⚠️DISCLAIMER⚠️: the song Daylight by David Kushner sets the mood for this story. If you want, you can listen to it when reading!
I guess I thought graduating from one of the top schools would make me feel complete again. I was wrong.
For the past months of university, my friends were going to parties and actually enjoying themselves. I don’t know if I could even call them friends. I knew them, but not well. My roommate, Jordie, dropped out just before graduation. No one knows where he went. I remember high school like it was just yesterday. I cried myself to sleep every night at just the thought of mom- I don’t tell just anybody about her. Only people I trust. I used to trust dad, but he’s gone off the deep end.
Why get into my recent depression when we can talk about my childhood? I only have one strong memory; the rope swing. Every summer, the entire family, including relatives, would come up to our lakeside house. We would float down the river all day on floats bigger than the car. We would slip on the mid, laughing and catching each other. Each day getting 3d degree sunburns. I remember looking up to my older cousins and thinking that life couldn’t get better.
I was right. It could only get worse. When I was 13, my mom was diagnosed with cancer in her kidney. It didn’t take long for the doctors to tell us a death date. She would only live a few more months. If I had any hope left, it was crushed. I ran out of the hospital. All the way home and buried my face into my moms pillow.
Dad didn’t come home that. He didn’t come home the next the night either. Or the next. He stayed at the hospital for weeks with no sleep. I didn’t know how I would live without mom. I still don’t. People tell me to move on, but I don’t know how. They give me sad smiles. Pity. They don’t know the pain. I do.
After moms death, I got into skateboarding. I started sleeping more and my grades slipped. My friend group left me. Everyone looked at me like I was an animal in an enclosure. I wore black instead of bright colors.
This summer, I plan on returning to our lake house. This time without the rest of the family. It would be healing experience. That’s what I hoped.
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I waded through the water. It was getting deeper by the step. I didn’t remember it being so deep. When it got up to my shoulders, I started to swim. Finally, I reached the steep bank. I climbed the muddy bank, nearly slipping. I caught myself because my mom wasn’t there to catch me. The rope was still there, but the wood part you sit on was gone. After a few minutes of searching, I found it. I reattached it to the rope. I took a deep breath. I looked behind me to see if my mom really wasn’t there. I gripped the rope and pulled it back as far as it could. I looked down at the water below. I held on and pushed out. My legs instinctively wrapped around the swing. I felt the wind on my cheeks. When I reached the highest point, I let go and plunged into the water below. It was cold with dead memories. In the water, I saw everyone. My aunts and uncles, my cousins and even my dad. In front of everyone was my mom. She was smiling. I swam up to the surface for air, but everyone was still there. Everyone except my mom. They wrapped me with a warm towel and let me onto a big floaty. We all floated down the river. We were all smiling.
The coffee is sweet The boy is hot😂 I feel the soft smooth tablecloth- No, it is his hand🙈
He smiles👹 Then, He sLaPs the table and it
C R A S H E S To the ground🕳️
“oopsies”, he says🫦
I grab him and he comes close… He leans in for a kiss, but I hold out my hand✋ for a high five he laughs
Then I RIZ HIM UP LOL👌
The day I heard the news, I didn’t know if I was happy or sad. I was confused. What on earth would possess my parents to live off the grid? They though I would be happy to move, but I had to leave my friends and relatives. The only reason we were moving is because dad got fired. Takayama wasn’t an ideal place to live in my opinion. Sure, I’ve always wanted to go to Japan, but not like this! I wanted to go to the bustling city, not this rural community! It didn’t matter what I had wanted because we were moving anyway. What kind of social life can you have if you live off the grid? My parents said it would be a nice experience. In some ways, they were right. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
I woke up in my small window bed, the sunlight streaming in. For once in a long time, I smiled. My parents weren’t awake yet, I could hear my dad snoring. I left them a note and slipped out the back door, leaving just enough time to snatch my coat before the door closed on my fingers. Even though it was early, the stores were bustling with workers and customers. I wandered along the streets, but no stores seemed appealing. Finally, at the end of the street, was a small empty store. It was filled with small old trinkets. I wanted to go inside, but it was closed. There was a sign in the door, it it didn’t say when the store opened. I tried the door, but it was locked. I saw someone moving inside. I wiped a small hole in the dust covered window, just big enough to see through. Maybe one day I would be able to see inside the shop. For now, I would have to wait and see. I would be spending much of my time here. I walked away from the shop. What was the name of it again? Oh well. It was already time for breakfast. I headed back to my home. This time with a smile.
As the rain pounded on the windows and roofs, Ella got up out of bed. She was cold. She snatched a knitted sweater from under her bed and quickly put it on. As she returned to bed, she noticed her window. Frost was creeping up quickly like a hungry snake. An icy blue butterfly hit the window and bounced back. It’s wings beating against the frozen panes. Ella rushed to the window to let the butterfly inside. She opened the window and cold, sharp, wind hit her face. She gasped from the cold and the butterfly flew inside. She slammed the window shut with a bang. “Is everything ok out there?” Her bf says “Yes,” She says Ella looks around the room for the butterfly, but it is gone. Sleeping somewhere in the dark corner of the room waiting for Ella to fall asleep… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Ella drifted into the land of dreams the moment her head hit the pillow. She slept on her back, snoring softly. Her bf came in and gave her a kiss goodbye. He was visiting his parents so Ella would see him in the morning. Suddenly, the rain stopped. The room was filled with empty silence. Ella awoke to noises coming from the kitchen. Someone had left a pot of boiling water on the stove. Was it her bf? Ella got up and put on her slippers, trudging downstairs into the kitchen. She turned off the stove and went back to bed. She heard her phone ringing. Ella saw the contact: 911 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Ella picked up the phone and asked: “hello?”
“911 what is your emergency?”
“I didn’t call you, you called me,”
“Mam, you called us a few minutes ago, if this is a prank call I will have to report you!”
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t mean to call you,”
“Alright, goodnight Mam,”
The phone call ended with a click.
I may as well call Rachel. Ella thought. Rachel was Ella’s best friend. Ella FaceTimed Rachel:
“Hiiii!” Exclaimed Rachel
“Hey!”
“Where’s Sam?”
“Oh, he is visiting his parents, but he will be back in the morning!” Ella said “I’m alone in the house If you want to come over for movie night,”
“Sorry, girl I have to get a good rest tonight; I have another show tomorrow,”
“Ok, maybe another night,”
“Ofc!” Rachel agreed, “Wait-“
“What?”
“I thought you said you were alone!”
“I am,”
“Then why did I just see someone walk past your door?”
THE END (of book one🙃)
