Chapter Six: Lost:

-Cassie-

I opened my eyes to a heavy, rolling fog. I couldn’t feel anything with my body. At least this time, I could ground underneath my feet. I remembered my promise to Megan. I needed to find her to get myself back to normal. Question was, where did I start? There were no paths behind or in front of me. I just stood in a whole world of nothingness. I figured that sight wouldn’t work out in my favor in this situation. I closed my eyes and listened in for anything that could guide me out.

Suddenly, I heard sobbing. If I was correct, it had to be that of a child’s. I used my ears a bit longer to find the direction of the sound. I opened my eyes and raced forward. The sobbing lingered on in my ears as I ran. The fog lessened along the way. I stopped when I came towards a brick wall in front of me. Just before it, a child sat on the ground, crying. I reached out my hand to try and approach him.

“Hey,” I whispered. “Are you alright?” The child didn’t answer me. I took slower steps towards them.

“Are you lost?” I asked. “Hello? Hello?” I reached out to touch his shoulder, but he disappeared before my eyes. I took a step back, blinking.

What the…

“Andy!” I heard someone yell behind me. I turned around to see a plump woman walking up towards me.

“Andy!” she called. “Andy! Where did you go?” The woman turned and looked at me.

“Oh hello,” she said. “Have you seen my son?” I blinked at her.

“I think so…” I answered slowly. “What does he look like?” The woman paused at that question. She slowly shook her head.

“I… I… I…” the woman said. She broke down trembling. I looked at her uneasily.

“You don’t know, do you?” I asked. The woman sank to the ground trembling, all over. I walked over and sat down next to her.

“What’s the matter?” I asked. The mother buried her face in her hands.

“Oh gosh!” she wailed. “How could I have been so stupid?”

“What do you mean, miss?” I asked. The woman moaned in her hands.

“Did something happen to him?” I asked. “Come on, talk to me.” The woman looked up at me with big eyes. I took a moment before I spoke.

“Okay,” I said. “Tell me what happened to your son. Take your time if you have to.” The woman nodded at me as she drew her knees to her chest. I myself took a slow breath.

“My son,” she said. “Seven years ago, we got into a fight. I don’t even remember what it was about. He just stormed out of the house in a rage. I was so mad that day that I didn’t go after him that day.” Her nails tried to dig into her skirt. She shook her head to herself. “I should’ve gone after him! I should’ve!” I happened to glance up and notice a little pair of eyes watching us. I had a good guess of who it was, but I wasn’t too certain just yet.

“What happened to him?” I asked.

“He didn’t come back the whole night,” the mother explained. “By morning, I called the police. They didn’t find his body until days later in the ditch just outside of town. Because of the shock I suffered, I attempted suicide and ended up in a coma in this hospital.”

“That’s terrible,” I said.

“Yes!” the woman wailed. “I was hoping I could see him again, but I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“Well,” I said. “You can tell him you love him and that you are sorry if for hurting him.” The mother looked at me with big eyes.

“But, what if he turns me away?” she whimpered. “What if he hates me?”

“Look at me!” I demanded. “Look at me!” The mother looked up with tears forming in her eyes. I readied myself to tell her what I really thought.

“You are his mother!” I said. “It doesn’t matter if he hates you or not! You have to love him with all of your might! You may have lost that chance the first, but you can change that now! Don’t blow it!”

“But how do I do that?” the mother asked.

“Just talk to him!” I pushed. “I don’t care how, just get through!” The mother’s resolve changed as she pressed her lips together.

“You’re right!” she said. “I am his mother and I love him no matter what. I will talk to him when I find him again!”

“Momma?” we heard someone ask. The mother and I looked up to see a boy about six years old staring at us. His face looked so red and round. Judging by the mud on his skin and clothes, I had a good hutch who he was. The woman’s eyes watered in joy as she rose to her feet.

“Andy?” she asked. “Andy!” She ran over and hugged the boy. “Andy!” she whimpered. “I’m am so sorry, my little boy! I love you so much!” The little boy’s ghost slowly hugged her back.

“I love you, Momma!” he whispered loudly. “I love you! I love you!” I watched as the two ghosts disappeared before my eyes. Before me stood Megan staring at me with those cold eyes of hers. She didn’t say a word; she turned and walked away.

“Wait!” I called. Her footsteps disappeared in the darkness. I looked down on the ground and saw a thick leather book in the place that she stood. I crawled over and picked it up. When I opened it and looked inside, I only saw blank pages. Only the first page had one line on the top.

“I didn’t see a fire.”

The words drew me further into the maze.