Paranormal, or Abnormal PART 1

Partially true story.

As I sat in this elaborate mansion, a sea of memories came flooding through my head. I remembered the time Aaron and I made a blanket fort in front of the TV, how we would talk about the future and deep dark secrets over a joint on the back deck. Too bad Aaron didn’t tell me all of his secrets… I could have stopped him from making the most fatal mistake of his life. His house, and my house held all kinds of memories that we shared together for almost 18 years, and in a blink of an eye, that’s all it became… memories. 

“Why…” I thought to myself, staring at all the old furniture that was once an imaginary castle. A castle that was part of a world where Aaron and I had no problems and didn’t have to face the world. 

“Would you like any tea, dear?” Mrs Holland’s sweet, chipper voice snapped me out of my heart sinking thoughts in an instant. “Oh, yes please! Some chamomile if you have any”.

 Even in the worst of a worst situation, Mrs. Holland found a way to be the most comforting and sweet person I’ve ever had the pleasure to be around. She made my tea to my liking, and came and sat down next to me in the living room. 

“Oh Chrissy I just don’t know what we are going to do with all of Aarons things… It’s quite painful to do so, so I was hoping you could help me? Maybe it would pain me less if I had some company.” 

My heart became heavy for Mrs. Holland, I know she was a single mother and Aaron was her only child. Losing a husband is hard, losing a husband and child together within 7 years must have been a heartbreaking pain I wouldn’t even wish on my own enemy. 

“Yes, of course I will help you.” I said trying to hold back my tears. “We have only a few days before I have to go back to college, but I will do everything I can until then”.

I spent the whole weekend separating all of Aarons things into 3 separate boxes. Stuff that should be thrown away, stuff that should be donated, and stuff I wanted to keep to remind myself of him. I kept a box of CD’s that we enjoyed listening to together, his guitar a few gifts that I had made for him over the years, and his favorite watch that his father gave him when he was sick in the hospital. That watch was an expensive family heirloom which was passed through for generations. When I asked Mrs. Holland if she wanted the watch, she simply said it was much to painful for her to keep, and since I was his best friend I should keep it safe for him, and do what I wish with it. I had no need to wear a mens watch, but I did keep it thinking it was the right thing to do. I noticed that on the back of the watch, there were the initials carved poorly on the back “AH”. 

“Seriously, Aaron?” I thought to myself. “A priceless heirloom and you carved your initials into it??”. Of course I couldn’t be mad, I just thought was strange he would do that. But then again, I would never have imagined being at his house, sorting through his things following his suicide. I sat there in quite for a second, realizing that not even his best friend or his mother knew what was really going on in his life. 

“What was he thinking?” The investigation of his death was ongoing. The police had taken his computer, journals, everything that could give them any clue as to why he might have done this. It had only been a few days since the suicide, so there was no information given to us about a possible motive. He had shot himself with a 22 gauge shotgun in his closet while his mother was downstairs. She came rushing up when she heard the shot, but there was no hope. One fatal shot and he was gone. There were many unanswered questions.I always thought Aaron was a happy person. I know he had his depressive episodes, but everyone did. 

“Maybe he was just so alone after we left”. I thought. Aaron did not do any additional schooling after high school. I, along with all his other friends left for college, and he stayed home with his mother working 12 hour shifts to pay for his own school. Even though his mother was the richest woman in the state, she believed in dedicated, hard work and didn’t want Aaron to end up like a spoiled, stuck up “wanna be”. It was “his fathers money” which he had left all to his wife when he died, stating that Aaron could not touch a cent until after she died. I always thought it was weird that she wouldn’t let Aaron go to college because of “financial” reasons, given her financial status, but I secretly knew it was because she didn’t want him to leave her all alone, and I think he knew that too. I sat there for hours rattling my mind with impossible scenarios that could have led Aaron to his gruesome death. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep on his bed, clutching his watch, dreaming of him.