They didn’t listen.

Nathan slid the balcony door open. The 21st floor views were breathtaking. Possibly, the best he’d ever seen. He could see the city lights, as far as the horizon stretched, glimmering & shining brightly through the night.

He was feeling blissful to be finally getting some ‘alone’ time. Jack was babysitting the kids, while his wife, Rebecca flew across states to be with her parents. It had been long since Nathan did something nice for himself.

“A bubble bath, perhaps?” He thought to himself.

“Nah, too girly.”

He quickly scampered towards the kitchen & began to make himself a warm cosy cup of tea. While he waited for his concoction to boil, he waved his finger in front of the array of books on his shelf.

“Hmm. Do I feel like Sci-fi today?”

“Nope. But that’ll do for now.” he said while making the compromise.

He carried the book, slipped into something more comfortable & headed back to his view. “Nothing can ruin me, my book & my evening.” He told himself.

To be fair, Nathan was an all rounder. A wonderful dad, a great husband, a delightful human being to those he loved. But being a role model did come at a cost.

He was tired of putting in the effort. He was tired of making things right for everybody. He had finally got the break he’d been forever waiting for.

As he took in the gorgeous view, he started to appreciate how blessed he really was. He had a great job, two great kids & everything he could ever ask for.

He blew on his hot cup of tea & raised it against the wind.

‘Cheers!’ he said.

“Ahh. Perfection.” He exclaimed after his first sip. The tea had turned out just like he wanted.

While he took his next sip, he noticed something odd on the horizon. The highway (which was usually brightly lit) had suddenly lost power. Before he could figure out what went wrong, The entire city plunged into darkness. All the street lights, billboards & cars went pitch dark.

Every electronic device in the entire city ceased to function. Nathan stood there, puzzled & lost.

As he began to think it through, he had an epiphany.

He realised what had gone wrong. With his tea still in his hand, he slyly smiled into the distance.

“They didn’t listen. I told them & they didn’t listen.”

Hope you enjoyed part 1 of this short! Stay tuned for part two!