I've Had This Dream...

The Memory

As I stared, lost in thought,

I remembered the memory I so easily forgot.

......

14 years ago

 It was a beautiful sunny day, I can still feel the slight warmth of the sun on my olive skin.

My small, 8 year old cheeks, showed a light shade of red as the hot summer sun bore on my skin.

I was walking home from school, my tiny feet lightly pattering on the ground as I walked home. I was a fast walker, so naturally, I was almost home pretty quickly.

Annie wasn't out of school yet, but she would be soon. I thought of how much time I had before I needed to go get her. 

I looked forward, towards the place I called home. Apartment 211, on Courtmen Drive.

I put in the code on the small black side gate, and walked up the stairs to the apartment I've lived in since I could remember. Even though, I knew this apartment wasn't my original, home. 

I never remembered life before apartment 211. Maybe cause I was too young. Or maybe because it was too harsh to remember..

I walked in and heard... him, shuffling about in the room we were forbidden to go in.

I was so curious of that room, with its dirty, old, dusty toys. Why couldn't we play with them? We didn't have many other toys as it was...

The door stayed locked, with a rusty padlock on its very old doorknob. The white, mysterious door was closed, as I heard our adoptive dad rummaging about and talking to himself. The words were muffled, but he sounded mad. He was always mad...

I shook away the sad feelings of curiosity and hurt.. I wish he was a bit nicer. But nevertheless, I headed to my room. Waiting for 3:00 p.m to arrive.

It eventually did, with our guardian still in the locked back room. I was gonna get in there, one way or another, and soon. 

I made my way, on the short walk to my little sister's very close elementary school. We went to different schools, as to why, I do not know. I walked up the dry, grey pavement, as my sister sat in wait for me to come.

Her eyes shined with excitement, seeing me appear just over the small hill towards her school.

"Jess!"

She ran up to me with wide open arms, hugging me and telling me how her school day went.

We went home, all the way up to our fairly sized apartment.

Annie and I walked in, silently taking off our little shoes and going straight to our bedrooms.

Annie spent most of her time in my room, playing with our.. few... toys, and our imagination running wild. 

Quiet laughter filling the room, as we made sure not to be too loud, since our dad always hated when we were loud. 

The sun stooped under the horizon as the sun began to set, with a subtle orange and pink hue just above the trees, signalling that it was our bedtime. Our dad had long since gone from the back room, seemingly passed out drunk in the living room.

Annie and I played for a few more minutes, as I lazily said, "Hey, Annie?"

"Yes?" She quietly whispered, careful not to be too loud with her small voice.

"How about.. we go on a tiny adventure tonight?"

"Oooh! An adventure!"

"Yes.. but lets do it quietly, okay? Its something we can't really do.." I whispered, my voice trailing off, and a little fear washing over me as I began to think about what could happen if we broke this one rule.

"What can't we do, Jess?"

I silently put my hand up as I beckoned her to follow. Grabbing her hand, as our tiny heads peered over the door and into the hallway.

"There... the back room. Let's go play in there." I whispered, pointing with my small index finger.

Annie's eyes grew big with surprise. We hadn't gone to the back room in a while. Too long, in fact, that she forgotten what it looked like.

"N-No.. No. Wha- What if he sees us?"

"He won't. He's sleeping in the living room."

Annie looked back after I said that, wanting to see for herself. And, truth be told, there he was. The man we called our father, lying on the couch with a can in his hand and the TV remote in the other.

"Okay- Okay let's go." Annie said, putting away the fear she most definitely had.

Still holding her hand, I continued towards the tall white door. Grabbing the knob, but not before noticing the padlock.

The padlock...

We needed the key. The key that was on our fathers key chain. The chain that hung from his waist. 

And he was on the couch...

Dammit.

I looked down at Annie, my eyes meeting her small brown ones.

"We need the key.."