When the Ground Moved
English

When the Ground Moved

by

friendship
dialogue

— Can I have a mocha?

— Sure.

— Make that two. No, sorry, better make it a cappuccino, please.

— Okay.

— I'm so glad we could meet up today. I learned about yesterday's earthquake. Any news about your family?/Have you heard from your family?

— Yes, everyone is fine.

— I can't imagine what it's like to live in a place where earthquakes happen every now and then.

— They're used to it. Sometimes things get tough, but they know how to handle these situations. Have you ever experienced anything like that?

— Not exactly, but an earthquake once caught me at a café.

— Really? What was it like?

— I remember we were sitting on the terrace when my chair suddenly started trembling violently. It took me a few seconds to figure out what was happening.

— What did you do?

— My first reaction was to run away.

— Where?

— I don't know. I was so scared that I just stood up and ran as fast as I could. My friend, however, didn't move.

— Maybe he was paralyzed. Fear makes people react differently.

— No, not at all. When I came back to our table, he was smiling, taking a sip of coffee with a mocking look on his face as if saying, "Where were you going?" He didn't even flinch.

— What a calm guy. How long did the earthquake last?

— Not long, just about ten seconds, but it felt much longer. I've never run so fast as I did that day.

— We're wired to survive. It's ingrained in our DNA.

Headline image by carlesrgm on Unsplash

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