THE HARBOUR

Everything Everywhere All At Once

AUGUST 23RD 7AM

"We are doing our everything in our power to find out who did this" the voice over the television speaks, Maura Glenfield listens attentively as she lines up cookies meticulously onto a plate.

She's been up since 5 AM preparing. When her daughter, Wendy was brought home last evening in the back of a police SUV, Maura was worried Wendy had gone and gotten herself into trouble that would cost her a fortune to get her out of.

When the Chief of police had exaplain to her what had happened her heart settled and relief washed over her— but only for a moment, after she got her daughter into the house and asked her to tell her all that had happened she hardly could contain her excitement. Finally, something interesting is happening in this godforsaken town! She thought.

She could barely sleep that night— she got up earlier than usual to prepare herself for the detectives. She craves the attention, no one else would give it to her— at least not in the way she likes. Everyone only ever treats her like she's a basket case. It's all their fault, she thinks.

After high school Maura had been branded— been one of Caper's social outcasts, never invited to all the fancy galas, the dinners, fundraisers, hell, they wouldn't even let her or Wendy attend her husbands funeral!

Wendy was only a child when it happened, so she doesn't remember them. She doesn't understand the pain, and she doesn't understand why she shouldn't associate herself with the people who tried so hard to ruin her mother's life, the ones who had been responsible for the death of her father. Maura grits her teeth joylessly .

Wendy doesn't get it, that's why she spends so much time with that retched Prescott girl. She doesn't listen to Maura as much as she should, which makes her afraid something bad might happen to Wendy like it did to her. If only Wendy would do as she's told.

"Do as you're told." His voice crept into her mind like mist.

That's what happens when you don't do as you're told. The intimidating memory fills her head— petrifying her. An unwelcome, haunting recollection begins to play like a film. It's as vivid as the day it had happened.

That's all it takes, the mere thought of him, of them— and she is propelled back to that day. Causing the world around her to fade and all sound and feeling along with it. Leaving nothing but numbness. The distant chatter of the TV news anchor is nothing but white noise.

The flashback unfolds and she is surrounded by them, they stand around her, tall and threatening. Like stone monuments, she sits in a small dingy, rusty metal chair with a cold towel over her face and a gag in her mouth.

Threatened by people she'd once trusted with her life. "We warned you this would happen, Maura,"

Her hands start to tremble and she loses her grip on the glass jar. It falls to the floor creating a loud shattering noise that echoes in the silence of the room. A peircing screech startles her back to earth and she is once again aware of her surroundings once again.

She glances over at the top of the stairs to where the sound originated from and she sees her daughter. Dressed in her uniform, she bares a striking resemblance to Maura when she was sixteen.

"Mom-" she starts.

"Christ, Maura. What are you doing?" A familiar voice asks.