I'm sitting here at the Library at the University of Antwerp, and some kind of alarm is ringing for already 30 minutes. But there's something funny about this.

When it started I was surprised for a few seconds. Nothing seemed to happen, though. But after a minute or so, I started to think: what if this was the fire alarm ? Is there a real fire ? Or something else ? Are things gonna explode and collapse ? I don't worry about things real quick, so I went on, surfing the world wide web.

Now, the interesting experiment here: I was in the large computer room with only one person. There was a girl (pretty) sitting a few desks next to me. She didn't react either. So, the normal social pressure thoughts in my head went: she's not moving, so it won't be anything dangerous. BUT then I thought: what if she thinks the same ? So far for the social experiment part in this story.

Through a little window I saw some people moving, faster than usual, but not in total terror. Not enough to get me moving. And I assumed they would inform everyone. Naive perhaps.
After 15 minutes the alarm stopped. Now it went on again. 10 minutes later the same thing happened. The situation had lost it's credibility to me. The only other person in the room left. I could move, but I'm a patient person, and the idea of hope that it would end soon kept me going. Also, a personal war between me and the alarm was going on and I was not going to give up.

But when finally, now, after 45 minutes, the alarm stopped, another interesting thing happened. Victory! The Alarm was beaten. Although I was aware it could start again any minute. Now that the annoying sound had gone you'd say I would be back on my ease. The opposite was true. It felt as if I had lost something. What the hell ? There was a part of me that started longing for the alarm sound, but not fully. The monotone soundwaves found a way to make me feel addicted to them. In that short period of time they grew on me. Some forces are bigger than humans.

And here I am still, at the library, waiting for the alarm to ring again..


ps: mysteries are more interesting when kept unsolved, but if you like to know why the alarm was ringing : I just heard a female voice through the speakers warning people at the library to keep an eye on their stuff. There are thieves among us. Stuff has been stolen moments ago. Another mystery apparently started. I'm in a whodonit movie ! How deliciously exciting a library can be.