Beyond the Facade

Chapter 1- Welcome to Whispering Creek

It was exactly 5 years after her disappearance that I had made the decision to uproot my life. I moved to a small, unimportant town in Minnesota. I found a rather career with the local 911 call center. The town of Whispering Creek was rather quiet, and at first glance may be assumed to be a lovely and peaceful neighborhood. The citizens were picture perfect, most of whom were either loving families or retirees spending the rest of their days in contentful solitude.

The houses all screamed of suburbia, with well-manicured lawns and children at play. You could find anything one would require to live a rather enjoyable and fun life, and with none of the extra fuss that comes with living in a busy tourist destination. Everyone I had met was kind and helpful, and very respectful. I never had an issue.

But once I had found myself settled from the transition, I noticed strange occurrences around town. Nothing completely whimsical or horrifying, but I noticed the town had some...well, I guess you could say quirks. The first I noticed was the unexplainable flickering of lights. Initially, I blamed it on poor wiring, but the more I explored the town I soon learned it was common and almost to be expected. I once brought this up in conversation at work and it was clear that it was well-noticed but not questioned. "It's just this old town." Is what I was told.

Somedays, there would be a loud humming that softly filled any silence. It was never a headache or annoyance, just an odd sound I hadn't heard before. Shadows would occasionally differ from the shape of its source, or didn't align correctly with the direction of the light. Citizens would move in or out silently and in the middle of the night. The weather had been known to change drastically, or unexpectedly and often it wasn't compatible with the season. On a couple winter days you can find 80 degree weather, or in mid-summer days you might experience light snowfall.

But then one day, I had come cross something that was significantly more puzzling than any quirk the town may have had. It was my mother. After 5 years and a far move, I had stumbled into my missing mother by some insane chance. She was out of my mind completely that day, which was a milestone in itself. I worked hard to keep my mind going forward and not back. I was grocery shopping and there she was, picking cans of green beans off the shelves. The discovery had given me an overwhelmingly disorienting feeling and I had almost fallen. Was I just seeing her face in someone else? Was I just seeing things? I had to focus my vision hard. No way. That was her. It was clear as day. She almost looked just as she did the last time I seen her. Oddly enough, it was as if she hadn't aged a day! She turned to me, and smiled before looking back into her cart and scanning her shopping list.

She didn't recognize me at all, she didn't even take a second look. I approached her, and just stood there thinking of what to say, but the words wouldn't come to me. She let out a little giggle after turning to face me again. She must have felt me staring.

"Hi. Can I help you?" She said while grabbing one last can of green beans, and turning away for a quick second to place them into her cart. I could tell it was her. I would recognize that voice, that smile, from a mile away!

"You don't recognize me?" I tried my hardest not to tear up. Emotions I had long buried rose to the surface. Im not sure if they were tears of joy because I finally found her, or tears of hurt because she didn't recognize me.

"No." She let out another sweet giggle. "Should I?"

"Im..." I just couldn't get myself to say that last word, son. It was harder than I would have imagined.

"Your'e who?" She asked curiously. That sweet friendly smile of hers had turned into a look of confusion as she awaited my response.

"I'm sorry, Never mind. You just look like someone I used to know." I walked away, but not before taking one quick glance at my mother.