The gaze of the other

One day, Ludwig decided to start facing the world.

It was unfamiliar at first; in fact, it was uncomfortable. He almost considered returning to his usual behaviour, but things began to improve after a few days and some daring experiments in town. Gradually, he grew more accustomed to it, and eventually, it became completely natural — almost as if he had never done it any other way.

Maybe this is even in my genes, he thought, puzzled about why he hadn't always done it this way.

But let's start from the beginning.

Ludwig was a recently retired man. He was a very happy retiree because he had the privilege of being relatively fit and healthy. He looked forward to spending his days doing whatever he wanted. With plenty of activities available, he had no trouble filling his days. It didn't take long for him to find a new rhythm of life.

The day when everything changed began in the usual way.

He woke up at about six o'clock, before the alarm clock set for six fifteen. He then lay in bed for fifteen minutes until the alarm went off, at which point he immediately reached out and switched it off.

After getting up and gazing at the screen wall displaying the morning news for a while, he took a twenty-minute shower.

A little later, his phone beeped as he sat at the breakfast table. Ludwig smiled because he knew his daughter was sending her “good morning message”. He thought it was sweet of her, even though he knew it was automatically generated and posted at predetermined times — every weekday morning at seven thirty and Saturday and Sunday at nine. But at least she had taken the trouble to programme the phone with it. She was a very busy woman.

He picked up the phone and read the message. Then, he let his finger hover several times over the three different reply buttons he had to choose from. This morning, he selected the middle button: “Good morning to you, too, darling.”

Then he continued to skim through the morning news headlines on the screen wall.

At nine o'clock, he switched off the wall and got up. It was time to go shopping. Today, he needed to stock up on fresh groceries — fruit and vegetables.

Ludwig walked through the shop and quickly filled the shopping trolley with the necessary goods. Then, he skilfully manoeuvred it to the self-scanning machine. He placed the items in front of the scanner one by one, which responded with a beep before they were put into the carrier bag.

After scanning all items, he presented his credit card to the terminal. The screen confirmed the transaction was successful. Ludwig grabbed the bag and began walking home, but his phone beeped again as he exited the shop. He set the bag on the ground and picked up his phone.

It was a delivery message. The automatic delivery service had a parcel from the pharmacy ready for collection. Since it was nearby, Ludwig decided to pick it up right away.

After entering the correct code and identifying himself, he placed his parcel in the bag along with the other items and continued home.

Ludwig arrived home and placed the newly purchased goods in the pantry and fridge. He also stored the items from the pharmacy in the medicine cabinet. When he closed the cupboard door, he realised he had forgotten to buy table margarine and breakfast eggs. He would find it difficult to do without them, so he needed to return to the store and buy them.

When he arrived at the self-scanning station for the second time that morning, a yellow light came on, and the station's screen announced that he should wait for a shop assistant.

When the person arrived, Ludwig had to show the contents of his bag, and the cashier checked them against what was entered in the system. Since everything was correct and he had only two items in the bag, the young shop assistant nodded and gave Ludwig the go-ahead to leave.

On the way home, Ludwig felt relieved that he had finally completed his shopping for the day.

But something gnawed at him. Ludwig tried to shake it off.

The day passed at a leisurely pace. After having a simple lunch, he rested for an hour. He spent the afternoon watching films projected on the wall and occasionally solving digital crosswords.

When evening came, Ludwig decided to visit his favourite restaurant a few kilometres away. To get there, he had to take a local bus.

He bought the ticket on his phone before leaving home. When the driverless bus arrived, he held up the QR code from his phone ticket to enter through the automatic bus door. As soon as Ludwig was seated, the bus started and continued its automated journey.

After the short bus journey, which had ended automatically at the right stop because Ludwig had already indicated his destination when he bought his ticket, he found himself at the restaurant. He approached the digitised server station and entered his intention to dine as a single guest. After about two seconds, the screen displayed that he had been assigned table number 23. Glowing green diode lines on the floor guided him to the table.

Ludwig ordered the food using the restaurant's app on his phone. Soon, it buzzed to confirm that the food had been ordered and was ready. The payment was processed directly through the app. Ludwig smiled. It was quick and easy—no hassle—no misunderstandings.

A rolling, robotic waiter delivered the food, which Ludwig solemnly placed on the table before him. The waiter beeped to confirm that it had detected Ludwig taking the food from its tray before turning and rolling away.

When Ludwig finished eating, he stood and left the restaurant to go home.

