Behind Closed Doors

Renci picked the lock on the house door. He gripped his little child hands around the doorknob and rushed in, praying that no one was home and that no one outside heard him. It was the middle of the day. He stomped up the stairs and walked into the closest room. He looked around the room. This was most definitely a girl’s room. It was no good.  He went to the next room. It was very gender-neutral, so it was most likely a boy’s room. He opened the closet door and grabbed the first outfit he saw. He quickly clothed his naked body.

Renci examined himself in the mirror. The clothes were a little tight, but it wasn't that bad. He wore an orange shirt that read, “Tire Club”. He found it to be an odd name, but it was better than being naked.  He looked at his shoulder-length hair. It needed to be cut, but he didn't want to go see his brother for it and he was too frightened to go to a salon in fear they would touch him. But right now, that didn't matter. What mattered was him getting home.

He grabbed a pair of sunglasses off the nightstand and walked out the room. There was nothing else he needed from this house, so he walked out the front door, saying:

“Goodbye, house. Thanks for the clothes.” He stood out on the porch. Where exactly was he? He looked up at a sign.

“Broadway.” He didn't recognize the street as being in his hometown, but at least he could read it. Last month he ended up in a place that didn't even have road signs, and no one spoke his language.

He grabbed a skateboard that was leaning against the house and  rolled down the street. He kept a mental note of everything he saw so that he could determine where he was. He rolled into an internet cafe. He didn't want a muffin, but a computer would be very handy right now. He walked up to a girl who was wearing the same street-type clothing he was.

“Hey.” The girl looked up from her computer and rolled her eyes.

“What do you want?” she replied.

“Not much, just to borrow your computer for a split second.”

“No! How stupid do you think I am? I’m not going to let you take my computer.”

“I don’t want to take your computer. I just want to use Google Maps.” The girl thought for a moment.

“Why?”

“Because I need a map.” Renci was annoyed by the question. The girl scooted her chair over and turned the laptop towards him. Renci sat next to her and started to type into Google. The internet was acting up, and the page wasn’t loading.

“Here, let me help,” the girl said as she reached across him and brushed her bare arm against his.

“Oh, no,” Renci thought, and just like that, he disappeared. Gone, just vanished. The only thing left of him was him clothes, crumpled up on his seat.

****************

Renci woke up with a blanket over him.

“Well, this is weird,” he thought. He was used to waking up naked on the sidewalk, but someone must have found him. He wrapped himself in the blanket. He was in a girl’s bedroom but he wasn't on the bed. For some reason he was on the floor. He walked out of the room trying to find some clothes but tripped over his blanked.

A little girl about his age, with long brown hair that reached her knees, came running out of a room.

“Are you okay?” she said, handing him clothes. Renci jerked back, avoiding her hand. He didn’t want to disappear again. Then he realized the little girl was covered from her neck to her feet. She even wore gloves. Renci grabbed the clothes.

“Who are you?” he asked. The girl hesitated, then spoke her name quitely.

“Tomiki.”

“Tomiki? But that’s a boy’s name.”

“Yes, I know.” Tomiki got up and walked down the hall.

“Get dressed,” she said, looking back at him.

He got dressed, then walked around, looking for Tomiki. He found her in the dining room, holding a cup of tea. Based on the smell of the room, the tea appeared to be peppermint.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“It was an accident.”

“Mama always told me not to talk to strangers, but she never told me what to do when they are in my house. She also didn't tell me what to do when they are naked.”

“Where is your mom?” Renci queried.

“With the rest of my family.”

“And, where is that?”

Tomiki stood up and walked to the door. Renci followed her. The rumble of the freeway hurt his ears. Tomiki lead him to a shed that said “Self Storage” on the top. She looked back at Renci, took a deep breath, opened the shed, and stepped inside. He followed timidly. The shed was dark until Tomiki turned on a flashlight. Renci was shocked at what he saw. Four stone statues stood in the shed. They weren't like any statues Renci had ever seen before. The figures looked as if they had been frozen in the middle of normal  activities. A little boy was bent over like he was playing with cars. A girl a little older than him was in a sitting position on the ground. An older man who looked like he was yelling stood next to a woman who looked like she was crying.

Was this Tomiki's family? He had asked to see her mother. Was the crying woman her mother? But, how could that be?

“I told them I was sorry, but I don't think they care. Do you know how to make them move again?” Tomoki's question broke his train of thought.

“I don't know.” Renci walked towards one of the statues. He reached out and touched it. Then, instantly, he vanished again.

It didn't make sense! Renci only traveled like that when he touched someone! Not a rock. Or was it a rock? He didn't know what happened. On the bright side it seems he ended up back home. It was a strange journey for him.

The End