The Hub

The sterile air inside the Hub was filled with the sound of a buzzing alarm! The Hub, as it was called, was a majestic cubicle, made of titanium, and constructed thirty meters under the ground. It boasted of an extensive exhaust system which continuously supplied compressed air to maintain the temperature inside, and was powered by the solar panels above. Meanwhile, a separate metal tank, equipped with a purifier, provided clean water to the unit.

It was conveniently divided into two sections; the living quarter and the lab. The living quarter contained a huge, king sized bed; an old recliner; and an oval table housing an electric stove and a coffee machine. It was indeed perfectly fitted to offer its occupant much needed peace! The lab, on the other hand, was a different story altogether. Messy and unpleasant, the eastern wall of the lab was reserved for a state-of-the-art vertical farming system while the remaining space was occupied by a work table, a sleek designing pod and an incubator. Purplish LED grow lights fixed to provide the necessary energy for photosynthesis created an ambience of a disco from the 70s. This was where the party was!

The modern, standalone unit was solely occupied by a man named Ali. Astute and calculative, he had been a successful structural engineer specializing in energy efficient systems before the disaster struck. As the world had crumbled following a series of unrelenting floods, droughts and heat waves, he had built the Hub as a personal bunker to protect himself from the mass scale mayhem and devastation. A large inventory of food items, seeds and toiletries had been stocked to ensure survival for at least a decade. And so had begun Ali’s long hibernation! Although he had survived the apocalypse itself, thanks to his keen design sense and resourcefulness, the loneliness inside the Hub had often made him wonder if it had truly been worth it.

Today, however, was a different day. The adrenaline rush made him turn off the alarm and get out of the bed quickly, and proceed to the washroom. Using an old razor, he shaved off his shabby, day old stubble; instantly giving him a youth-like appearance. Pleasing aromas filled the small washroom as he showered using old shampoos and soaps that had been stored at the time of the construction of the Hub; making sure to rub properly and get every last bit of dust off him. An old, navy blue suit along with a red tie, once reserved for important meetings only, had been prepared for the special occasion. After getting dressed, he quickly ate artificially hatched eggs before gulping down a full glass of water. He picked up the yellow letter, and read it one last time before putting it back on the oval table. He was ready!

Getting out of the Hub, he started walking towards the woods nearby; the whiffs of fresh air a pleasant change. He was to meet Sofia at the old house by the lake. He remembered how he had settled into the Hub after the disaster, and had never ventured out, scared that he might end up dead as well. Until one day, it had been too much for him, and he had decided to end his own life by drowning himself at the lake. It was there, right before he was about to jump into the lake, that he had seen the beautiful Sofia who had convinced him to give himself another chance. Both of them had been longing for connection, and had become friends instantly!

The following few months had been the best days of his life! He would meet Sofia at the old lake house every day, and they would chat nonstop about their previous lives. Once they would get tired of talking, Sofia would read poetry to him until he would fall asleep in her lap. The hours would pass by in minutes! This had continued until one day Sofia had expressed the desire to see the Hub. Being super protective of the Hub, and a sceptic at heart, it had instantly put Ali off who had perceived it as an attempt by Sofia to take over the Hub. Oh! How stupid he had been?! He had refused plainly, and had left a clearly hurt Sofia alone at the lake house. That had been the last time he had seen her. He had gone to the lake house many times after that, in hopes of finding her there again but without much luck. He had waited there endlessly, rehearsing his apology diligently, but Sofia had not come. Slowly, his appetite had started to disappear, and his heart had ached badly. He had spent many nights on the floor of the Hub, crying alone in the darkness. Deciding, for a second time, to take his own life, he had made the necessary preparations. Until the day before, when his universe had brightened once again as he woke up to find the yellow letter on the oval table. It was signed by Sofia, and she had asked him to meet her at the lake house the next day. He had rejoiced, and had spent the day readying his suit and planning each and every detail of his conversation.

And here he was, on his way to meet the love of his life after so many months. The morning sun simmered brightly as a cool gust of wind blew in his direction. His heart thumped loudly as he neared the lake house, fearing deep down that he might not find Sofia there, and this all might had just been a figment of his imagination. He lightly tapped on the door before opening it and going inside. He let out a loud gasp as he saw Sofia, beautiful as ever, dressed in a long brown skirt and a loose white shirt, sitting there smiling at him. He couldn’t help but rush to her; hugging her tightly as tears rolled down his cheeks. Finally, he had found her! The day passed by quickly as he talked nonstop for hours and hours, and she listened intently. He told her about how he had missed her every single day, and had longed for her to come back to him. He told her all about his new experiments and the new incubator that had started to grow chickens. The hours passed by in minutes, and it started to turn dark outside. The time had come for them to part ways. He felt a sudden pang deep inside his heart as he realized this might be the last time they saw each other, but left the lake house without saying much. Goodbyes were always hard for him!

Back at the Hub, the atmosphere was melancholic. Ali’s appetite was gone once more, and he felt a deep ache inside his heart. He longed for Sofia’s company once again, and deeply wished she would come back to him. Hugging his knees tightly, he sat down in the corner of the living quarter as his eyes welled up again. For the third time since the disaster, he contemplated committing suicide; this time planning to turn off the exhaust system... once and for all. Teary eyed, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something glimmering on the table. It was a bright yellow letter, signed by none other than his dear Sofia. She wanted to meet him at the lake house the next day. Ali was beyond himself, and quickly got up to start preparing his navy blue suit, meanwhile planning minute details of his conversation the next day.

The bright yellow letter lay beside him, the handwriting his own, while a few miles away, an effigy dressed in a brown skirt and a loose white shirt lay motionless at the lake house!