STORIES OF BROKEN MIRRORS

"Oh, that's weird," Jimena commented as she looked at the corpse. In the library, everyone was staring at the dead body. He died as he lived; but no one knew how he lived, nor how he died. One moment he was alive... and the next, blood started coming out of his ears and he fell.

"We need to call an ambulance. Who will do it?" asked Diego, a professor who was present.

"The professor should do it," replied Simón. "I mean you."

"I don't want to use up my credit. Can someone lend me their phone?" he asked again, looking at his students.

"Cellphone," said Olivia.

"What?" the professor asked, confused.

"Cellphone. It's not a phone. The phone is the one with the little cord; the cellphone isn't," Olivia responded.

"I didn't know that..."

"Neither did I," both Simón and Jimena said at the same time.

"Alright... But will no one lend me their...," he corrected himself, "cellphone?"

"One doesn't need credit to call 911," Jimena commented.

"Oh... Well, I'll call then..."

No one seemed very interested in the situation; of the 23 students in the library, only the professor and these three students seemed slightly puzzled by the situation. The professor because he had to act, and the three kids out of mere curiosity. The others were talking about other things, unrelated to the corpse. However, there was someone else among them: a librarian, who seemed truly concerned about what was happening.

While talking on his cellphone, Diego gradually realized the seriousness of the situation. The deceased wasn't the only one in the country; apparently, a disease was affecting many places, causing death within minutes of infection. Meanwhile, Jimena, Simón, and Olivia were discussing the difference between a landline and a cellphone. Diego took this opportunity to leave the place and lock the door with the external bolt... No one noticed what was happening until another student, quietly listening to Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl," dropped dead. The librarian watched in horror as this happened and quickly scanned the room, looking for the professor, but she realized the grim reality: the professor had abandoned them, and no one would survive this. She tried to warn everyone, but no one paid attention.

"Wow... I wonder what's going on," Jimena commented, somewhat disinterested.

"I think they're faking it; no one dies like that out of nowhere," Olivia replied. "What did they tell you in the end, professor? Professor!?"

"Everyone, they recommend that we keep a distance from each other," the professor replied, observing everyone through a window.

Many followed the instructions, but quickly gathered and continued talking indifferently. Simón, Jimena, and Olivia also conversed, keeping a distance between them. The librarian looked around anxiously, trying to communicate with some authority.

Several students began to die one by one. Five, who were debating the origin of the disease with conspiracy theories, were among the first to die. Seven, who were watching chaos unfold around the world—explosions, fires, and protests—through their cellphones, died next. Four students who tried to leave the place failed in their attempt and perished. Three, who were just chatting, also died. Only Olivia, Jimena, Simón, Diego, and the librarian remained.

"It's starting to smell bad in here. Do you think we can open the door now, professor?" Olivia asked, disgusted.

"I don't know... Maybe it's still better not to."

Hours passed, and the ambulance didn't arrive because it had more important places to be.

Days after this incident, the remaining three students, the professor, and the librarian returned to class. By that point, they had forgotten what had happened, but continued talking about phones and cellphones. The librarian, however, noticed that the disease had never left and probably wouldn't, so she decided to do everything possible to raise awareness about the disease and the danger of forgetting it.