When the World Goes Away

It looked different now.

Carla stared out at the sea, standing on the almost empty beach. Already the scene flickered in and out of focus like a poor TV signal on a stormy night.

A dog barked nearby. She shifted to see the dog, a young Labrador, barking at the waves as they rolled towards it. The dog leapt back and Carla saw a young couple walking towards her. They did not acknowledge her.

Carla stood still, waiting.

The couple did not notice her. The woman was young, mid-twenties or so. She...