Shadows of the Past

As soon as Thomas woke up, his eyes were drawn to the small calendar that rested on the small night table at his bedside. His stomach twisted into his knots as his eyes rested on the date: February 24th, 2019, the most dreaded day of each year for Thomas. With a soft sigh, he got out of bed and went to his wardrobe, getting dressed in his usual formal attire and going downstairs to go about his day, trying to keep his mind off the date. After a small breakfast, he met Bea outside to go work at the Toy Shop he owned. She was already waiting for him in the truck, sitting patiently and flashing him a smile when he finally got in beside her.

"Sorry for the wait. How are you this morning?" Thomas asked his lovely companion as he started up the truck and began to drive down into town.

Bea smiled and replied, "I'm doing well, thank you, darling. How are you?" Thomas' grip on the steering wheel tightened as he thought back to the date, but he managed to give Bea a strained smile.

"I couldn't be better," Thomas said, making Bea smile brightly and kiss his cheek. A faint blush dusted his cheek and his smile became somewhat more sincere. They chatted the rest of the way to town, talking about how the rabbits were doing, Bea's newest paintings, how Thomas' garden was coming along, and the like. They arrived at their shop with only a few minutes left until opening time, and Thomas hurried into the shop to get everything ready for customers. With Bea's help, he fixed up displays, did some last minute cleaning and dusting, and turned on all the lights. Their first customer came within minutes and Thomas breathed a sigh of relief that they had managed to get everything in order. While Bea was talking to the young mother that had come in with her son, Thomas felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down. The woman's son looked up at him.

"Hello. I want to buy a doll. Can you help me?" the little boy asked softly, his eyes diverting from Thomas' to look at the floor as he twiddled his thumbs. Thomas patted the young boy on the shoulder and smiled, beckoning for him to follow. The boy perked up and followed Thomas happily, looking around at all the toys around him. Gone was the shy child asking a question. And of course, like all little children tend to do, he talked excitedly with gardener turned toy shop owner about everything under the sun. Thomas, used to working with young children in his store, hung on to every word the boy said, responding with questions and comments to keep the boy happy. He learned that the boy was seven, his name was Patrick, he had a five-year-old sister named Sophia, and his mother worked as a dentist in town while his father ran the local library. One thing the boy said, though, shook Thomas to the core.

"Sophia was in a car crash with mummy," Patrick said as he picked up a doll, inspecting its blonde curls and dress. Thomas' blood turned cold and his face drained of color. He leaned against a nearby shelf to steady himself. Patrick, not noticing the change in Thomas, continued to talk. "Mummy was ok, but Sophia's in the hospital. Her leg got hurt. That's why I'm getting a doll! I want to cheer her up," Patrick said with a cheerful smile as he moved on to the next doll. Thomas smiled weakly.

"How nice of you. You sound like a great big brother," Thomas said, making Patrick blush shyly and thank him. After Patrick found the perfect doll and ran back to his mother, Thomas bolted to the bathroom in the back and locked himself inside. He breathed heavily as he sat with his back against the door, his shoulders shaking as tears welled up in his eyes.

An eight-year-old Thomas sat in the backseat of his parents' car, looking out the window and watching the trees whip by in a green blur. He could faintly hear his parents talking up front, something about visiting a great-uncle, but Thomas paid no attention. He craned his neck to get a better look of the rolling countryside out his window, fascinated by the unfamiliar scenery. It was his first time being out in the country that he could remember. His mother and father were city folk and didn't like to travel much. They'd told him that today was special; Thomas was going to meet relatives that he'd never seen before! Thomas had been filled with excitement for about 5 minutes of the car ride before growing bored.