I Saw No Snow

1 A wave of heatstroke left me dizzy and seeing spots. I quickly messaged the company-wide chat to call in sick. The moment I hit send, my colleagues blew up the chat. “Heatstroke? It’s snowing so hard out there I’m about to freeze to death! What are you talking about?” “Ava, we’re all pulling overtime this weekend, and you’re faking sick to slack off? Have you no shame?” Stunned, I glanced out the window. The sun was blazing in a vast, cloudless sky. There wasn’t a hint of snow. I thought they were pulling my leg, but a moment later, a video call came through from my boss, Mr. Davis. He was in his office, and behind him, the floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a world buried in white. There were no signs of a digital filter or a fake background. Behind me? Nothing but clear skies. “Well, well, Ava! I was wondering how you could get heatstroke in a blizzard. Turns out you’re faking it to take a trip somewhere else! I’m officially informing you that you have not passed your internship. You’re fired!” It was then I realized something was terribly, fundamentally wrong. I scrambled out of bed, determined to get to the office and see for myself. I was in no condition to drive, so I had to hail a cab. But I never saw a single snowflake before a runaway truck slammed into me, and everything went black. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my bed, my finger hovering over the send button. This time, I suspected my colleagues were deliberately messing with me. I played it smart. I typed into the group chat: “What’s the weather like today?” Mr. Davis immediately tagged everyone: “@all Heavy snow is making the roads slippery and visibility is low. Everyone be careful on your way in…” … How was this possible? If my boss and colleagues wanted to fire me, wouldn’t they wait until after I called in sick to spring their trap? I was perfectly fine at the company dinner last night. They couldn’t have known I’d wake up sick with heatstroke. My already aching body felt worse as I stared at the brilliant sunshine outside. “Got it. Thanks for the heads-up, Mr. Davis. Made it to the office safely.” “Stuck in traffic. Had to park and walk. This snow is insane, probably another half hour for me.” “Glad I took the subway today…” Messages poured in from my colleagues. One of them even posted a photo. It was Meadowbrook Park, a place I often visited, now completely blanketed in snow. Fat, heavy flakes danced in the grim, gray sky. But on my way to the office in my previous life… there was no snow. None at all. As I was trying to make sense of it, Mr. Davis tagged me in the chat. “Ava, everyone from your department is here. What’s your ETA?” “The whole company is working overtime for that big project you landed. Get here in the next ten minutes, and I’ll waive the late penalty this time.” The weekend overtime was, indeed, because I had secured a major deal for the company. If I had been able to power through it, I wouldn’t have tried to call in sick in the first place. The fresh, terrifying memory of being killed in a car crash made me even more hesitant to go to the office. But if I used heatstroke as an excuse again, I’d definitely be fired. My mom’s medical bills depended on the bonus from this deal. I had to keep this job. I ignored the messages for a moment, shaking my head to clear the chaotic thoughts. I was absolutely certain: it was not snowing in my city. If I could just find concrete proof, they couldn’t use this ridiculous excuse to fire me. I quickly opened the weather app on my phone and my jaw dropped. The app showed my location was under a blizzard warning. This was insane. No matter how powerful my boss was, he couldn’t fake the data on a national weather app, could he? But I swear, I hadn’t seen a single snowflake. Just then, my phone rang. It was Mr. Davis. I had to answer. I put on my groggiest, just-woke-up voice. “Why do you sound so hoarse, Ava? Are you not feeling well?” I couldn’t give him an excuse to fire me. Thinking fast, I admitted, “Mr. Davis, I’m sick. I feel awful. I don’t think I can make it to the office right now.” “That bad? You must have caught a chill. Didn’t bundle up enough for this weather.” “Well, just rest up at home then. But stay online so the team can reach you. We can’t have this project getting delayed.” His tone was surprisingly gentle, not confrontational at all. That just made me more confused. A few minutes later, the HR manager tagged me in the chat. “Mr. Davis told me you’re sick, so I’ve put in a leave request for you. Ava, I just need a doctor’s note and a quick video for the records, and I can process the paid sick leave.”