As he stepped off the bus at his home stop, he walked the short distance back to his gate. He was starting to feel tired; it had been an exhausting day.

About five metres from the gate, he suddenly stopped, unable to move.

Without knowing why, he slowly turned and looked around with a searching gaze. He felt his heart beating strangely fast.

“So, you finally noticed?”

Ludwig spun around with flickering eyes to locate the source of the voice, but no one was there. As he scanned his surroundings from left to right and back, he realised he could see no one, not a single human.

Everyone was gone.

“Yes, everyone is gone,” the dark voice continued melancholically. “And soon you will be gone too.”

Ludwig continued to stare, rubbing his hand vigorously over his chest. There was no one in sight.

With panic in his chest, he hurried to the door and rushed up the stairs to the apartment.

Once inside and out of his coat, he sank into the reading chair in the lounge, exhausted. Desperately, he took two deep breaths, trying to control his breathing and lower his heart rate.

“Hello.” The voice again.

Ludwig hastily sat up straight in the armchair and stared in disbelief. He clutched his head with both hands and rocked slowly back and forth. The voice continued relentlessly: “You saw it — everyone is gone. But you need not worry. You are not alone in the whole world. I was playing a little trick on you.”

Ludwig looked up and released his grip on his head. “A prank?” he said to the air.

“Yes. You're not alone, but you might as well have been.”

Ludwig sank back into the armchair. “What do you mean?”

“Tell me, Ludwig: How many other people's gazes have you met today?”

Ludwig pondered for a while.

The voice continued relentlessly: “How many have you given a little smile?”

Ludwig shook his head. “How should I know? I haven't thought of counting such things.”

“No, but I'll tell you, because I know,” said the voice. “Nobody at all.”

“I don't understand.”

“You don't? But think about it: you've been shopping, picked up a parcel delivery, travelled by bus, and eaten in a restaurant. Without meeting the eyes of any other human being or interacting with another living being. And you could have continued like that, with almost everything else too.”

Ludwig let out a deep sigh. “There's no need...”

“No, exactly,” said the voice with a sudden spitefulness in its tone. “There's no need — because you can do everything yourself, all by yourself. Alone, Ludwig. Without anyone else.”

“It's practical ...”, Ludwig tried quietly.

“Of course it is. But you know, no one else has seen you either. Well, by the way, you have had contact with another human being today.”

“Oh?”

“The second time in the shop — when they wanted to check you weren't cheating.”

Ludwig nodded. “Umm...”

“Positive contact, right?”

Ludwig shook his head resignedly and smiled an introverted smile. A strange calm began to spread within him, as if a conversation with a ghostly voice from nowhere had suddenly become completely natural. He nodded slowly. “I think I understand...”

“And by the way,” the voice continued when Ludwig thought it had disappeared. “This morning greeting from your daughter...”

“Yes? What about it?”

“Are you sure she's still alive?”

Ludwig's heart made an extra beat, and his brow furrowed. »Well, otherwise I wouldn't have ... would I?”

“That's right, Ludwig. Her phone is programmed — it operates independently. An intelligent machine. Smart machines don't require people — they can continue automating without human assistance.”

Ludwig closed his eyes.

“You might as well programme your phone too,” the voice continued. “So you don’t have to click the reply message to send it. Then everything will be quick and automatic. Neither you nor your daughter needs to bother or even live. Good — isn't it?”

There was silence and stillness. Ludwig kept his eyes closed.

And fell asleep.

When he awoke, it was morning.

Feeling a bit dazed, he glanced around the room before looking at himself. Surprisingly, he realised he had slept all night, fully dressed, while sitting in the cosy armchair.

He sighed deeply and stared blankly ahead as he pondered the strange memories.

Then he took out his phone and held it in his hand for a long time in front of him. He then started typing an improvised message to his daughter: “Hi Amelie — can we talk for a moment, over a video call. I want to see your face when we talk.”

After a short while, a reply arrived: “Can we do it later? I'm working on a new post on my blog.”

Sure, Ludwig thought. Amelie is a busy woman — an influencer — running her blog. What did she call it? Let's see. Yes, that's right: “See me — please.”

With a deep sigh, Ludwig closed his phone and went to the hall to put on his jacket.

Ludwig thought: Today, I will take a long walk in the open air. I'll probably pass by the second-hand bookshop and chat with the owner, Phil, over a cup of coffee. Perhaps I'll buy a book.