Stuck In 2025

Synopsis

The clock struck midnight, heralding the arrival of 2026, and an uncanny silence swallowed the world whole. This wasn't the gentle quiet of a sleeping city. It was a profound, sterile void, as if the very essence of sound had been sucked out of reality. On the television screen, the host's face was a mask of enthusiastic anticipation, their lips shaping the familiar countdown—"Ten... nine... eight..."—but no sound emerged. Beyond the window, the city's heart had ceased its pounding rhythm—the screaming arcs of fireworks, the roaring swell of a million voices, the blaring symphony of car horns—all the celebratory noise that defined this moment simply vanished. Someone, it seemed, had hit the mute button for the entire planet. I was rooted to the sofa, a half-finished can of cola growing slick and cold in a numb grip. The only sound left was the frantic, irregular drumming of a heart against ribs, a traitorous noise that pounded painfully in the ears. On the coffee table, a phone screen flickered to life, its pale glow illuminating a face frozen in disbelief. The digital display read: [December 31, 2025. 23:59.] The second hand trembled, about to make its final tick and land on zero, marking a brand new beginning. I held my breath, eyes glued to the screen. The second hand jumped. But in the next instant, it felt like my blood turned to ice. The time on the screen was: 2025, Month 13, Day 1. Not January 1st, 2026, 00:00. It was 2025, Month 13, Day 1, 00:00. "What the hell?" I muttered.