My Works

The Atlanta Pact [1]

Handle with Care.

As far as I knew, I have never lived in a place called Deenwood. But apparently I had, so said my parents when they told me I that we were 'moving back there'. It was where I was born, where I learned to ride a bike, where I first went to school. But somewhere in the deepest crevices of my mind I know that I have never once been there, ever.

Our car speed along route 158 heading further south in Georgia. Atlanta, the home I know that I grew up in, was long gone in the distance. The bustling city was soon replaced with identical cotton fields; I started to wonder if there was a town at all.

But over the hills of South Georgia, there grew a speck in the distance. It bobbed up and down as we went over the hills each time it popped back up it would be a little bit bigger.

My younger brother, Luke, sat in the seat next to me, watching the hill roll by. Each time we would go down one, he would throw his hands in the air as if we were on a rollercoaster. Through the tumbling hills stood a desolate shack. Nearly invisible through the untamed dry grass.

"Ms. Marigolds honey shop" my mom pointed out the window.

"She made the best lavender cupcakes" my dad commented, I could hear the drool build up in his mouth.

"Don't forget the HONEY dad" Luke said, throwing up his arms again as we rolled down another hill.

"Of course!" he agreed, his eyes turned on my in the review mirror "Melayne? What was your favorite thing about the honey shop?" I turned around and watched the shop disappear over the hills. There wasn't anything familiar about the shingle roof, the purple sing, or the fact that there was a honey shop in the middle of nowhere.

I frowned "Nothing, I don't remember it" his eyes stayed on me for a while then returned back to the road ahead.

"Don't worry Layne, you'll remember after a while. Once you see the house everything will come back to you"

"You showed me picture of the house, I don't remember that either"

My parents looked at each other and had one of their silent conversations, over the years I'd gotten really well at picking up on some of it, but this convo' was something different.

There wasn't any arguing or panicking. My mother's face showed total collusion.

I turned away to watch the rolling hills transform into the flat surface of the outer district of Ware County. We passed through several sleepy towns, with matching houses lined up the main streets.

"Here we are!" Mom announced as we passed the welcome sign 'Welcome to Deenwood, Home of the Fighting Tigers'

I miss Atlanta, I miss the life I knew. I don't like it here. I don't like: matching houses/ picketed fences/grass, there's so much grass. Our car moved through the town, School/ library/café/ supermarket/. Don't remember/ never seen it before/ don't remember.

Mom pointed out to various building exclaiming memories that associated with them, bell inside my head remained dormant. 

I leaned against the window and watched the town pass me, the car turned off Main St. More matching house/ Clothes lines/ Lawn mowers.

The car slows down and comes to a stop out the front of a plain double story brick house, with a white weather board porch and bay windows. The lawn was divided by a drive way that ran up to a double garage, and posted in the front of the house behind the closing picket fence was a high posted American flag.

"Home sweet home" Dad turned the car off and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Mom opened the car and jumped out, Dad and Luke did the same.

I gave the house a once over, and slowly got out of the car. This house, I have seen before. But it's not from my mind; there is no place in the stretches of my mind that has this house registered. Mom and Dad had showed me some pictures of the house, of the town, or me. One in particular, me and Dad making snow angles in the front yard, the is visible in the background, I'm four in the picture.

But I can only remember as far back as the following Christmas. I'm 5 and we're living in our town house in Atlanta.

Across the street a door slams, "Layne?" I turn around.A girl with long dirty blond hair stands at her fence "Layne!" she waves at me and smiles "Welcome home!"

My Mom comes up to me "Come on sweetheart" she takes me by the shoulders and walks with me up the driveway. Before we go through the front door, I turn around and look back at the girl, still standing against the fence, looking disappoint.

"Mom?" I ask watching her close the front door "Who was that?"

She sighed and tool my hand "You know her Melayne, just give it some time. It will all come back to you"