As he recalled, the events began to unfold.:

  9 AM -

  It was a usual day. Nothing out of the ordinary. A good sunny day. Alan had been home from university for a few days. Alan woke up around 9 a.m., made his coffee. Cometely bored he thought that it would be a good idea to go to the market with the family. He asked his Mom dad and brother, but they were busy. In the end it was his mom and him who finally decided to go for a little shopping. Vanessa called Alan at around 10 A.M. but Alan ignored the call ," I don't feel like talking to her right now. What is there to talk anyways? Same old things. I don't want to talk about our days right now",Alan thought in his mind.

  Alan seemed to be uninterested in talking to Vanessa . Alan thought ," I love her but sometimes talking to her feels like it is a boring chore that I am really not interested in".

  Alan ignored the call and continued with his day.

  11:30 A.M.

  "Mom? Are you ready?" Alan shouted calling for his mom. "Its Time to go", Alan said. His mom coming towards him said," okay honey,let's go"

  Alan and his mom sat in the car and drove off to the market.

  "A lot has changed in our small town" Alan said while looking out from the car while driving. "Of course al...the time changes a lot of things and doesn't spare anyone,not even us."

  Alan looked towards his mom confusingly as he was not expecting this response. He smiled faintly trying to look casual ,"yeah I guess" Alan said casually but evidently confused with his mom's words.

  Alan's mom asked curiously ," How's venessa, honey? " Alan answers casually ,"good I think."

  ,"You think? What does that mean"

  Alan replied with a hint of anger in his voice ,"it means she is fine mom."

  "You two were always talking I did not see you talking while you were at home.is everything okay?"

  Alan replied in a monotone voice ,"like you said mom, time changes a lot of things. Maybe it also changed us."

  His mom replied with concern ," Honey when you love someone not even the mighty time has ability to change anything."

  Alan now visibly annoyed said in a sarcastic tone "yeah mom".

  They arrived at the market while talking.

  "Here we are,let's go mom'', Alan told his mom.

  12:45 P.M.

  The place begin to feel off. The world around Alan had a weird vibe. Nothing felt normal. Alan was shivering in the market but it was mid of the may , the temperature was not even cold. Alan thought ,"maybe I am going to be sick".

  As Alan was shopping alonsgwith Hus mother he gazed upon a broken mirror in the aisle containing the mirrors. ,"why is there a broken mirror for sale" Alan thought.

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  This mirror had a weird appeal to it. It didn't feel like a regular mirror. It felt like a object that was not supposed to be there. Certainly not in the market, let alone this world. Alan begin to stare in the mirror without a thought.

  ,"What is wrong with this mirror? It feels like standing against a devil or angel, but it certainly doesn't feels like a mirror." Alan stood there staring at the mirror like a child who had seen a unicorn.

  As Alan was staring in this mirror his attention shifted towards a faint sound coming from the clock. The clock was showing the time " 12:01" P.M. but it was around 1'o clock. Alan thought its just a broken watch shifted his neck again towards the mirror. But there was no broken mirror just a normal mirror standing there.

  "What the hell?" Alan said. " Am I going mad or something?" Alan muttered

  As Alan was recovering from this encounter he heard a strange noise. It was a human voice. This voice was not of neither of a man nor of a woman. This strange noise was distorted like a noise over static of a radio. Alan searched everywhere but could not find the source as if the voice is coming from something beyond ,not from this world. There was something creepy about the sound . Alan seemed to understand every word even though the characters, tone, and language were alien. Alan seemed to attach to this sound.

  Alan looked around, and others appeared to notice it as well, but based on their expressions, it was clear that they were not understanding anything from the sound. It was just a strange noise for them but not for Alan.

  Alan focused on the voice and began to unravel a prophecy that shook him from within. Alan stood in the market trembling, his body became stiff like a stone statue standing in the same position for eternity. The prophecy went as follows:

  ""This world has many flaws that we have ignored for an eternity, but as time passes, everyone appears to lose sight of the purpose, compassion, and gratitude for the beautiful gift of "life and companionship". This world appears to have lost its true purpose for existence, so there is no reason to continue living in it. "This world will fall into an abyss along with everyone!""

  " what was that?", Alan muttered terrified by the voice's message. "Am I going crazy? Alan never felt this level of uneasiness in his life. This voice didn't feel like it was a prank , it didn't belong to anything from our physical world. It didn't talk to the physical body of Alan but to the soul of Alan. "It was more than just a figment of my imagination; it's a prophecy from a higher power" Alan thought in his mind ,"But why Am I the only one to understand the voice". The voice said ,"when its time to choose you will know the answer.". After hearing this, Alan was frightened to his core.

  Alan now completely terrified started looking for his mother. His mother standing next to aisle for snacks was also listening to the voice but for her it was just a strange noise.

  "Mom, something is about to happen. Did u lite to that?" Alan told his mom.

  "What is going to happen al?", mom replied.

  Alan told his mom about the voice that this noise was not just a noise but a prophecy.

  Alan's mom thought that his some was joking and started smiling ,"oh really" she said. Alan, desperate to explain her, said in a worried voice, "Mom, I am not joking." "I am scared for you, mom." "I am scared for dad" " I am scared for brad" "scared for ven" " I am scared for myself and everyone"

  Alan's eyes welled up with tears, which began to run down the side of his nose.

  Alan mom became worried as he had never seen Alan crying except when he was child. "Don't cry baby, everything is fine,you don't need to be scared! "

  ???? P.M.

  As Alan's mother tried to calm him down, the clock began making a sharp otherworldly noise, drawing everyone's attention to it.

  "What's that, shut it up" someone shouted from the crowd but Alan knew it was time.

  The clock started to move backwards in time showing "1 P.M. then 12:59 P.M. then 58 going on to 45 "

  Clock abruptly stopped. Then the clock started to move in the right direction again going towards "12:59 P.M. "

  Then clock started gltiching randomly showing numbers and the daylight changing with the different values on the clock . It looked like the day is also clutching with the clock. Then clock suddenly stopped.

  The clock restarted, but this time it was moving in the right direction at such a high speed that the bullets seem slower than the clock.

  As the clock progressed, the light in the world began to diminish like someone is sucking the light out from this world.

  Alan knew that and was near. Alan hugged his mother and started crying like a baby. "I..I am sorry mom, I was not able to protect you". "I took everyone in my life for granted but now all I want is to say goodbye to my brother, my dad," " I wish I was able to tell how much I love my Vanessa", Alan crying to his mother, but it seemed like its too late for Alan.

  Alan stayed with his mother as world slowly turned to abyss and everything went dark.

  The next thing Alan knew, he was awake in his bed in this strange world.

  Alan now completely rembered what happend before he woke up

  Is this a simulation? Am I dead? Is this a test? Is this a experiment? Or a very elaborate joke? All these questions racing through Alan's mind like wild horses

  " maybe the universe has given me a another chance" Alan thought. Maybe god wanted to give me another chance, according to Alan.

  Alan said to himself ,"Whatever is this , I will get my old life back. I will make everything right, I will get my venessa, my home, my family back. I will change them back to how they were."

  Alan was overconfident that he would put things right. He had no idea that, in this world, everything was right and he was the one who is wrong. He would be pursuing the echoes of a life he lost that never existed for this place and these people.

  To be continued.......