THOSE AWAKE... 

By Tessa Harvey

'Those awake shall soon be silenced.' Gray frowned at the cryptic text. He hovered over a reply, blew out his breath, deleted the message, almost blocked the sender, but the Team Leader was glaring his way.

"Time was money," he mocked in his head, but kept his face controlled, interested, intelligent. The team leader droned on and on about profits, inventories....a couple of the women management team surreptitiously rolled their eyes at each other, make-up perfect. Finally, time for new ideas!

    Gray leapt into action! This was where he excelled. His ideas were almost always ground-breaking and innovative. Gray, face animated, forgot all about that last link with his father.

    Hurrying to the tube station the next morning, impeccably attired as always, Gray leapt for the train's closing doors,  just making it before they shut. Today, his phone rang. Annoyed, almost mistiming his step, he pushed among the other strap-hanging commuters and looked at his phone.

    The voice message was lost in the quiet roar of the carriage. He glanced around. Most of the travellers were dressed for business. Some were students, others older children. Nearly all were looking at mobile devices, clicking texts, playing online games.

    Gray knew that before much longer, COVID restrictions could change all of this forever. He could work from home, which was a plus.

    The recent news in Australia was that twenty eight teachers from one single high school were not allowed to cross the border to their school. Teachers were not considered essential workers.

    Gray looked at the young faces around him. They would need their teachers when COVID restrictions inevitably hit. He shrugged away the thought and thought most of the world's kids had it tougher anyway.

    A new text was on his phone. His father had just died. Shock gripped the young entrepeneur and he almost missed his stop.