Twenty years. Twenty full years since I was in this house. It’s just strange it used to be a home to me, where I was happy with my parents and yet never saw them. I lived in a state of joy and imagination, not seeing the world behind me, what I didn’t tend to worry of. They fought and fought, now I understand, but all I knew and was told, was “You’re going off with your dad”.
I wish I could be a little more certain of what it was they did to cause this trouble. They seemed fine and joyous whenever I saw them. What’s strangest, though, is that I never questioned it when I was told. I was 10 years old and that’s all I was concerned with. I just sat in the back doing whatever I did and had fun. Other than a house, I still saw my friends and did what I did. And when I heard dad on the phone, I did what I did, but of course your question wasn’t what’s on the phone. What did I do, when I did what I did?
How did I do anything, without questioning otherwise, not thinking past my own personal life? This question only even came now, 20 years after the situation went down. So I suppose if I don’t think of answers when young, why should I ask questions to myself while I’m old? I’m asking myself questions to myself, when I don’t know the answer. I just did what I did, and that was that.
But it still can’t be forgotten that something consumed me. Something sidetracked me from the events going on. Something kept me wrapped up and busy, so I never had time or worry to wonder. And every day it bugs me by asking “What’d you do?”. It’s the only question I ask myself even though I can’t remember. I guess that the future was my only concern. And what happened once only happened, and there’s not much past that.
“Something the matter, Nick?” asked my mother from across the table. Maybe Thanksgiving dinner isn’t the best time to monologue myself. But maybe it’s just that I’m not very hungry, and seeing my mother after so long is too frightening. “I’m going to the bathroom”, I said with a monotone voice.
I of course didn’t go there, but I decided that’d be my direction. I remembered where it was still, to my surprise, but I didn’t need to go, and didn’t know where else, so I just walked until I ran into something else. A strange thing to see in a house was what I witnessed; a blue door amongst brown hardwood doors and floors.
So this is a flashback, I said to myself, because I saw me when I was young, with a paint can on the ground, and a blue paint covered brush in my hand, alongside with my parents, with brushes like mine. We all were laughing, and it was bizarre. We made something so strange and yet had so much fun. And looking at myself I was only 9 years old, but mom and dad were together, and gleeful and glad.
I burst back into reality, and saw no reason not to open the door in front of my eyes. It was mine, obviously. My parents wouldn’t care for blue. Why? I don’t know. They weren’t kids that like colors I suppose. They wanted their room to match their house. But their Semitism to Blue-ism wasn’t what I thought first. It was how I fell asleep in the mess behind the blue. It wasn’t what I remembered, but I remembered nothing, so there. It was covered with posters of fantasy movies, and a gigantic bed with fantasy sheets. It had a playful racetrack carpet and toys everywhere, but no cars anywhere. In fact, there were no toys, period. There was a bookcase or two with a bunch of kid’s books and novels, but what fascinated me most was a small box with a lock and a key. Instead of toys, the room revolved round that box. So what was in it? Why, my childhood of course, but not in a form you’d be likely to see; a child’s spirit and laughter, in cards.
Not those playing cards, though one had a clover and an ace. But these cards were strange pictures, and numbers below. And a little description with words like “points” and “additional” and “deck” and “attack”. But the pictures were each very different from one another. There were three different decks in the box, and those three even different. One had a bunch of bright, white and blue creatures. White dragons, white knights, a snow leopard, and one called Queen Freezon, which is the laziest name I’ve ever seen. The other deck was the opposite, in complete black and purple. Evil magicians, lions, toxic plants and black dragons.
But although the creative and lazily named creatures were strange and diverse, the third deck was the one that intrigued me the most. This deck was only two cards, one pink and one dark blue, and both of them were strange wizards in armor. The pink was a woman with less armor on, with shining blue eyes and long blonde hair. The other was completely armored, in his dark blue suit. Only his face was unarmored, and it was generic with brown eyes. The numbers below were exactly the same, 3000 and 3000, and the description on both was “Have the other wizard on the field for double attack power.” They were fancy and engulfed my interest and concern. It makes me realize what I wrapped myself in. But even just cards could take my life away? No way.
But then my mother walked in and said “What’re you doing in here”, and it was then that I noticed her long blonde hair. Though it was graying now (not to be mean), I could still see it was blonde through and through, and remembering her from my childhood, she was blonde back then, too. I also noticed her shining blue eyes. Just like the pinker card in my hands.
“Does dad have brown eyes” I asked to my mother.
“I believe so. Why?”
“No reason. Let’s finish supper”.
I walked out of my room, and closed the blue door behind me. I kept the cards in my hand, to remind me that just because I couldn’t remember doesn’t mean it never happened, but I also took one more I found atop the black and purple deck; one like me, with brown eyes and short blonde hair. And I put the three cards in my wallet, next to the picture of me, mom and dad that was taken twenty years ago. I went back to the table smiling, glad to know I always knew, and glad I found three new pictures of my family when I was ten.
. I'm not too good at spotting any grammatical errors =D so I'll leave you with positive feedback only 