It was 2 minutes beforehand. Then, it was announced at 2:20 p.m. when the massive buzzing of thousands of hornet phones was going to blitzkrieg to practice informing any danger in the future. 

I was in the Mercy cafeteria, standing by to watch everyone’s reaction.

Everyone’s phones were out of sync and as soon it was received, many people just didn’t mind it. There was only one in the room who did. When I asked her, Sephooa was slightly confused while everyone else was chill.

2:35 p.m. The ring was heard in the hallway. I was leaving the building to go outside to see if there was any startling reactions. 

2:40 p.m. Nope. I kept going on with my day, the sun shining as I was about to get out of the building. 

2:45 p.m. The last time I heard the ring was when I saw a Mercy Safety Car go by and people carried out with their day.

Nothing happened. No world-ending event as predicted by YouTubers and news broadcasters.

There was no meltdown of society or talk of Covid being a “zombie virus.” Everyone just carried on with their day.

That day, my sister, Jacqueline Rivas was in her class. Full of snobby, older doctors with only 9 students. People said to her, “Oh yeah, it was going to happen,” and she was aware of the notification and filled with anticipation.

Everyone in her class received the message, even her best friend who had their phone notifications on silent. 

But there was no ka-boom. No earth-shattering ka-boom.

Disappointed like Marvin the Martian with his Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator. Rivas’ phone was the last one to get the notification while everyone else already heard the ring. She thought she would never get it. 

There was more than just the fear of “FoMO” (fear of missing out), and killer cellar waves in the air, but instead paranoia.

She also showed me a TikTok of many influencers encouraging the behavior and showing how to prevent someone from getting the message. 

“Tinfoil hat people” accessorized their smartphones with tin to shield themselves.

People wrapped their phones with aluminum, thinking that these notifications would also somehow send radiation and poison.  

While it is true it can reflect and absorb radio waves and could interfere with transmission, radio and gamma waves are on different frequencies.

It may be touching that people are more willing to listen to their fellow man than “the man,” or government. 

The nationwide test is to alert the public in case the worst happens and to inform. 

It isn’t like a propaganda tactic of trying to calm the public with ideas, such as shielding themselves underneath a blank to protect them from nuclear radiation in case an atom dropped from the communist party in the past. Being taught to students to just duck and cover in case of an atomic attack just like Bert the Turtle by the Civil Defense Administration. 

Wasn’t that the bee’s knees? How time goes by in 70 years.

But at the same time, some people are listening to people who can be ring leaders to a cult of their very own and helped by an algorithm.

The last time a test like this was taken place was Aug. 11, 2021 during the pandemic, because the original test was delayed.

Many listen to the calliope out of curiosity. But when looking at the product, it is only a matter of time before you buy into what a snake oil salesman is selling. 

It might be jokes but it takes someone to slip up for believing in a magic salt barrier and crystal for everything to fail and then a new crisis is made, with people getting sick from pink sauce. Something that was unregulated by “Big Brother” and later a major pain in young people’s guts. A show where hungry cash sucker vampires don’t come in unless someone allows them to enter the house. 

That is the old-fashioned way. It’s no longer 1951. It’s 2023, and this was a test. 

Who knows if you were about to be one step away from getting into some bad weather, helping a missing child, or a more critical situation?