The only things that changed in the small desert town were the seasons, and even they were predictable in their flow. So, when the posters appeared overnight, pasted on every building by some unknown agency, everyone was excited.
"COMING SOON!" they declared. "IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! NOT TO BE MISSED!"
That day, everywhere there were people, there was talk about 'it'. What was 'it'? When was 'it' going to arrive? Speculation was rife, but nobody had any answers.
The next morning, every poster had been replaced. "THREE DAYS!" the posters bellowed from every building. "ARE YOU READY?"
Ready? Ready for what? The mysterious nature of the posters' pronouncements only added to the air of excitement in the town. But one question had at least been answered. Now people knew when this mysterious event, whatever it was, would take place. That night, everybody in the town went to bed wondering what the morning would bring.
They were not disappointed. Once again, new posters had appeared all over the town. "TWO DAYS TO GO! JOIN US!" This was almost too much for the townsfolk. There were panicked whispers and frantic discussions. No business took place that day. Everybody was too preoccupied. The mayor declared an emergency town meeting, where he urged the citizens to keep calm. After all, this was just an advertising stunt, right? Whoever had done it wanted the town to be talking about them, and they had done just that. But nobody believed him.
That night, nobody in the town slept. Instead they stayed awake, watching to see if anyone came to put the posters up, hoping that they might get some answers as to what was going on. But nobody came. However, there were still new posters, each one reading, "TOMORROW! IT COMES!"
An atmosphere of fear and despair settled over the town. The once bucolic future was fraught with uncertainty. Most of the townsfolk stayed indoors, and the few who set foot outside seemed subdued and worried.
The next day, when the townsfolk emerged, they saw that the posters had not changed. Had 'it' happened? Or was it just some prank perpetrated by an anonymous mischief-maker?
Then somebody noticed the cloud of dust on the southern horizon, and the town held its breath.