The air rendered heavy, as if, for the moment, some sort of bridging between sleep and waking fell between her. Meadow blinked at the ceiling. She knew that she was completely awake, but her thoughts were sluggish, and the world around her was somehow muted and soft at the edges. Nearby there was the sound of rustling that didn't belong to the harmony of her room.
Sitting up slowly and allowing her fingers to sink into the mattress was when she saw him.
Across her feet sat a boy no more than nine, maybe ten, bright-eyed and smiling wide and familiar, although she had never seen him before in her life.
"Meadow, wake up!" he joyfully exclaimed, as nothing was out of the ordinary since this was normal for every morning. "Or we are going to miss breakfast!"
Her mouth opened but no words came out. In the meantime, her heart thundered harder in her chest as she stared at him, battling the swirling fog that muffled her thoughts. Finally she managed a whisper: "Who... are you?"
The boy's face fell just a little bit like she'd said something odd. He tilted his head, showing a scowl of puzzlement across his features. "What do you mean? I'm your younger brother. I'm Oakley. Don't be weird."
Meadow gasped, struggling for air. The room turned on its side, the walls seeming to be tilting more towards her. She didn't have a brother. She never had any brothers or sisters. But he was there, almost as real as though he belonged there.
And somehow he looked at her as though she were the one who had forgotten.
YOU ARE READING
Whispers of Forgotten Memories
Mystery / ThrillerThe story follows a 12-year-old girl named Meadow, who discovers a secret room in her old childhood home filled with toys and drawings belonging to her long-forgotten brother, Oakley. When Meadow confronts her parents, she learns that Oakley died as...
