Misplaced Memory by Michelle Gallo

Author:Michelle Gallo [Gallo, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-07-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Six Months Ago

At home, I put on a pair of black sweatpants and a Raven sweatshirt to show my support of our win. I grab my backpack, throw it over my shoulder, and head to the stairs. Put my backpack on the top step and shuffle down the stairs. My mom is in her usual spot on the couch, surrounded by files and working on her latest case. This week happens to be taking a toll on her. The case is about a young girl. She has been asking me weird questions about how teens communicate in order to piece her defense together. Tonight, she must have been working extra hard because she had already fallen asleep when I got down the stairs. I grab a throw from the top of the couch to cover her. She switches sides so I hold my breath with the assumption I have just woken her. Settling down within a few seconds and no more movement, I know that she isn’t getting up. I turn back around and jump for joy up the stairs quietly, snag my bag, head down and out the door.

Tonight’s celebration is at an abandoned house that happens to be not far from the roundabout in my cul-de-sac. I leave the door and start walking to the right. The air chilled more than it was before. It’s crisp and stings ever so slightly as I breathe in. I can see my breath as I exhale. Good thing I was smart enough to pack a jacket into my backpack just in case.

I have just left my neighborhood, reaching the brush that outlines the woods behind a neighbor’s house. I don’t think I have ever had an interaction with the people who live here—not even sure they would know who I am if they saw my face or happened to be awake. Once in the woods and out of clear view, I take my backpack off my shoulders, set it on the ground to take my coat out. I place it on, zip it up to my chin to keep it from getting cold and put the hood on over my hair. Shoving my miscellaneous items back in my backpack, I throw it back over my shoulders to continue my walk.

The signs of abandonment are very clear upon arrival. The state of disarray tells me this house has been here in this condition for some time. None of the windows have glass—they have all been blown out either by weather or kids passing through. The house has no color and was built completely from wood, not siding and plaster like modern-day houses. The doorway is still there, but pushed in and tilted so slightly, I can no longer gain access from that entry point. Vines have grown over the building on one side, covering it like they have been painted on. A tree growing from one of the second story windows, I would guess that it starts on the inside of the house growing outward to find the light.

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