Yesterday Never Ended: The Nostalgic Season

Prologue I: Nostalgia

At a glance many would say that today is an ordinary winter's day. The skies are sullen and depressed, the sun's rays fail to shine on the earth and the air carries a painful and bitter chill. There's no doubt that this only means snow will soon cascade down in an elegant and graceful dance and the holiday festivities will begin, right?

But as I said; at a glance many would say that it is the winter season. With the truth of the situation revealed, the circumstances become peculiar and a touch unsettling.

As of now it is the 21st of September, the final day of summer and the temperature is a chilling 19 degrees Fahrenheit. Yesterday was the true reflection of the beloved sunny time of year. The kind of warm and delightful day you'd expect from the middle of June; a comfortable 75 degrees Fahrenheit. As if a heartbroken person, the weather had an emotional swing in the passing of one sunset.

Atop of that, today is even more unusual for me than the bizarre conditions and the feeling of a depressed world. Today was the last day that I lived in the house of my grandfather which I've called home now for the last two years. The time that I've spent with him is something I'll never forget. He loved to tell me stories about his childhood and how times have changed and I would listen to his wise words whenever he had them to give. It was like living in a dream, that time. But like all dreams, as wonderful as they are, it had to end.

The world gave me my wake-up call in a form louder than a crash of thunder yet no more violent than a drift into sleep. The realm of my reality had been rent like a cracked mirror and the images I saw became warped and distorted. What was once merry and joyous became forlorn and painful. Because of an unfair and sudden end to this chapter in my life I am forced to move back to my father's house and since I am yet a student without work or an income I have no other choice.

Reluctantly, I made arrangements with my father through a brief phone call deciding that I am to meet him at this dreary and deserted park I currently wait at. I've been waiting for him for the last 3 hours, enduring the harsh cold, and he still has yet to make an appearance. Slowly, I begin to feel as if he has forgotten me and that my suffering is in vain.

I pace back and forth as my patience meets its limits and the weather forces my mind to return to my grandfather's passing. Even if I try to pry myself from the thoughts, it's no use. I soon reminisce on every cherished memory I have of my old life.

Seeing a bench nearby, I decide to rest on it and continue my waiting, hoping that my father will arrive as promised. Minutes upon minutes pass by and soon I begin to feel a great heaviness collect on my eyes.

*****

The sound of an engine's humming rouses me from my sleep. My weary eyes open to see that darkness now rules over the park and the only light that keeps the area from zero visibility comes from the large object to my front. I study the reflective surface of the object without understanding or retention of the new data until my senses return to me.

The smooth, metallic surface I see is a silver car with stylized patches of black covering its body and red and blue lights on its roof. It remains neutral as if a natural part of the park environment only a few feet away from me with its brightest headlights as illumination. Through the passenger door's glass, I can faintly see the silhouette of a man within it.

I sit still, unsure as I stare towards the silhouette. The driver sounds the car's horn and I nervously rise from my seat and inch my way towards the parked vehicle.

Once there's only a stride's distance between the door and I, the obscuring glass that separates and distorts my vision of the man falls. The hair upon his head is of an above average length, colored the dark brown of coffee. His face looks rough and unkempt like an individual that lives his job and comes home only to prepare for the next day's duties. From head to toe he is clad in the uniform of a man of the law.