The Chest of the Lost

Chapter 10: 911

We walked for awhile, listening to Kira point out and name the small animals that scurried across our path.

"There's a chipmunk," she said, pointing to the small brown animal that sat on a tree branch, nibbling an acorn. "That's my favorite animal. I just want to hug one of them." She crossed her arms over her chest and pretended to hug an imaginary chipmunk. Griffin laughed, amused, and I smiled.

I remembered back to a time when I was younger, and I had asked my parents for a little sister since I was the youngest out of two children. My older sister was always babying me and taking care of me and I wanted a sister to take care of too. But my parents said if we got another baby, then I wouldn't be the baby anymore. That pretty much pushed that idea out of my mind as I realized how much I liked being the youngest of the family. But as I thought about it, I wished I had a younger sister like Kira.

We arrived at the edge of the forest, on the opposite side, and entered a neighborhood where every house looked completely different. It looked almost funny, as old houses mixed with new houses, which patterned the street on both sides.

I pulled the small sticky note out of my back pocket and looked at it again, then glanced up to see if we were close. Kira recognized the street and pointed out a house that belonged to her friend, Heidi. It was a small brick house, with a pale green door and large wreath that hung on it. The lawn looked freshly manicured and there was a fresh pile of autumn leaves, having just been raked up, sitting in the center of the lawn.

"Kira, do you know where we are?" Griffin asked, taking her off his shoulders and setting her on the ground.

He grabbed her hand and she replied, "Yeah, our house is over there." I could tell Griffin's heart skipped a beat as he stopped and looked where she was pointing. It was a big, grey house with a baby blue front door. The porch was wide and had light blue patio furniture on it, with floral cushions and a glass-topped table. The lawn was freshly cut and autumn leaves sprinkled the ground.

We walked quickly down the street, Griffin never taking his eyes off the big grey house that belonged to his family. Kira pulled on Griffin's hand when he stopped in front of it, then he took a deep breath before continuing up the driveway. I followed behind them and arrived at the porch as Kira rang the doorbell. We heard rustling inside as someone fumbled with the lock, then yanked it open. A tall woman who was talking on the phone opened the door.

"No, Officer, I don't, but are you sure you're doing everything you can? I mean-" She stopped when she saw Griffin.

I noticed that she looked a lot like Griffin, but she had long eyelashes and dark blonde hair that was cut short at her shoulders and hung in light waves. Their eyes were the same color also, but hers were driven with fatigue. Griffin and the woman both stood there, stunned, and no one noticed Kira standing next to him.

"Griffin?" The woman looked confused, then a huge smile broke out on her face as she reached out and hugged him, tears streaming down her pale face. Griffin was taller than she was and his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders, hers around his waist. They were speechless as they held each other.

The woman finally stepped back and examined her son, taking in his ragged appearance.

"Griffin, I...I don't know what to say. I'm so, so sorry. For everything."

Griffin put his hand on her shoulder. "Mom, it's not your fault," he said, tears lingering in his eyes.

"I just...I missed you so much," she said, embracing him again.

"I missed you too, Mom." He smiled at her and pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, holding her tightly.

After they let go of each other, Kira ran up and threw herself into her mom's arms, causing herself to be noticed for the first time.