The air was bubbling with news of regime change, people in the town were busy congratulating each other as the corrupt leader ruining their country and its people was finally defeated in the elections and only good things were about to happen now. The new President was swearing in tomorrow and people's happiness knew no bounds!
"David, I'm taking Mary to the town center to buy some fruits, you need anything?", Dana said cheerfully. "No sweetums, you two go ahead. I'll be enjoying CNN for now". So, off they went.
As they reached the town center, a large crowd had gathered around a fruit vendor's stall. "Only ten cents a dozen, only ten cents for a dozen oranges!" he was barking loudly and the buyers were gathering there like honey bees. It seemed the vendor was so happy with the news that he had decided to give off all his stock at throwaway prices!
"Wanna have some oranges dear?", she asked Mary. "Sure, Momma!". So, Dana went to the vendor and bought two dozen oranges and paid him twenty cents. But even as she was making the deal, Dana saw that lots of oranges had spilled and lying on the road, people were trampling over them carelessly as they were moving about their businesses.
While walking back home, Dana wasn't feeling quite right. As they took the final turn, Dana nervously peeked at the square and was surprised to find that the traffic cop usually stationed there had suddenly disappeared. Instead, her eyes were now seeing an orange fruit sitting there. Dana skipped a breath and was literally spooked. She grasped Mary's hands rather tightly and quickly paced away towards home.
"Can I have some fruits darling?", asked David. "No" replied Dana automatically. A strange and terrible thought had just crossed her mind: Is everyone eating a fruit becoming a fruit themselves? Dana's heart was racing fast and her neck was filled with perspiration, she told herself to calm down, maybe she is just overreacting.
But she didn't allow David or Mary to have those oranges. When nervousness started getting better of her, Dana simply took the bag of fruits out and threw it in the dustbin. Out of curiosity, she turned right to see what the next-doors were up to. "Mrs. Simpson" she cried a bit more loudly than necessary. But no reply came. However, as Dana glanced towards their balcony, she saw that a couple of oranges were sitting exactly on top of the chairs where Mr. and Mrs. Simpson were supposed to be seated at this time of the hour.
Dana was so frightened at this time that she was literally shaking, sweat oozing out of every corner of her body. She came back home and locked the door swiftly, then went towards Mary and crushed her in a tight embrace. "We're not supposed to eat any fruit, we are also not supposed to go out anywhere at least for today".
David had never seen his wife so angry. "But what happened darling, its such a fine day today?". "Please, I said NO" shouted Dana, then threw herself on the sofa and instantly fell asleep out of exhaustion.
It must have been early morning next day when Dana awoke with a rather loud yawning sound. She brushed her teeth and proceeded towards the refrigerator to have some milk. No sooner did she opened the door than her jaw dropped. Sitting right in front of her were a bunch of orange fruits!
Panicking, she ran outside to check the dustbin and it was all empty - the fruits weren't there and they had somehow magically got back to her home and placed themselves in her fridge! Alarmed and panicking at the thought that her husband or daughter may have tried one of those, she sprinted towards his bed. Alas, there was no David. Only an orange fruit was lying on the pillow where his head was supposed to have been. She glanced at Mary's bed and found the same - a smaller sized orange this time sitting on the little pillow.
"Aaaaaaaaaaarhhhhhhhhhh" cried Dana in a voice filled with panic and terror. She sprinted past their door towards the street, as if trying to find someone for help. But even as the sun had begun to rise from the east and daylight had already fallen on their town, Dana couldn't find a single person on the street. All she could see was oranges and oranges spilled everywhere.