2 I frowned, my brow furrowing in frustration. I had heatstroke. There was no way I could get to a hospital in this state. Where was I supposed to get a doctor’s note? After a moment’s thought, I decided to send a selfie video to the group chat. “I woke up feeling like this. Haven’t even had a chance to get to a doctor yet.” My face was frighteningly pale. I looked every bit the part of a sick person. Surely that would be enough. “That’s not going to work.” “Ava, the doctor’s note can come later, but the video needs to show something that confirms your location.” “I remember you live in the same apartment complex as I do. There’s that big landscaped planter right below your building. Can you retake the video from your balcony? Make sure to get both you and the planter in the shot.” I immediately dragged myself out of bed and went to the balcony to film. But the moment the sunlight hit my skin, something felt terribly wrong. My side of the world was bright and scorching hot. If I sent a video of this, and they saw there was no snow, wouldn’t they just attack me like last time? Were they doing this on purpose? Were they just looking for an excuse to get rid of me? I was already suspicious. I’ve always been healthy. Even with a sudden heatwave, getting full-blown heatstroke this quickly was strange. I even started to wonder if they had poisoned me, if this was all some elaborate scheme. The only problem was, I was just an intern. My boss could fire me for no reason at all; I’d have no legal recourse. Why would he go to such great lengths, involving the entire company, just to trick me? The HR manager messaged again. “Ava, hurry up. I’ve got other things to do.” A surge of anger went through me. “I’m not using a beauty filter,” I typed back, my fingers trembling. “Can’t you see from my face that I’m sick? Why do you need me to film anything else?” “Is it because I’m an intern? Are you all just ganging up on me?” A series of question marks appeared from HR. “What are you talking about, Ava? This is standard procedure for everyone. What would I possibly gain by targeting you?” “You just have to stand on your balcony to see the planter. It’s not difficult. Unless… you have something to hide? Is that why you’re getting so defensive?” Other colleagues started chiming in, their words dripping with sarcasm. “She’s only been here two months and already landed a huge account. Guess she thinks the rules don’t apply to her anymore.” “Heh, she was perfectly fine at dinner last night. How convenient that she’s suddenly too sick to work.” “Yeah, real nice. We’re all slaving away on a weekend, and the project lead gets to kick back and relax.” The HR manager’s tone turned sharp. “Ava, you have five minutes to send that video. Otherwise, I’m marking you as a no-show.” “And company policy is very clear. One no-show, and an intern is terminated immediately, forfeiting all salary and bonuses.” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. So, they were determined to fire me. They weren’t even trying to hide it anymore. They wanted a video? Fine. I filmed it exactly as they asked and sent it. Just as I expected, the moment the video uploaded, the group chat exploded again. “Ava, we gave up our weekend for you, and you’re off on vacation, faking sick? You have no shame!” “The snow here has turned into a full-blown blizzard, and you don’t have a single flake? You’re obviously not even in the same city! Are you taking us for fools?” Mr. Davis sent a string of angry emojis. “Ava, where is your sense of responsibility?” Last time, I was a naive fool. I dragged my sick body to the office to prove my innocence and ended up dead. This time, I fought back. “You’re the ones taking me for a fool!” “You can see the planter below my building perfectly clearly. I’m in my own apartment. Or are you trying to tell me that it’s snowing over the entire city except for my specific building, where it also happens to be eighty-five degrees?” “If you want to fire me, you could at least come up with a better excuse!” “I’ve screenshotted this entire conversation. I’m posting it online. Let’s see how many of your products you sell after this!” Fueled by righteous anger, I left the group chat and immediately called my best friend for help. After I explained everything, she was silent for a few seconds before replying, “Ava… are you delirious from the fever? It is snowing. A lot. I’m snowed in at home; had to cancel my date.” It felt like I’d been struck by lightning. Had they gotten to my best friend, too? No, that was impossible. The bonus I was due to receive wasn’t nearly enough for my boss to orchestrate something this massive.

