EQUINOX

"Roaming Holiday"

"I found your brother. I'm almost certain it's him."

"Austin...", Audrey thought, as she felt her heart race.

She pressingly increased the volume on her phone. Her ears practically glued to the speaker, as the voicemail continued.

"According to public records, his last whereabouts were in New Hope, Pennsylvania. He also has a credit card but there hasn't been activity on it recently. Still, this seems promising."

Audrey put her phone down and stared out the window of her Jersey City office. It had been years since she decided to hire a PI to track down her older brother. They had both been in foster care the last time she ever saw him. Audrey was 3. Austin was 8. But families always preferred younger children and so, she was adopted first, leaving him behind. Not knowing his fate. Until now.

--

Audrey was mesmerized at the sight of New Hope as she drove in. Trees decorated in lights. Wreaths on every lamp post. Countless houses that looked like the one in Home Alone. Fresh snow on the ground. It was like entering a snow globe.

Taped to her dashboard, was a photograph of a young Austin in overalls. The picture was damaged, torn in half, a long time ago. She could still remember their last holiday together.

"Here Audrey", said young Austin, "It's called a sleigh bell. If you can hear it ring, it means an angel is close by."

Audrey smiled as she recalled the sweet sound of that bell. If she focused hard enough, she could still hear it.

Eventually, Audrey found herself in front of a dingy looking house. After knocking on the door a few times to no answer, she peered through the window: no furniture in sight. Could he have moved?

"Excuse me, can I help you?"

An older looking man wearing red flannel and jeans was standing in the yard. If you squinted, he looked like a lumberjack version of Jamie Lannister from GoT.

"Hi, yeah, I'm looking for someone who lives here – or I guess – use to live here. My brother, Austin Williams," replied Audrey.

The man just stood there for a moment in an almost pensive state. He cleared his throat.

"Sorry, I don't know anyone by that name....", the man said, as he started to walk away.

He seemed pretty eager to go. Audrey noticed this.

"Sir, wait....," said Audrey, as she went down the porch, "Please, if you know something, it could help me find him. Sir!"

But the man had gone ahead and turned a corner. When she followed him, he had vanished.

Feeling like she was back at square one, Audrey went and sat in her car. She saw a couple of kids building a snow man by the Delaware River. Austin used to love going outdoors, especially after it snowed.

"Okay, lay down and spread your arms and legs out like this," said young Austin, "Then, sweep them back and forth. Your turn."

Three-year old Audrey did just what her brother said. They both got up and looked at the ground.

"They're called snow angels," he said, "If no one adopts us, at least we'll have these guys. They'll be our family."

Audrey sighed as she thought about her lost brother. She put her head on the steering wheel in exasperation.

Out of nowhere, there was a knock on her window.

Audrey gasped in astonishment and wiped the fog away. It was the man in the red flannel.

"Hi, uh, sorry about before. I was....surprised....and I panicked. My name is Walt. Can we talk?", said the man.

Audrey nodded and stepped out of her car. The kids that had been playing nearby were gone.

"So, my brother, Austin. If you have any idea where he is, please tell – ",

"He's dead", said Walter.

Audrey had heard the words but they weren't landing.

After a long pause, she whispered, "Wh-what?"

Walt explained that he and Austin worked together at the local grocery shop. Every now and then, he would have "episodes" of extreme enthusiasm followed by periods of restlessness.
People had always thought he was just being quirky but it had gotten worse in recent months.
Austin started to become easily distracted at work and eventually, he stopped showing up.

After missing a few shifts in a row, Walt stopped by his house. They found him lying on the couch. Bottles everywhere. With the oven open and turned on.

Audrey's head was spinning. This couldn't be it. She had spent years searching for him, using up most of her time off to roam around endlessly. All for it to end here. Like this.

She ran to the river bank and cried out, wailing in despair. Audrey felt a hand on her shoulder.

"When you showed up, I was flabbergasted. I wish I had tried harder to help find you," said Walt, "But Austin never stopped looking"

He presented her with a shoebox. Audrey examined it intently and opened the lid.

It was filled with maps, articles, documents – all relating to Audrey. At the bottom was a picture of her 3-yr old self in a sun dress. It was torn just like the photo of Austin on her dashboard.

"From what I gather, it seems Austin narrowed his search down to New Jersey", said Walt.

She closed the box and held it to her chest, wiping her tears.

"I know this isn't the same, but if you ever want to sit down, we can talk about him. He was a good guy with a big heart", said Walt, "But no rush, of course. Take all the time you need."

Audrey thanked Walt for letting her know. Either way, he did help her find Austin, at long last.

A little while later, Audrey was walking along the River Promenade. Every inch decked out in holiday decorations. She gazed out onto the water as cars went by on the bridge.

Audrey felt a gentle winter breeze and the sleigh bells on the lamp post jingled. She softly smiled.