Running In The Town
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“What are you doing here?” I asked as she came up to me. “You’re supposed to be in the hospital.”
She smiled at that and said, “I’m not sick anymore,” then gave a little laugh. She looked around for a moment before saying, “Where’s your friend? He should have been back by now.”
“He went out to get some food,” I replied. “We were just sitting down when he left.”
“Oh good,” she said with a smile. Then her face turned serious again. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
I thought about it for a second and realized that there was one thing she could help me with. But first, I had something else on my mind.
“Do you know where I might find someone named Mr. Johnson?” I asked.
Her eyes widened slightly and she frowned. “Mr. Johnson? No, why would you want to talk to him?”
“Well, he’s an old man who lives over near the park,” I explained. “And he’s kind of… well…” I hesitated before continuing. “…he has Alzheimer’s disease.”
She nodded slowly but didn’t say anything. After a few seconds though, she seemed to come to a decision. She took off running towards the park without another word. As soon as she disappeared from view, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.
It wasn’t like I’d never seen anyone with Alzheimer’s before or anything, but this was different somehow. Maybe because I knew what was happening to him. Or maybe it was just because I wanted to avoid seeing him again if possible. Either way, I was glad she was gone.
As I sat there waiting for my friend to return, I heard a noise coming from behind me. Turning around, I saw a woman standing next to me. She was wearing a long white dress and had short black hair. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her eyes were dark blue.
“Hello,” she said. “My name is Mrs. White. What’s yours?”
“Um… my name’s Nick,” I answered. “Are you lost?”
Mrs. White shook her head and smiled. “No, I’m not lost. I’ve always lived here.”
“But how did you get here?” I asked. “Did you fall through a hole in the ground?”
“Not exactly,” she replied. “This place used to be called ‘Earth’ until we got rid of all the people living there.”
“How did you do that?” I asked.
“It was easy,” she explained. “All we had to do was put them to sleep and take their memories away.”
“That sounds pretty scary,” I remarked.
“Yes, it does,” she agreed. “But don’t worry; it won’t happen to you. You’ll remember everything once you leave here.”
“Why would you do that?” I wondered.
“Because they weren’t very nice,” she told me. “They hurt each other and killed lots of animals. They even tried to kill us too, but we stopped them.”
“So you made everyone forget?” I asked.
“No, no, no!” she exclaimed. “We didn’t make anyone forget anything! We just erased their minds so that they wouldn’t remember any of those things ever happened. That’s why you can’t see any of the bad stuff that happened while you were asleep.”
“Then why did you erase my memory?” I asked.
“Because you needed to learn more about yourself,” she explained. “If you hadn’t forgotten, you probably would have stayed here forever.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I think you already know the answer to that question,” she replied. “You’ve been trying to figure out where you belong since you woke up. And you’ve been looking for clues everywhere you go. Even though you haven’t found anything yet, you still keep searching. So I guess you must really need to know where you came from.”
“Yeah, I do,” I admitted. “I just wish I knew what to look for.”
“There’s nothing to look for,” she assured me. “You already know where you came from. All you have to do is accept it.”
“Accept what?” I asked.
“Your true self,” she explained. “The part of you that knows who you truly are.”
“But I don’t know who I am,” I argued. “I feel like I’m missing something important.”
“Don’t worry,” she encouraged. “Once you realize who you really are, you’ll understand everything else.”
“Will I remember all of this later?” I asked.
“Of course,” she replied. “In fact, you’re going to start remembering right now.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes, really,” she confirmed. “Just close your eyes and try to relax.”
I closed my eyes and waited for her to tell me what to do next. When I opened them again, I was standing outside of the house. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and a cool breeze blew across my face.
I looked down at myself and realized that I was dressed differently than when I went to bed last night. Instead of a t-shirt and jeans, I was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a polo shirt.
“Where am I?” I wondered aloud.
“You’re home,” Mrs. White answered. “Welcome back.”
