Ramses awoke to a strange silence. At first, he thought it was just a dream—the frozen cars, the still pedestrians, the absence of sound. But as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, he noticed the clock on the wall. The second hand hadn't moved.
He pulled back the curtain and looked outside. The world was still frozen.
"Guess it wasn't a dream," Ramses muttered. A strange thrill ran through him. The impossible had happened. Time had stopped, leaving him the only one untouched.
It was surreal, but for the first time in a long time, Ramses felt no pressure, no responsibilities bearing down on him. He wasn't late for anything. He didn't have assignments looming over him.
His stomach growled, breaking his train of thought. "Might as well start the day," he said to himself, pulling on a hoodie and stepping outside.
The streets were eerily quiet, but Ramses couldn't help feeling giddy. His first stop was the corner café he couldn't usually afford.
The door jingled as he walked in—he was surprised it moved at all. Behind the counter, the barista was frozen mid-pour, a stream of coffee suspended in midair. Ramses stepped behind the counter and examined the pastries in the display case.
"Don't mind if I do." He grabbed a croissant and a muffin, taking a bite of each. They tasted fresh, as though time hadn't touched them.
After eating, he wandered through the city, exploring places he'd never had time to visit before. He walked into a luxury department store and tried on clothes he couldn't afford. He stood on the stage of an empty theater, pretending to deliver a speech to a frozen audience.
It felt like a dream. Ramses had spent so much of his life feeling stuck, like he was constantly falling behind while everyone else raced ahead. But now, the world was standing still, and he was the only one moving forward.
Hours passed, or at least they felt like hours. Ramses had no way of knowing how much time had actually gone by. The sun hadn't moved, and his phone was still dead.
He decided to visit the park. It had always been his favorite place in the city, a place he'd go to clear his head. As he walked along the empty paths, he noticed how quiet everything was. No birds chirped. No leaves rustled in the wind.
Ramses stopped by the frozen fountain at the center of the park. He sat on the edge, staring at the water frozen mid-splash. It was beautiful in a way, like something out of a painting.
For the first time since the freeze, Ramses felt a twinge of unease. The stillness was starting to feel less like freedom and more like isolation. He tried to shake the feeling, standing up and heading toward the playground.
There, he found children frozen in mid-laughter on the swings and slides. Ramses paused, watching them. The sight tugged at something deep inside him.
"This is weird," he muttered. "Amazing, but… weird."
Determined to make the most of the situation, Ramses decided to explore parts of the city he'd never been to before. He walked into the library, a place he hadn't visited since he was a teenager.
Rows and rows of books stretched out before him. Ramses ran his fingers along the spines, marveling at the sheer number of stories and knowledge contained within these walls.
He pulled a random book off the shelf and flipped through the pages. It was a travel guide, filled with pictures of far-off places he'd only dreamed of visiting.
"Maybe I could learn something while I'm here," he thought aloud.
He spent the next few hours—or however long it was—wandering through the library, picking up books on philosophy, science, history, and even cooking. Ramses had always loved learning, but life had made it hard to focus. Now, with no distractions, he could dive as deep as he wanted.
He carried a stack of books back to his apartment, filling his arms to the brim.
By the time Ramses got home, he was exhausted. He collapsed onto the couch, spreading the books out on the coffee table.
"This is the life," he said, grinning. He grabbed a book on ancient civilizations and started reading. For the first time in years, he felt… peaceful.
But as the hours stretched on, that peace began to waver. The silence, once comforting, now felt oppressive. Ramses found himself glancing at the clock every few minutes, hoping it would start moving again.
He tried to distract himself by reading, but the words blurred together. His mind kept wandering back to the people frozen outside.
"This is just temporary," he told himself. "It has to be."
But what if it wasn't?
The next day—or what Ramses assumed was the next day—he woke up with a strange heaviness in his chest. The thrill of freedom was gone, replaced by an ache he couldn't explain.
He walked to the window and looked outside. The street was the same as before, frozen in time.
For the first time since the freeze, Ramses felt truly alone.
He spent the day wandering aimlessly through the city, hoping to find something—anything—that could explain what was happening. But there was nothing. No signs, no clues, no answers.
By the time he returned home, Ramses felt defeated. He collapsed onto the couch, staring at the ceiling.
"Why me?" he whispered. "Why am I the only one left?"
His voice echoed in the empty apartment, a reminder of how alone he truly was.
That night, Ramses dreamed of his family. He saw his mother's warm smile, his father's steady gaze, his younger sister's playful laugh. They were all sitting at the dinner table, talking and laughing like they used to.
When Ramses woke up, tears were streaming down his face.
"I miss you," he whispered, his voice cracking.
The loneliness was unbearable. For years, Ramses had isolated himself, pushing people away because he thought he didn't deserve their love. But now, he realized how much he needed them.
As the days stretched on, Ramses fell into a routine. He read books, explored the city, and tried to keep himself busy. But no matter what he did, the loneliness lingered.
One day, as he sat on the floor of his apartment, surrounded by books and uneaten food, Ramses felt something he hadn't felt in years: the urge to give up.
"What's the point?" he whispered. "What's the point of anything if I'm the only one left?"
He closed his eyes, sinking into the darkness.
But then, something happened.
A warm light filled the room, and Ramses opened his eyes in shock. He couldn't explain it, but he felt… comforted, like someone was watching over him.
In that moment, Ramses realized something.
"This isn't the end," he said softly. "It's a second chance."
The thought filled him with a strange sense of hope. Maybe the freeze wasn't a curse—it was an opportunity.
Ramses stood, wiping the tears from his face. He looked around the room, his gaze landing on the stack of books he'd brought home from the library.
"If I'm going to survive this, I need to change," he said. "No more wasting time. No more feeling sorry for myself."
For the first time in years, Ramses felt a spark of determination.
The freeze wasn't the end of his story. It was the beginning.