Randy is a boy capable of communicating with his own shadow.
He thought he might've gone crazy at first, he thought only kids had imaginary friends, but this was a different case. This, whatever it really was, had been doing all it could to keep co...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Welcome home," is the first thing I hear as soon as I close the front door behind me.
It makes me flinch involuntarily, as I'm not used to having anyone receive me when I return from school. And it had to happen today that I'm late.
I raise my head to see who's the woman speaking to me and I'm very glad to find out it's my aunt Agathe, not my mom.
"Agathe," I let out in a mix of disbelief and relief, "wha- why are you...?"
"Home early?" She finishes my question.
I nod at her, still unmoving from my spot, like a deer caught in the road by the lights of a car at night.
She hums as she collects her thoughts and walks closer to me before saying, "Sure, I can tell you, but only if you tell me too, why you are late."
⎯⎯⎯✧࿓☾⎯⎯⎯ (
5 years ago)
"Welcome home."
My aunt received us as if we were coming to the fanciest hotel in town. My mom carried me by the hand, and my brother strolled next to us as we walked inside.
We had moved from our grandpa's house, and I hadn't been able to see my dad for a very long while. Mom said time went faster than we felt it, but I was not sure I was feeling it pass by that quickly.
"Come in, boys, these are Nathanael and Josiah."
"Hi," the boy Nathanael mumbled.
"Josiah, dear, welcome them. They're your cousins."
He looked up at us for the first time and mumbled a similar hi to the one his brother had said. They were both older than me by a few months, and our mom forced us to return the greetings.
Agathe showed us our bedrooms, and we placed our stuff, which wasn't much.
I wondered why they didn't have a father before, but now I was in the same situation.
I missed staying at grandpa's, but mom never seemed to get along with him. That's why it urged her to move. I had a silent treatment with her and everyone at the house once we came.
I missed dad. I missed my grandpa. I didn't understand why we couldn't see them.
"Hey Rand," my brother usually let me sleep in his room during the first nights we came.
"Hey, may I?" I asked him shyly as I stood at his bedroom's door one of the many nights that I had dreamt about home.
He didn't say a thing but moved over on his bed to make space for me, one which I took gratefully as I ran and covered next to him with his mattress. He was reading before sleep as he always did.