3 I quickly dialed my mom’s number. The whole world could lie to me, but not my mother. The moment she picked up, her voice was full of concern. “Ava, make sure you wear your winter coat if you go out today. The snow is coming down so hard, I can feel the chill even inside the house…” So, was the problem… me? Was the entire city covered in snow, and I was the only one who couldn’t see it? Absolutely not. In my past life, the taxi driver was wearing a thin shirt. He said there was no snow. He even gave me a look like I was crazy for asking. And yet, everything was so bizarre… I didn’t want to worry my mom, so I mumbled a few assurances and hung up. I started calling everyone else I knew to check. Every single person insisted it was snowing, including my obsessive ex-boyfriend, a creep who refused to leave me alone. I opened my social media. My feed was flooded with videos and pictures of the snow, all from people in my city. A deep, bone-chilling cold spread through my body, even as a nervous sweat broke out on my back. I couldn’t understand what was happening. “So now that her lies are exposed, she’s just playing dead?” “Haha, she really thinks we’re idiots. If you’re going to lie about being sick to go on vacation, at least check the damn weather forecast first.” “Oh, she had it all planned out. Did you see that planter? It looks exactly like the one in our complex. She must have spent a lot of time finding a place that looked so similar.” “And she threatened to expose us online! Ha! I think she’s so mad she got caught that she’s actually losing her mind.” Reading the barrage of attacks, my anger evaporated, replaced by a deep, chilling dread. No one was lying to me. In their eyes, I was the liar. My train of thought was broken when Mr. Davis posted a video in the group chat, filmed from his office. The attacks on me stopped. Because now, my boss was furious. “Ava, open your eyes and take a good hard look. Every single person in this company is at their desk, working. Except you.” “You can see the blizzard outside the window as clear as day.” “Given your irresponsible and deceitful behavior, I am officially terminating your employment. Don’t bother coming back to the office.” With a trembling hand, I tapped on the video. I knew a thing or two about digital manipulation. The video was real. There were no signs of AI or special effects. Which meant that the world I was seeing, and the world they were seeing… were not the same. “I’m sorry, Mr. Davis. I was wrong.” “I didn’t go to another city. Please, just give me one more chance. I can be at the office in half an hour!” I didn’t know what was going on. My only chance to clear up this misunderstanding and save my job was to get to the office and talk to them face-to-face. Could it be that even if I were standing right next to them, we would still see completely different realities? I fought against my pounding headache and the weakness in my limbs, rushing downstairs as fast as I could. As I stepped out of the building’s entrance, my legs gave out, and I nearly collapsed. A kind-looking older woman caught me. “Are you all right, dear?” On instinct, I asked, “Ma’am, is it snowing?” She immediately let go of me, giving me a strange look. “Honey, are you feeling okay in the head?” “I’m practically sweating through my shirt it’s so hot. Why on earth would it be snowing?”

4 My senses weren’t failing me! Even if my brain was fried from the sickness, even if I was hallucinating, my body’s physical sensations wouldn’t lie. I could feel the searing heat of the sun. My feet met solid, dry pavement, with no trace of snow. The planter downstairs was clean and dry. So where was the problem? I lived in the same complex as the HR manager and that older woman. HR was certain it was snowing, but the woman and I saw nothing… That strange, unsettling feeling crept back into my heart. My head was spinning. I had to brace myself against the wall as I made my way to the entrance of the complex, where I stumbled into a waiting taxi. “Stellar Tower, please.” The half-hour drive felt like an eternity. My brain felt swollen and sore, and I could barely stay conscious, forcing myself to endure the agony. “Almost there, miss. That’ll be twenty-five. You can pay now.” The driver’s voice pulled me back a little. I lifted my head and saw “Meadowbrook Park” through the window. In the photo my colleague sent this morning, Meadowbrook Park was completely covered in snow. But to my eyes, the four large letters of its sign were crystal clear, gleaming in the sunlight. Suddenly, a powerful sense of danger washed over me. “Driver, watch the traffic!” In my previous life, it was right around here that the runaway truck hit me. I’d left later this time, so logically, I shouldn’t encounter that same truck. But the feeling of dread in my gut was getting stronger. “Don’t you worry, miss. I’ve been driving for years.” “Besides, the roads are clear. No snow. Nothing’s going to happen.” I was about to insist when my phone rang. It was Mr. Davis. I quickly answered. “Mr. Davis, I’m almost at the office.” The driver added, “Just one more intersection.” Mr. Davis’s voice was laced with suspicion. “One intersection?” “You must be stuck in traffic, right?” I shook my head. “No, not at all. There are hardly any cars on the road.” A cold, humorless laugh came from the other end. “Ava, are you still trying to play me for a fool?” “This blizzard is getting worse by the minute! Half the city’s roads are paralyzed. The streets around the office are a parking lot. Our clients can’t even get to us. And you’re telling me there are hardly any cars?” But there weren’t! I was frantic, but I had no idea how to explain. In my panicked state, I saw it—a familiar-looking large truck, barreling straight toward us. I screamed, “Driver, floor it!”