The wet leaves squeaked under Sonne's boots as he walked down the road the bus had dropped him off at so many times over the years. He expected everything to be in a weird sepia tone the way his mind rendered it whenever the tainted thought trickled into his brain. The dirt road to the right of him, the houses that never seemed to leave the construction phase in the pit, and the old house on the other corner that made him uneasy with the smashed in windows.
His house couldn't be like that, surely- it was tucked away towards the back of the neighborhood closer to where it happened.
His heart beat a little faster as the edge of the road started to creep up on him. His neighbors, oh his neighbors, the three dogs that always got loose, the kid that always tried to stop in just for a bag of chips to take home, and the chain smoker girlfriend. It was so clear in his mind, and it was so clear to him now that there were holes chewed through the fence around their yard. The dogs were loose again, for better or worse; with Sonne imagining the couple inside sitting on their recliners as if nothing was amiss. If they still had power they would be watching TV with a TV dinner, the remote tucked between the couch cushions waiting for the next day so they could do it all over again.
He wanted to say he would be doing the same thing, but it wasn't true at all. There stood the brown house he hated so much. The added on family room that had a crack in the wall he could see into from the street, the chicken coop outside, the tiny two foot patch of grass that divided it from the road in the front even though it had a half-acre out back. What was the same though was the key under the mat which never moved- his mom covered always kicked it under the steps and covered the front with rocks heavy enough the wind never moved them.
Oh who was he kidding? Even if the key was under there Sonne had his own copy, deranged enough to a point to wear it on a chain around his neck tucked neatly under his shirt, knowing that one day it would come in handy again.
There was no noise around him apart from wind and a plastic bag billowing down the road, but part of him felt like there was someone waiting to shoot him on sight. He imagined it so cleanly- a random person with their face covered with a gun who waited behind the door just for him, a quaint reminder he was never to come back here.
Everything was covered in dust, just as he had left it. He knew after years of constantly checking reality sites that no one had bought it or demolished it.
The minute Sonne stepped into the entryway he couldn't take it back. His footprints were there. He took a deep breath and almost threw his shoes off out of habit. He pulled the camcorder out of his bag and got it rolling, propping it on his shoulder. The same one he used all those years ago to make home movies of RC cars and hunting for aliens was now the only documentation of this horrid place.
There were times he thought to himself before posting should I say I used to live here or I'm just visiting this abandoned town?.One reason was more exciting than the other to post about it online, but part of him hated it being tied back to him in the long run- the place he tried so hard to escape, to finally get that freedom, only to return to the place with a key around his neck like he had just come home from another day of school, as if everything was going to be okay-
It was, it was oh so perfect, Sonne glanced around the corner to see his older yet smaller brother Remi with his legs awkwardly up on a kitchen chair. Their mom had already finished off most of the pitcher of pink lemonade she made on nights like these with a big dinner. The other Sonne was fiddling with a portable radio. The lights were still on inviting him in with the same chair that was always empty in front of the window, the same chair reserved for guests.
A guest in my own house, huh? he thought as he tip-toed over, scared that any sudden movement would break whatever he was experiencing. He wondered if they could see him, or this was just some scripted event playing over and over.
"Hey, put it on that one station. I'm tired of the oldies!" Remi said as he leaned across the table. His arm was within the reach of present Sonne, though he knew better than to reach for it so early.
"The weird dance music?" The other Sonne asked.
Remi nodded as he watched the boy fiddle with the dial. The small gray box was soon playing electronic music. The other Sonne smiled before helping his brother gather all the plates at the table.
This was the best part of the day, Sonne thought to himself as he watched the two prop the radio in the junk drawer. Washing dishes wasn't supposed to be fun, but they always turned it into a game they played before going their separate ways for the night. The sun flickered through the window over the sink that Remi was just too short to see through. Remi stood on his tip toes, the other Sonne knowing that he hadn't grown an inch and still couldn't see anything.
I got it! Sonne thought to himself as he walked into the old kitchen. I'm gonna lift him up, just like he always wanted!
Present Sonne grabbed Remi by the waist, lifting him into the air for a few moments before putting him down. Remi looked around confused as the other Sonne stood there staring at him, albeit from a few steps away.
"No freaking way," The other Sonne exclaimed. "Tell me you didn't just levitate!"
Remi spun around, seeing if his mom was secretly behind him. There was nothing in his very cloudy vision, not even his younger brother. He said nothing and turned back towards the sink, waiting for it to happen again.
Present Sonne picked him up again, just for a few seconds, before putting him down and backing away.
"I think it's a ghost!" Remi whispered. "What do we do now?"