Take me home

Once upon a time, long ago, there was an old lady who lived in a house with two dogs. Her name was Lily and she had three sons and two daughters. She was very happy and her house was full of wonderful things. One day, she decided that one of them should go to the river and fetch water for her. The only problem is, they all were too young. So she made them promise that if one person went, the others would look out for him . They all agreed so she sent the youngest one off. He walked for three days until he reached a lake. There he saw someone. He thought it might be his brother but then again, it could not have been because he came alone. It must have been some trick, a mistake… maybe a hallucination. But then he heard someone say “Come with me” and he couldn’t help himself. He followed the voice and after walking along for many miles, he found himself at the edge of a large forest. He didn’t know what to do. Should he go through or try to make his way back? He looked around him for guidance. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. When he turned, he gasped. There was a man sitting on top of a rock in a black cloak. His hair was white as snow and his eyes were grey and cold. He held out his hand. ‘ I will take you home’ he said.

After a moment of hesitation, he took the mans hand. ‘ You can trust me’ the stranger said.

‘ What do you mean?’ he asked.

‘ I will protect you from evil spirits’ the stranger replied, ‘ Come with me and I will guide you safely to your home.’

The strange man walked into the woods with him and soon enough, he felt safe. Everything was going just like he’d imagined. There were no monsters or bears lurking around and the woods were beautiful. They were in a field surrounded by a fence. In front of them stood a huge mansion. On each side were tall trees filled with colorful leaves. After climbing up the hillside, the stranger lead him down to a clearing. There, a beautiful garden lay before . A few flowers grew here and there, and in the center stood an elegant pond. There were ducks swimming around in the water.

‘Welcome home’ the stranger said, smiling.

‘ Where am I?’ he asked.

The stranger shook his head and smiled.

‘I cannot tell you where we are. All I can tell you is that this is the only place you will ever need to call home. Now follow me’ he continued leading him over to a path lined by trees that led towards a house hidden among the foliage. Once there, he pushed open the door. They walked inside and sat down in the middle of a living room decorated with gold embroidery on velvet. The fireplace lit the room, casting a warm glow on the room. There was a sofa with plush cushions surrounding two armchairs. In between the couch and chair were several bookshelves filled with various novels, picture frames, and other knick knacks.

He looked around the room again and his eyes locked onto the fireplace. On top of one of the shelves was a pot full of bluebells. They glowed softly under the light of the fire, giving the room a calming ambience.

‘These are my favorite flowers’ he said looking down at the flower.

‘They remind me of something I once loved. It’s a story I hope you will enjoy’ the strange man replied.

‘ Thank you’ he said, ‘But why did you bring me here?’

The stranger sighed sadly and sat down in a large armchair, which was covered with a red and white quilt.

‘When I was younger, I used to play with children all the time. One day I told the little boy to stay away from me. I don’t remember much after that but the last thing I remember seeing clearly was him screaming as he ran across the park. For some reason, it frightened me more than anything else so when I met you, I knew that you needed protection. I brought you here because I wanted to give you a chance to live a normal life. I want you to be happy’ the stranger explained.

‘Thank you’ he said, ‘But how can I be happy when I don’t even know who you are?’

The stranger laughed.

‘You already know who I am’ he stated. ‘Now I have only one last thing left to show you before I leave you. It’s something I always wished I could show my own son before he passed away and left me in loneliness’.

He got up and grabbed his cane from the floor. He put one foot on the couch cushion and began walking towards the fireplace.

Before disappearing into the darkness, he turned around.

‘Goodbye, son’ he said.

And e was gone.