***
“Hi, Mommy!” I shouted excitedly as I ran into the kitchen to greet my mother. She was sitting on one side of the table with a plate full of pancakes in front of her. On the other side was my father, who was eating his own breakfast.
“Good morning sweetie,” she greeted me. “How was school today?”
“Great!” I answered. “And I brought you some flowers.”
“Oh, thank you, honey,” she said. “Let me give you a hug first.”
She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a big squeeze. Then she pulled away and took a deep breath. “Wow, you smell good,” she commented. “What perfume are you wearing?”
“It’s called ‘Cherry Blossom,'” I answered. “Do you like it?”
“It smells wonderful,” she replied. “Thank you for bringing me these flowers.”
I picked up the bouquet of pink roses and handed them to her. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, honey,” she said. “Now let’s eat.”
After we finished our meal, I helped clear the dishes off of the table. While I was doing that, my parents started talking about the new movie they wanted to watch tonight.
“Have you seen it yet?” my mom asked.
“No,” I replied. “Is it any good?”
“It’s great,” she assured me. “I saw it yesterday and loved every minute of it.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I thought it was kind of boring.”
My dad laughed. “Well, maybe if you watched it again, you’d change your mind.”
“Maybe,” I agreed. “But I doubt it.”
“That’s okay,” he reassured me. “We won’t be watching it until tomorrow anyway.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked. “Why not tonight?”
“Because we want to save it for your birthday,” my mom explained. “So you’ll get to see it twice.”
“Twice? But I already saw it once,” I protested.
“Not quite,” my dad corrected me. “You only got to see half of it.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Remember how you were sleeping during the whole thing?” my mom asked. “Well, you missed the second half of the movie.”
“Wait a minute,” I objected. “I didn’t sleep through the entire movie. I remember seeing the end credits.”
“I know you did,” she told me. “But there was another scene after the credits that you never saw.”
“Another scene?” I repeated. “Like a sequel or something?”
“Something like that,” she responded. “Anyway, you can watch the rest of the movie tomorrow night.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “When does my party start?”
“At three o’clock,” my mom informed me. “Can you wait that long?”
“Sure,” I replied. “I’ll be here waiting for you.”
“See you then,” she said.
As soon as my parents left the room, I went over to my bedroom door and knocked. After a few seconds, I heard footsteps coming toward the door. When it opened, I found myself looking into the smiling face of Mrs. White.
“Did you have fun playing with your parents?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “They had a lot of questions about my day at school.”
“That’s probably because they’ve been worried about you ever since they dropped you off,” she pointed out. “You haven’t seemed yourself lately.”
“I guess so,” I agreed. “But I’m feeling better now. Did you find everything you needed to know?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “In fact, I think I learned more than I expected to.”
“Really?” I asked. “What did you learn?”
“Well, I knew that you were having trouble adjusting to life here,” she began. “But I didn’t realize just how much it was affecting you.”
“It wasn’t easy,” I confessed. “Especially when everyone else seems to be getting along fine.”
“I understand completely,” she sympathized. “This is all very hard for you, isn’t it?”
“Very,” I agreed. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Don’t worry,” she promised. “Everything will work out eventually.”
“I hope so,” I sighed. “I really miss my friends back home.”
“I know,” she consoled me. “I wish things could be different too. But this is where you belong now.”
“I know,” I agreed. “And I’m trying to make the best of it. It’s just going to take some time.”
“I know,” she assured me. “Just keep working on it and you’ll get there.”
“Thanks,” I said. “How long am I supposed to stay here?”
“Until you’re ready to move on,” she explained. “If you still feel the same way in six months, we can talk about it again.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll try to hold out that long.”
“Good boy,” she praised. “Now go ahead and get some sleep. You need your rest.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “Thanks for everything.”
“Anytime,” she smiled. “Go right to bed. I’ll see you later.”
As I headed down the hallway, I couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t mentioned anything about my birthday party. Maybe she forgot, I reasoned. Or maybe she wanted to surprise me. Either way, I decided to ask her about it when she came by next.
