THE DAY AFTER

The world looked the same. The vehicles sped by and the people walked about. Some laughed and others had blank faces. I got the usual smiles and stares. Two vendors screamed out the prices of vegetables and a dog lifted his leg and pissed at a pole. The sun was bright but the air was winter-cool. When I looked down, the red skirt I was wearing and the black flip-flops were old too. The world around me had not changed at all.

I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear and walked on. My eyes had s...