Cancelling Culture.

Chelsea's legs were really pumping, as she frantically ran to reach her new workplace on time. "Hurry up, you'll be late!' she told herself. Breathless, she reached her destination. It was the brand new shopping complex in her suburb, recently built to rival the neighbouring giant mall. This was fresh hope and a hub for her community.

Being young and optimistic, Chelsea had landed her golden job opportunity, to become an Assistant Manager of a branch of very trendy, but affordable, fashion shop. Unisex, of course. But Chelsea did not know what the time was. Her phone was dead, she had forgotten to plug it in last night. She had dressed in haste, her shower had been half cold. Her boyfriend, Evan, had used all that was left of the toast and near empty jar of coffee to make his own breakfast. Once again, he had failed to wake her up before he had quietly left their apartment for his day as a Security Guard.

"Maybe the coffee shop is open before work," she thought, as she gazed in dismay at the escalator her level. It stood motionless.

"I'll try the elevator." Only a sign, Not in Service, met her sight.

So, Chelsea, hungry and craving her caffeine fix, speedily paced up the unmoving people transporter. Upstairs, she wondered why all the shops were boarded over. The shopping mall even looked vacant, not even an information officer there. Only unlit digital billboards amid gleaming polished floor surfaces were the highlights.

"This is opening day! I'll ask the supermarket, they're always available."

However, the automatic sliding doors remained stubbornly closed. Not even a shelf stacker was there. The whole food barn appeared ready, but had no staff, only half lighting, and no cheerful sales team. Even the homebrand bakery was idle.

"Oh, that's not fair. I wanted a nice hot cake for breakfast."

Chelsea found some varnished seating right next to a darkened Pharmacy, trying to decide what had happened in this silent echo of the much promised consumer paradise.

"How am I going to eat and sort my bills, if my job is cancelled?"

Staring past the chemist store, she looked at the brand new gym, where Evan wanted to take up a membership. Not even a solitary treadmill stood there either. Only a sign, "Opening soon."

"Maybe, maybe not," Chelsea muttered, as her tummy grumbled. Last night's takeaway, nestled under a rug with her beloved, viewing a Netflix movie, was too long ago.

As well as hunger, she could feel her always present free-thought anxiety concerns rising. Had the whole opening extravaganza been suspended? Chelsea was a big fan of librarians, and post-Armageddon Young Adult books and DVDs.

"Where have all the people disappeared? What time is it here?"

Then her scariest thought, "Has humanity been cancelled too? Am I all there is, the only person in suburbia?"

There were no answers, no phone signal, no time on the massive digital clock, no blaring spruikers, no musak. Not even a robotic floor polisher. No other human, no coffee, no food, no stores open. Only an arcade of broken dreams of retail prosperity. Chelsea decided to sit tight there, rather than battle her way home. Her home held not even any food to look at, not even a photo of a coffee granule.

Chelsea never used to wear a watch, but knew exactly what she wanted to buy when she earnt her first salary here, if that ever happened. She was still Chelsea.

"If I am being erased by time, at least send me some food first." Even that lucid dream did not materialize. So, she sat, waiting, waiting, her hopes and desires dwindling. The ATM did not function. Yesterday's coffee and focaccia still a treasured memory. No other human to be seen. Maybe Evan had run away in his van of cash, was this his personal abandonment?

Chelsea did sit on her seating there, being confronted by the eerie vastness of silence. "A consumer space with no consumers......"

Chelsea grew fatigued. Her spirit was weary. Suddenly, she spied another person. She looked amazingly familiar. It was old Jessie, her family's honorary auntie. Chelsea's family had long lived next door to Jessie. In the good old days. Jessie had often been over at their house, chatting to Grandma Ruth. Evan was Jessie's nephew, he had spent many hours playing with Chelsea's annoying brothers.

Aunt Jessie was not even surprised when Chelsea sprang up, and hugged her in a tight embrace. "I am so glad to see you. Do you know what the time is?"

"Oh, that is so like the young people of today...." Aunt Jessie was a well known windbag. "As well as those pink streaks in your hair, you were never on time. Comes from your father's side of the family, that is what old Ruth used to say."

Chelsea could only smile. Jessie calling her late grandma old was perfectly normal. Chelsea sat down in a hurry, her head was slightly woozy. It was her and Aunt Jessie against Armageddon. Maybe it was not future dystopia today.

Aunt Jessie was immediately concerned, switching into her grandmother mode. "I bet you haven't had any breakfast either." From her ubiquitous shopping jeep, this noble grey-haired widow produced a thermos of hot tea, already with milk, and a small jar of sugar.

"You look pale, dear. Now, drink this cup, two sugars for your energy, and have some of my famous shortbread. Still hot from the oven. The coffee shop is too expensive for us old age pensioners."

"This is music of the spheres." Chelsea sighed with relief. After all, shortbread and hot sweet cups of tea can appear like manna. Aunt Jessie continued her lecture.

"I know exactly why you are early. Today is the first day of Daylight Savings, that is all. Catches someone every year. Daylight Savings is to blame for avian flu, epidemics, hurricanes, grumpy overtired people, all wars, wildfires, droughts, floods, my lumbago. Some man invented Daylight Savings, always some man to blame. Even for you and Evan living in sin."

Chelsea realized she had forgotten all about the start of Daylight Savings. "Does that mean my job is not cancelled?"

"I heard you have a new job," Aunt Jessie said, "You'll do well, you mark my words. Now, if I give you some cooking lessons, Evan might pop a ring on you. Love makes music of the spheres. You two will make beautiful babies."

Chelsea asked for her recipe for shortbread. "Got to start homemaking sometime."

Chelsea did succeed in her fledgling career in retail management. Evan did adore her new cooking skills. He even brought home loaves of fresh bread. Humanity has not been cancelled. All we humans need is free hugs, and some basic foods, like shortbread. Of course, if humanity and kindness ever do vanish, mankind will only have that pesky Daylight Savings to blame. Or some man.