One Short Story A Day

September 19, 2024

Prompt: Your mom disappears one day, and you never see her again.

It was a normal day like any other. I woke up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, thanks to my mom who always had it ready for me before I even walked into the kitchen. But that day, the house was eerily quiet. I called out for my mom, but there was no response. I searched every room, but she was nowhere to be found.

Panic started to set in as I realized that my mom was missing. I called her phone, but it went straight to voicemail. I tried to stay calm as I dialed my dad's number, hoping that he would have some answers. But when he picked up, he sounded just as confused as I was. He had not seen or heard from my mom either.

As the hours turned into days, the police were called in to help with the search. They questioned me extensively, trying to piece together any clues that could lead to my mom's whereabouts. But there was nothing. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

I couldn't sleep, eat, or focus on anything other than finding my mom. I spent hours scouring the neighborhood, putting up missing person posters, and talking to anyone who may have seen her. But no one had any information to offer.

As the days turned into weeks, I started to lose hope. The police had no leads, and it seemed like my mom had just disappeared without a trace. I couldn't wrap my head around it.

How could someone just vanish like that?But then, a glimmer of hope appeared. A neighbor came forward with security footage from the night my mom disappeared. In the video, I saw a shadowy figure lurking around our house before my mom walked out the front door. She seemed to be talking to someone, but the figure was unrecognizable. And then, she was gone.

I played the footage over and over again, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

Who was that person? And where did they take my mom?Determined to find answers, I started investigating on my own. I retraced my mom's steps from that night, talking to anyone who may have seen her. And then, I stumbled upon a clue. A witness claimed to have seen a suspicious-looking van parked outside our house on the night my mom disappeared.

With this new lead, I shared it with the police, hoping that it would finally bring us closer to finding my mom. But little did I know that the truth would be far more sinister than I could have ever imagined.

One night, as I was walking home from yet another dead-end lead, I felt a chill run down my spine. I could sense that someone was following me. I picked up my pace, but the footsteps behind me only grew louder. And then, I felt a hand grab hold of my arm.

I turned around to see a man standing in front of me, his face hidden in the shadows. "Where is she?" he demanded, his voice low and menacing.

I tried to break free from his grasp, but he was too strong. I could see the glint of a knife in his hand, and I knew that I was in grave danger.

But just as I thought it was all over, a group of police officers came rushing towards us, their guns drawn. The man let go of me and tried to run, but he was quickly apprehended.

As the officers led him away, I couldn't help but wonder – was he the one responsible for my mom's disappearance? And if so, where was she now?The days that followed were a blur of police interviews, court hearings, and anxious waiting. And then, finally, a breakthrough. The man who had kidnapped my mom led the police to a remote cabin in the woods, where she had been held captive all this time.

I will never forget the moment when I saw my mom again. She was bruised, tired, and scared, but she was alive. And in that moment, I knew that we would never take another day together for granted.

As we drove away from that cabin, my mom held my hand tightly, tears streaming down her face. And in that moment, I knew that we would always be grateful for each other's presence, knowing that we had narrowly escaped a fate worse than death.

And as we drove towards home, towards safety, towards each other, I whispered a silent prayer of thanks – thankful that my mom had come back to me, thankful for the resilience that had brought us through this nightmare, and thankful for the love that would always bind us together, no matter what challenges we may face in the future.