Missy’s Mad Challenge-I feel a character developing-to be continued

In the corner of my mind, something kept trying to bloom. A thought, maybe- an idea or an impression of how life would have been if I felt like I didn’t waste so much time. Whatever that bloom in the corner of my mind was, it was trying to suffocate me. That bloom was causing intrusive thoughts about the life I do have in the present. My life was good now. So, stop blooming, you bloom!

I was always the one to drive us anywhere. My mom was not in good health. She could drive herself, but I believe she was more at ease with someone else in control of the wheel. My mom is wise. I often took her advice. But there were times when I didn’t take any advice she gave me. She was the one to say, “Take this medicine for eye health and eat that vegetable; it’s good for your heart.” She would also give me the plan of salvation as if I had never heard of such a thing in my life. She wanted her loved ones to meet her in the afterlife when the appointed time comes for everyone. On this particular day, my mom and I were headed to an appointment when she gave me advice on people. “Claire, she said, “the universe sends signs, but I wasn’t ready for this one.“ My mom began telling me of a time when she was around my age. This is what she said,

“He wasn’t supposed to be there—but then again, neither was I.” She told me of a time when a friend of hers invited her to a party. At some time during the party, a fight broke out. “The time to walk out of the loft was now, quietly”, her friend insisted. Once outside, they called the cops, then started running back home. In the background, they heard the cops had arrived at the loft. They soon arrived at his bedroom window, with enough time to catch their breath, only to hear the police car drive past his lane. So, my mom said she headed home to her house, which was down the lane farther from his. The next night, DeAngelo, her friend, rang my mom’s phone to tell her about the incident. The partygoers had been arrested. Even though some people were not involved in the fights. My mom warned me about the people I hang around and how one rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch, then smirked with a huge Cheshire grin. We sat there in the car for a minute in silence. I thought to myself, reflecting on my own experiences with people. My mom’s gleeful sound interrupted my thoughts. She continued her story…After the incident with her friend that previous night, she remembered a few errands she needed to do in town the next day. Mom said, “The moment I opened the door, I knew everything had changed.“ “I loaded my stuff into my 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse,” she said, “started the engine, and turned on the radio.” With the sunroof open, a summer breeze blowing my hair, I sang along to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”. When I arrived in town, I noticed it was eerily quiet, which gave me creepy vibes. There weren’t many people shopping on a weekend morning, which was odd. She said, “You see, the town had a curfew”. “The town had one rule: never open the door after midnight, and I knew the reason why,” she said, “but I was sworn not to tell.” Mama paused talking; her voice cracked, and a tear formed in her eye. She said, “I didn’t mean to keep the secret, but it kept me”. Mama adjusted herself in her seat to face me better. She began her story of what had happened the night they took her. Mom said, “I woke up in the middle of the woods behind my house. I thought I was lost, but maybe I was just changing. I was confused”. “How could you wake up and not know why or how you were in the woods?” I asked her. Mama gazed out of my window and was thinking about that time in her life. “Er, um… what do you mean by changing, Mom?” I asked in confusion. Her story began with how it all started.

***After a blackout, residents of a small town wake up with shared memories of an event that didn’t happen—yet. No one was prepared for the truth. However, I found the truth tucked between the rafters in an old loft. I climbed the rickety old and worn steps at the base of the shed I was warned not to go into. The sight of what was inside the loft startled me. I was unable to move. I was scared and shaking and the smell was overpowering. Animals were lined up on racks; some were in cages like it was a slaughterhouse of sorts. Shining up in the rafters was a silver box that contained a key that I had no clue what was meant to open. It was too much for me to experience but I was afraid to leave without the key, in hopes of finding what it opened. So, I grabbed the key to put it safely in my pocket and ran to the ladder of the loft to try to climb down. The thing was I tripped over a board that was lying by the entrance and fell down the ladder instead. The impact of hitting the ground knocked the breath from my lungs. I also broke my arm. The key had also fallen out of my pocket. A fact I realized after being treated at the hospital.

Present time…

We arrived at her appointment on time. My mom paused her story in hopes of finishing it on the way home only to find out the doctor had an emergency surgery yesterday and almost forgot to make another appointment at a later time since he wouldn’t be in until later that day. My mom and I decided to spend our free time at a local shop eating a light lunch while we waited for her appointment time. She resumed her story …

***When I realized the key fell out of my pocket