Every small town has that one area nobody wants to go into. Usually old and dilapidated possibly abandoned for a century. I was always interested in these places, the stories left behind from people years ago excited me.

Late one evening I decided to wander let my mind be free and ready to piece together stories of the past. I wandered around the old town looking at houses and banks but nothing struck my interest more than the old church that sat at the end of the street. It looked like the center piece of a perfect picture standing tall yet thin. It was made of wood yet now it looks like tar from being burned almost to the ground. There were trees on either side of the church very large oak trees that still stood tall against the church. As I got closer it almost seemed to get cooler. I walk inside and my head falls all the way back trying to look up to the point of the church. As I walk down the aisle looking at old bibles slightly torched and flipped open I feel a chill go up my spine and my name whispered in the background. I jumped and turned quickly to see nobody there I even walk back out to the steps leading into the church and there’s nobody in the area. Slightly startled I fight the urge to run away and never come back but something is drawing me to the altar to see what I can find. My legs feel frozen trying to decide which part of my brain it wants to listen too. I stop the bickering in my brain and take a deep breath and I feel a breeze almost carry me forward to the altar once I’m there I am stunned to see a book listed with names I look through the names and find my name has been written in there. “How could that be? Nothing here is new so who knew my name?” I see that the list has people’s names crossed out except for mine…

“This makes no sense why was i led here”

I look around for clues until I catch a glimpse of what looks like my face in the stain glass windows. Not only is it my face it’s my family, where I grew up and things I haven’t yet seen but almost appears to be me getting married in the future. I stumble backwards and fall into a pew I’m thrilled yet terrified as to why my life events are plastered on these glass panes in a church. I run out and run back to the main part of town and tell my family and the sheriff about the glass panes of my future we all take a trip back down to the old church. As we walk in me leading the pack to the phenomenon I have uncovered I hear giggles and snickers among my family and friends. The sheriff asks why I wasted his time coming all the way down to this mess. I am horrified as the glass panes have been shattered and lay all across the ground. I stand towards the altar and realize the book is gone too! Everything was gone.

“I promise it was all here I don’t know what could’ve happened. Please believe me” I exclaimed. I felt like I was in a horrible nightmare of embarrassment. Once the crowd left with my dignity I sat in a pew and held my head in my hands trying to make sense of what could’ve happened to me. As I start to cry I feel the cold breeze come again, colder than ever before. I feel this breeze surround me and although it feels cold it makes me feel warm inside. I look up and my mouth drops open as I appear in front of the panes now back in place with the book on the ground in front of me with my name crossed out. I watch as the last bit of sunlight makes a ray onto a pane I haven’t seen yet it shows a car accident my family talks about when I was a baby but I also notice a young boy sitting next to me in the back seat of the car and in the next pane it shows him holding me…

“Did I have a brother?!”

I was always the only sibling how did my family not tell me about this boy who appears to be my brother. I start spiraling with thoughts and emotions about this boy until I take a seat thinking I’m going to puke. “I came here to piece together other people’s life’s not my own” I sobbed. I put my head down and wished it would all go away. Until I hear a faint whisper next to me

“Times up”