I awoke, and could instantly feel the shift in the air. It was no different than an average day, but something was missing. I threw my sheets off of myself and stumbled to the kitchen while rubbing my face. Fuck, I thought, I forgot to prepare the coffee last night. For sure gonna be late. it was a usual occurence, as I frequently pack my nights with as many hours of free time that can fit in two hours. That thing, that missing thing still filled the air all around me. It wasn’t the coffee, I had corrected that. I turned on the news, intending to half-listen as I got dressed but what materialized on the LCD before me caught me in that moment.

It was the news, as it always had been. But, there were no stock banners furiously looping at the bottom of the screen. There were no talks of quarterly reports, or hand-ringing at some law from across the political isle. It was nothing but calm facts, whether, and info about how to get help at no cost, whatever it may be, when you need it. The permanently twisted visage of anger on the anchor’s face had washed away, I didn’t even know the woman could smile.

Time was running short, and I threw my coffee in a travel mug and frantically tossed some not-too-wrinkly clothes on, who irons anyway? The next moment, my hand was on the handle of my front door. The portal ripped open, into a seemingly unknown world. The roar of endless motors was gone. The road was sparsely packed with few cars, as monstrous vehicles flew over head, gently dropping people at their destinations as it passed overhead. They seemed to be slowed by some invisible force as they decended to their homes, workplaces, and markets. What caught my attention the most was the feeling on the air, as if some unseen knot threading us uncomfortable close had been released. The unseen pressure that invaded every space, had disappeared.