Remember Me

Thunderstorms in the Hillview county area are extremely severe. Please remain indoors, and refrain from travel until the storm clears.

Ezra turned off the news and proceeded to shut and lock the windows of his home. Ezra loves thunderstorms and usually keeps his windows open to hear the rain crash against his porch and the boom of thunder in the sky, however, tonight was different. This storm was never originally in the forecast. This was sudden and unforeseen. Not only did he close his windows because of the intensity of this particular storm, but also because of the rather discomforting feeling that developed in his chest after heeding the weather warning on his television. For the first time in his six years of living alone, he felt unsafe. Closing and locking the windows made him feel a little more secure amidst his unexpected anxieties...but only a little.

In an attempt to calm these feelings, Ezra resulted to indulging in his favorite chocolate cake. This cake was his mother's recipe, and he cherished it dearly, as he did his mother. He could not remember much about his mother, but he always remembered the desserts she made for him as a child. Her cakes made him feel warm and loved. He acquired all of her recipes after her passing, and her memory lives on through them. Unfortunately, the cake, with its rich and inviting flavor, provided only temporary comfort. He still could not shake the fearful feeling he was having, so to escape from it completely, he decided to retire to bed early.

Once in bed, ready to escape into his usually pleasant dreams, Ezra realized that he never closed the doors of his shed in the backyard. This was an evening routine he never failed to complete.

"Tonight of all nights", he said aloud, followed with a sigh. He knew that if he didn’t go out into the storm to close those doors, the high winds, rain, and possible debris from the storm would completely destroy his workspace. Ezra was a painter. He had no pets, no neighbors, and no problems. His life consisted of himself, his land, and his art (art that he valued greatly and needed to go protect). This big, barn-like shed, was always where he worked from. It was painted a chocolate-colored brown and the interior was decorated exactly to his liking. This shed was a place of peace and in itself a piece of art.

After staring at the ceiling for a minute convincing himself to get up, Ezra jumped out of bed, put on protective clothing, and proceeded to his front door. With one foot out the door, he stopped. He stared at the shed in the distance and decided to make a run for it.

"Three..two..one..go." He dashed.

It takes Ezra exactly twenty-six seconds to run from his ranch house down to his shed. Instead of running to it, shutting the doors, and running straight back, Ezra stopped in the shed to catch his breath and to check on his paintings for damages. He is soaked from the rain, but fortunately, none are his paintings.

Suddenly, the barn doors shut aggressively. Assuming it was the wind, Ezra ran to open the doors in an attempt to flee back to the safety of his home. The doors wouldn’t open. With his back now turned from the paintings, he struggled to break out.

A woman appears behind him and says, "I wouldn't strain myself trying to get out of here if I were you”.

Ezra froze. He turned around slowly to see an unknown woman standing across the room. "Who are you and why are you in my shed?" he asked.

"I've been watching you for a while now. Don't you think it's time you came home..", she asked sternly.

"What are you talking about? How did you get in here? Let me out!", he demanded while attempting to break open the doors to his freedom.

"Those doors aren't going to open. It's time you put an end to all of this. I need you to follow me."

Once Ezra processed the fact that his shed doors were not going to budge open, he grudgingly decided to follow the unknown woman toward the back of the shed. There was something about her that seemed familiar to him, and even though Ezra had no idea where he was following her to, he knew he would be okay. That worrisome feeling in his chest had then gone.

"There aren't any doors back here. Where are we going?"

Standing at the back of the shed, the woman lovingly replied, "Here, take my hand”. And so, he did.

The unknown and now slightly more familiar woman began to walk through the back wall of the shed as if separating its matter upon touch. She pulled Ezra in with her. Suddenly, the sound of chirping birds consumed Ezra's ears. The blazing of the sun warmed his melanated cheeks. The storm had gone, but immediately, he realized he was no longer in the same place they had come from.

In front of them lied a big, beautiful, brick home with many windows and a charming garden at its entrance. Turning back to an open field, Ezra looked around and asked, "Where are we? Have we..teleported? Where's my home?"

She replied, "You are home”.

The woman began to walk Ezra toward the house, and what was once a feeling of fear and worry had completely transformed into a feeling of warmth and comfort. Once inside, the woman guided Ezra to the kitchen where she offered him a seat at the breakfast table. For a while Ezra said nothing. He only observed with disbelief of how he could in one moment be in his damp, dark shed and in the next, be sitting in this beautiful home.

After handing him a piece of warm chocolate cake, the woman sat across from Ezra and said, "....Well?"

He looked at the cake in confusion, and after a moment, locked eyes with her. "Who are you? What is going on?"

"I've been gone for a very long time, I know, and I'm sorry. But I'm here now. I've finally come back for you. Now you can join me. We can work together. I can let you in on everything that’s been going on and we can finally be together. I've missed you so much. Maybe now I’ll finally have a chance at taking down- ".

"- I'm not going to ask you again", he interrupted angrily, "Who are you".

"Don’t you remember yet? It's me, Ez. I am your mother."