Well I did it this time! I was able to do 500 words. Just a little something for those of us who think of a loved one every now and then and wish that we could just be in their physical presence and talk to them one last time.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Nancy stared at the little red box that had been in her possession for more than ten years.
A complete stranger had given it to her the day she graduated from high school warning her not to open it and that it could take her back through time.
That was ten years ago. Back then, returning to her past was the last thing she’d wanted to do, so she threw it in the back of her closet and went on to college.
Now she was all alone. Her parents had been killed during 9-11 while traveling that fateful day. Their lives snuffed out just like that. She had been tempted to open it then, but had resisted.
Two years after her parent’s death, her beloved Granny also died. Still she had resisted the temptation to open the box. But now, her mother’s sister had passed, leaving her with no one else. How she wished she’d spent more time with her family rather than running off to parties and such…things that long since hadn’t mattered.
She’d married, but that was over after only two years and she was childless. Nancy felt that perhaps she was destined to be alone.
Now after burying the last of her family, she stared at the box. If only she could see them all one last time. Consequences be damned!
She picked it up and turned it over and over in her hand, still wondering what would befall her if she opened it. What could be worse than having no one and being all alone? Summoning all her courage, she snatched off the top finding it empty.
“Well that was special” she said out loud sarcastically.
She fell on the bed, not willing just yet to force herself to clean out one more house or call the Goodwill one more time to pick up things from a family member’s home that she was left to clean out. She’d attended her last funeral.
Nancy dozed off but woke up to the most delicious smells. …her mother was frying fish, her favorite. She stretched and looked up at the ceiling and was immediately confused. She was in her old room, but she’d sold this house! She had taken a nap at her apartment! Where was she?
She got up and looked around, stunned. She was in her old room! She glanced in the mirror shocked to see her younger self staring back at her.
Nancy jumped up and ran into the kitchen. Her mother stood over the stove with her father seated at the table.
“It’s about time you got up, sleepyhead” her mother said smiling.
Nancy was at a loss for words and stared at them with her mouth open.
Her grandmother came into the kitchen from the den.
“Hey, baby” she said greeting Nancy.
Unable to deal with what opening the box had brought about, Nancy promptly fainted.
Most of us wish that we could see a loved one, one last time, have that one last conversation, ask that question that we failed to ask when they were with us!
I wish I could see my mother's mother, my Grandma. I wish I could talk to her and my mother's sister, my aunt Elaine one last time. I wish I could listen to Grandma's stories again about her growing up and I wish I could hear my aunt laugh again. I miss their hugs.
What about you? Who do you wish you could see if you had that red box?