After brushing my teeth and changing into my pajamas, I crawled under the covers and turned out the light. As I lay there thinking about the movie, I realized that I was actually starting to enjoy being here.
The people were nice enough, and the food was good. And most importantly, I felt safe. Even though I missed my friends back home, I was beginning to accept that this was where God had intended me to be.
Of course, I still wished that I could have seen my family one last time before leaving. But if that was the price I paid for staying here, I was willing to pay it. Besides, I figured that I’d get to visit them someday. Sooner or later, I would return to Earth and spend eternity with my loved ones.
With that thought in mind, I drifted off to sleep.
***
The next morning, I woke up early and started getting ready for my birthday party. My mom came downstairs while I was finishing my breakfast. She looked happy to see me, which made me even happier.
“Are you excited about today?” she asked.
“Definitely!” I answered. “I can’t wait to show off my new room.”
“I bet you are,” she laughed. “Come on, let’s get you dressed.”
Once I finished eating, I followed my mom upstairs. We spent the next hour picking out an outfit for me to wear at my party. Then we got changed and headed outside.
When we arrived at the house, I saw that Mrs. White was already waiting for us. She greeted me with a big smile.
“Hi, sweetie,” she said. “Ready for your party?”
“Sure am,” I replied. “Is everyone here yet?”
“Not quite,” she admitted. “But they should be arriving any minute now.”
“Great,” I said. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
Mrs. White led me inside and showed me around the living room. There were several tables set up, each filled with snacks and drinks. A few kids were playing video games in the corner, while others sat talking and laughing together.
“Wow,” I exclaimed as I took it all in. “There sure are a lot of people here.”
“They’re your friends from school,” she explained. “We invited everyone who wanted to come.”
“Cool,” I nodded. “Where’s my dad?”
“He’ll be here soon,” she reassured me. “You won’t have to wait long.”
A short time later, Mr. White walked through the front door. He gave me a hug and then introduced himself to everyone. After he finished greeting them, he went over to join his wife and son.
“So how did it go?” he asked.
“Pretty well,” I told him. “Everyone seemed to like my room.”
“That’s great,” he smiled. “Did you have fun?”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “It was really cool meeting everyone.”
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” he said. “Let’s head out to the backyard so we can start the party.”
“Sounds good,” I agreed.
Mr. White helped me carry the cake out to the patio table. Once we placed it down, the guests began filing in. They all greeted me with smiles and hugs. When they finally settled down, Mrs. White handed me a microphone.
“Thank you all for coming,” I announced. “Before we eat, I want to say a few words.”
“All right,” she encouraged. “Say what you’ve been saving up.”
“Um…” I stammered. “How do I put this? Well… I guess I just wanted to thank everybody for inviting me to their homes and making me feel welcome here. It means a lot to me.”
Several people clapped after hearing my speech. Some even broke out into laughter. But nobody seemed offended, which was a relief.
“Now let’s dig in,” Mrs. White declared.
She passed out plates full of sandwiches, chips, and cookies. Everyone dug in without saying much. But I noticed that some of the kids kept glancing at me. I knew that they must have recognized me from school. But I didn’t know whether or not they remembered my name.
After everyone ate, I thanked everyone for coming. Then I opened the presents that they brought me. Most of them were clothes and other accessories, but there was also a couple of books and toys. I especially liked the stuffed animal that Mrs. White bought for me.
“Thanks again for everything,” I said. “I had a blast.”
“Don’t mention it,” she smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
As the party wound down, I hugged my parents goodbye. I promised to call them when I got home. Then I left the house and hopped back onto my bike.
My first day of high school was almost over. And it turned out to be pretty uneventful. The only thing I remember is having lunch with my friend, Mikey. He always makes me laugh.
On Friday, I met up with my friends at the mall. We hung out by the food court until our moms called us. That night, I watched TV with my family before going to bed.
Saturday afternoon, I played with my dog, Fluffy. Later that evening, I went to my friend, Jessica’s house. Her mom made dinner, and we talked for hours.
