The Altered

The sheriff of the town was just back from his one week long training from the headquarters in the city to an oddly quite town. All the shops were open but none in there! As he walked past the streets , he noticed it was not just the people, but the animals and birds also went into hiding.

“Where on earth did they go? Not answering my calls either! Huh!” Murmured the Sheriff to himself

He checked into the police station. The files were on the tables , the phone line was hung by the cable wires, mobiles were on the floor, as if the one holding them just receded.

“Surprisingly, all the phones display same time 2:07 pm, 28 February. Damn ! My watch shows 29th Feb! There is no 29th in the calendar”

He took out his jeep on patrol, everything was unlatched! All phones, watches, clocks, displayed the same time 2:07 pm. The usually busy town was utterly quite. He rushed into examine the hospital , to his ambush there was none either. After scrutinizing all the places he reached the most famous bakery of the town which apparently was also world famous. The door opened to a Janitor standing in the corner with his red mop in left hand and his right hand pointing outside window.

“Hey you! Are you okay?”

The janitor was frozen like a statue , as if he has stopped breathing. Sheriff took dragged him to the chair and made him sit on that. Tapping his face “ What happened here ?”

The janitor screeched loudly and burst into tears whining “All vanished into air...all vanished….all vanished ..”

“Vanished into air? What do you mean?”

“Like the smoke gets vanished in air”, he sobbed in grief

“Who else is here?”

"Anne"

"Anne, you mean the owner of this bakery?”

“Yes! She is fixing the tap in there with the plumber “

“What? Where?”

“The tap in the kitchen” said the janitor pointing in its direction

Sheriff ran in the direction of kitchen where the plumber was fixing the tap, “Anne! What happened here?”

“This tap has been leaking for over a week and yesterday it went off due to the pressure of water. Look at the colour of the water its muddy and greenish. It does not stop “

“Do you know people have vanished from the town?”

“Ahh, they must have gone to the fair happening in the neighboring town. Having some fun!” remarked the plumber

“I just passed by the town, looks unlikely” said the Sheriff

 “Sounds anomalous isn’t it! Said Anne

The sheriff was startled by such a calm response from Anne. His phone received an SOS from his friend from the neighboring town which read “People are vanishing into thin air. Save us!”

“Ask your friend to run to Anne Cabello bakery in his town. Stand by and eat the red muffin until we fix the Tap” commented Anne

“You are fixated on the tap when people are missing in such a mysterious manner. Seriously?”

“The world is more than you know Sheriff” interjected Anne with calm smile

She walked to the oven and pulled out the fresh red muffins in the tray. Carrying them to the sit out area she placed it on the table as the sheriff followed her. She ordered the waitress to serve red muffins to all the four.

Sheriff was perplexed, puzzled, “What is the date in your watch?”

“29 Feb 2021” replied the waitress

“Hurry up! We don’t have much time, lets fix that tap” said Anne as she rushed back with the plumber to the kitchen

“Hey sheriff! I understand how you are feeling. I witnessed this with my very own eyes when I headed here to grab my lunch yesterday. Everyone vanished within a few seconds. Coincidently it was only five of us in here at that time. I believe in science but this is beyond what the scientific mind could infer” said the doctor

“It’s the tap that’s leaking that caused it” said the waitress in distress

 “The tap?” remarked the sheriff

“Yes, the tap in the kitchen! There has been a rumour I have heard ever since am here. That tap is the gateway to lower states of the world from where comes the fear, disease, greed and everything that is destructive in a way. When the earth’s frequency is interrupted by the high density of the lower states the gateway opens up! The water from the tap is in fact the high density of destructive forces causing the people to vanish into thin air. Anne has been guarding this for over 127 years. She believes that there is a bygone amongst us who alone can stop the disaster”, replied the doctor

“Oh my gosh! I wondered how is she so young for years! I was told that she, her mom and the great grandmother shared resemblance “ interposed the janitor

“The secret ingredient in her bakery keeps her young and dynamic” replied the waitress

“How is that you are surviving this ?” questioned the sheriff

“Strange you remember nothing!”, remarked Anne as she walked into the sit out area

“Anne, I need help the tap is rattling again! I need someone to hold it” came running the plumber

“Sheriff come along”, ordered Anne

The tap in red rattled as if the whole town was struck by tremor. The muddy greenish water was turning into yellow fumes. The tools that plumber used were also disintegrated in air.

“My hand, Ahh my hand burns” cried the plumber

Sheriff was in state of shock! This is happening for real! He ran to the tap, held it in his hand and started murmuring chants, hymns of alien language. His eyes were up gazing the roof while he continued chanting. His hands emitted silverish white light which entered the tap, the connecting pipe and boom! Bright explosion put an end to the water leakage, the tap had disappeared now.

Sheriff now stood back in horror, unsure of what happened “You guys have drugged me in that red muffin! Am hallucinating!”

“All that happened now is not a hallucination, check your watch! You are the bygone who does not remember who you are!” replied Anne

“What are you saying, the Bygo…..?”

 Just then Sheriff’s phone rang “Hello , I am at Anne Cabello’s bakery! Its strange everything is back to normal, everyone is back, like nothing ever happened before. It seems like am hallucinating, I saw you here with Anne in the kitchen. It’s paradoxical, its 28th Feb again! Its altered” uttered his friend from the neighboring town.