It was a beautiful afternoon when the three took a cab to the city. Without previously agreeing where exactly to be left off, Harry told the driver, “Take us to the roller coaster, please”. The cab driver nodded briefly and swiftly left the hotel parking lot in front of the main entrance.
A half an hour drive followed although there wasn’t much traffic this time of the year especially at that hour. The hotels were running at less than half of their capacity waiting for the next season and the tourists that would flood their rooms, restaurants and bars again.
“Here we are. This looks amazing. Guess we’ll spend the evening here, have dinner and later watch all those amazing lights coloring the sky”, said Jude while exiting the cab and feeling in awe by the place.
“Let’s walk around a bit before we grab something to drink” continued Mary.
Unlike the periphery, the city center buzzed with life and energy. Modern music sounded from the loudspeakers hanging on street lamps while people of different ages were savoring the pleasant temperatures outside on their walk through town. Some hotels were offering special meal deals trying to attract more guests whereas others were focusing on their evening program which in most cases was due to start in a couple of hours time.
The three headed down the main street walking in and out of shops, looking for souvenirs and little gifts for their loved ones at home when all of a sudden the music stopped and all lights went off. A few seconds later the pleasant night turned into a battle field with people screaming and shouting out of fear, despair and panic. It was the perfect moment for all the pocket thieves in the area to maximize their yield before the emergency generators turned on.
These blackouts weren’t uncommon for locals but obviously, tourists weren’t accustomed to these changes. Facing total darkness in the streets isn’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.
Mary was petrified even after the lights went back on. She could hardly get a word out. The boys tried to cheer her up but she could barely walk. Her face turned white and she was trembling all over her body.
Without understanding what was happening to Mary, Harry kept asking: “What’s wrong? Do you want us to call an ambulance? Did something like this happen to you before?”
Before Harry could finish his last question, Mary’s shivering suddenly got worse. Fearing she would get a stroke or a heart attack, Jude grabbed the phone out of his pocket and called an ambulance.
The sedatives worked and Mary could finally calm down. When the doctors left her room, she was asleep. The boys were waiting for nearly three hours in the hospital hallway desperately looking for a doctor that could provide information on the wellbeing of their friend.
“She was very lucky you boys were there and called the ambulance. Thank you for that” said the older lady doctor. She was accompanied by a younger colleague who looked more like a medical student.
She went on to ask a few questions:
“How long have you known Mary?”
“For roughly 10 years, I’d say” answered Harry and Jude added: “I’ve known her for a bit longer, maybe 15 years”.
“How well do you know Mary?” asked the lady doctor.
The boys looked at each other and almost unanimously they answered “We studied together”.
Harry went on, “We both lived in the same hostel. We even had a few classes together. We partied together, often times did our homework together and we’re now working at the same company.”
Jude continued, “I’ve known her since school, before she left for uni. We used to play basketball together. She is a great team player.”
The doctor smiled, told the boys that Mary would recover in a few hours and she’d be good to join them again.
There was something in the doctor’s eyes that left the boys puzzled. She knew something that she didn’t want to share with them.
“Did you catch that Harry?” said Jude.
“Yes, I did mate. Something doesn’t smell right. But I guess we’ll have to wait and ask Marry about that” said Harry before grabbing a chair and making himself comfortable for the next hours.
They finally made it to the roller coaster. It was Mary’s deepest wish to come back to this place for one more time. She was seven years old when her father took her for a ride on this very same roller coaster. Then out of the blue, the lights went off and when everything was back on, her father had disappeared. That was twenty three years ago. Mary never heard of him since.
Life is full of mysteries. Some mysteries we embrace, others we despise. Sometimes we lose ourselves in them only to vanish further and further away.
Creative art: AI-generated image by Daniela S. via Midjourney