Sunday was another lazy day. I stayed home and read a book. In the evening, I joined my parents for dinner. Afterward, I watched a movie with my brother and sister.
Monday morning came too quickly. I woke up early and showered. While I waited for my parents to wake up, I checked my email. I found one message from my old classmate, Kevin. He wrote that he’d heard about my move and hoped I was doing okay.
“Hey, man,” I replied. “Sorry, it’s taken me so long to get back to you. Things have been crazy around here.”
“No problem,” he assured me. “Just thought I’d check on you. How are things going?”
“Not bad,” I answered. “But I miss you guys.”
“Me too,” he sighed. “Things will settle down eventually. You’ll see.”
“I hope so,” I said. “Anyway, I better go. My folks are probably waiting for me downstairs.”
“Okay,” he said. “Take care.”
When I arrived at school, I saw that most of the students already knew about my move. A few of them stopped me to ask questions. One girl told me that her dad had moved away last year. She asked if I missed my old neighborhood. Another guy asked where I lived now. I told him that I used to live near the beach.
“Wow!” he exclaimed. “Where exactly?”
“Near Santa Monica,” I explained. “I don’t think I could ever move back there though.”
“Why not?” he wondered. “The weather’s nice, and the beaches are awesome.”
“That’s true,” I admitted. “But I like living here because it feels more peaceful. Plus, I love being close to my new friends.”
“You’re lucky,” he said. “I wish I had friends like yours.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “They make life a whole lot easier.”
During class, I sat next to my friend, Mikey. He always makes me smile. After lunch, I spent time with my friends in the library. We chatted while we worked on our homework assignments. When the bell rang, I headed toward my locker. As I walked past a group of girls, I overheard one of them talking about me.
“Did you hear?” she asked. “He lives in a mansion! His parents own an entire block of houses.”
“Really?” another girl responded. “What else does he have? Like money, cars, and stuff?”
“Oh yeah,” the first girl laughed. “And he has a hot girlfriend too.”
Her friends giggled as they listened to her story. I pretended not to notice what she was saying. But inside, I felt hurt. Why did they have to talk about me behind my back? I mean, I didn’t even know these people.
At the end of the day, I rode my bike home. I took a shower and changed into my pajamas. Then I called my parents to tell them how my first week of school went. They seemed happy to hear from me. Before hanging up, I asked them if they wanted to come over for dinner.
After dinner, I helped my father clean up the kitchen. Once we finished, I went upstairs to do my homework. It wasn’t long before my mother knocked on my door.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked.
“Sure,” I replied.
She sat down beside me and put her hand on my shoulder.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Fine,” I shrugged. “It’s just been a little overwhelming since moving here.”
“I can imagine,” she smiled. “We all worry about you when you leave your old neighborhood. But I’m glad you’ve settled in well.”
“Thanks,” I said. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Well,” she began. “Your father and I were wondering if you would consider coming back to visit sometime soon.”
“Of course,” I agreed. “I’ll try to take a trip back this weekend.”
As we continued talking, my mother told me that my father had something important to discuss with me. He asked me to join him in his office. I followed him inside and sat down across from him.
“Do you remember the girl who gave you a ride to school yesterday?” he asked.
“Yes,” I nodded. “Her name is Jessica.”
“Good,” he said. “Because she wants to meet you again.”
“Really?” I gasped. “Does she live nearby?”
“No,” he shook his head. “She lives in San Diego.”
My heart started pounding faster. I couldn’t believe it! The girl I met at the mall wanted to see me again!
“Would you be willing to drive out there?” he asked.
“Uh… sure,” I stammered. “Is that okay?”
“I guess so,” he chuckled. “But why don’t you call her first? Ask her if she still wants to hang out with you.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “I’ll give her a ring tomorrow morning.”
“Great,” he grinned. “Now, go get some rest. You look tired.”
“Thank you,” I smiled. “I will.”
The End