A Visit

There it is: my house. Actually it was my house when I was a child. I was 8 years old he last time I was here. Even in the darkness, I can tell it’s still painted that bright Victoria yellow. Of course, after all these years it’s starting to fade. I don’t remember those bushes lining the walkway though, they must be new. I’m sure Mom and Dad still live there, I recognize the curtains in the downstairs sitting room: rust orange tied back with rust orange ropes. But it’s late; perhaps I should come back in the morning. I wouldn’t want to wake them. I forgot how much I liked the smell of the autumn air and the chill is a nice change. Stale, uncirculated air gets old fast.  I think I’ll take a look around the old neighborhood before I go home. It’ll be good for me to revisit some old memories. Across the street there used to be…yes, there it is. I remember trying to climb that giant boulder almost every day with a few of the other kids from around the neighborhood. It really seemed huge then. I wonder if the basketball hoop is down around the corner. It was old when we used to use it. Was that a door opening? It’s my house, my parent’s house. I can see someone coming out the front door. It’s them, it’s Mom and Dad. They’re awake. Should I just walk up to them and say, “Hey Mom. Hey Dad. It’s your son. Long time no see, huh…” Would they recognize me even? Mom looks good. I can’t believe she still wears that blue striped dress. Her hair looks beautiful, curly and brown and maybe just a little bit messy. They white patch in Dad’s hair has barely grown at all. I expected it to be all white by now. Mom always did like to bring her iced tea outside with her in the evening. She’d sit on her chair, just like she’s doing now. And Dad would go down the stairs to the walkway and pull a few weeds out before returning to his own seat, right next to her. There they sit: Mom and Dad. Maybe if I just go to them and explained…no, at night it would probably just scare them if a man in the dark walked up to them and said he’s their son. I’m happy I at least got to see them tonight and it looks like they’re doing well. I wonder if Mom still sings in the women’s choir. She loved that, and I remember going to her concerts at Christmas. One year Dad was even the host. I have so many happy memories of this place. I see car lights coming this way. It looks like three cars. Two are police cars but they don’t have their red and blue lights on. Something must be wrong. They’re stopping in front of my house. I recognize the man getting out of the third car. He wears slacks, a wrinkled button down shirt and a long coat. I can’t place his face but I’m sure I’ve seen him before. They’re looking for something, something around my house. Now I’m getting a bit worried. If I get a little closer, I may be able to overhear what’s going on. I don’t think I’ll be seen behind the giant boulder across the street. I think I’m starting to hear them talk.  The man in the long coat is saying, “Check the area well; behind the house, try the neighbors, too. Knock on some doors; see if anyone’s seen anything, but no one goes inside the house.” Is he talking about my house? Why would they go into my house? I know I’ve seen him before. Maybe he’s just one of those faces. I don’t see my parents on the porch anymore; they must have gone to bed. Well some of the police are coming my way, I’d better get out of their way so I don’t distract them from finding whatever it is they’re looking for. It’s gotten a bit chillier since I’ve been out here, but the officers are wearing thick jackets so they should be warm. All I have is a windbreaker. I should get myself a good thick jacket. Winter is on its way, after all. There’s a lot of excitement going on here tonight. I really don’t want to be in the way of the police. I think I’ll be moving on. I can come back in the morning and surprise Mom and Dad. It’ll be a great day. One of the police officers is talking to the man in the long coat, they are trying to whisper, but I still hear them. The man in the long coat says, “I was certain he’d come this way. I guess I was wrong.” The cop asks, “Why would he come here? Did he live here?” “Yes he did,” replied the other man, “when he was young, he lived here with his parents.” “Well should we be alerting them? Shouldn’t they be told?” asked the cop. The other man spoke with a bit of surprise in his voice, “No, they aren’t here. He killed them both when he was eight.” That’s all I could hear as I walked by in the darkness. Wow, that’s really creepy. I wonder if the ice cream shop is still open. I should bring some to Mom and Dad tomorrow. Let’s see, Mom like’s strawberry, Dad like’s chocolate…

Reviews

[Badiah Aurelia Wilson]

Wow what an unexpected twist! This would make a great thriller film! The imagery was excellent - I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen next!

[Melinda Weber]

This is a story that I enjoy. At first I was confused, wondering where this was leading, why so many memories and why did he just simply give a wave to his parents, be brave and step out from the shadows, his memories of his parents seemed warm. Why was he still hiding when police rolled up in front of his house and he did not go forward? Even if he was estranged from his family, I got the impression he was a runaway and was scared to come back home after his mistake. Pleasantly surprised as the secret became clear that he was in fact what they were looking for, and I got the impression he has escaped an institution. Clever, I really enjoyed the twist and how it made me think and wonder briefly, before the answer was revealed. Good write, thank you :)