Writetober 2023, Day 16: 'Night of Nothing (Part I)'

As my mother grew older, she grew more into herself. She was 64, and took care of my brother’s son, Eric. Every week, I visited her home in a quaint neighboring town.

As usual, I headed out to her house. The heart of the town was oddly empty.. I put the oddity to the back of my mind, letting the wind run through my thoughts. 

Soon after, I arrived at my dear Mother’s house. My brother was.. nowhere to be found. His usual messes ceased to exist and his presence was ghostly, as if he was never here.

“Maybe they’re both out at the town market.” I thought to myself, walking over to the dishes.. The sink was full of dishes. As usual, I began to wash them, scrubbing them, deriving them of any previous dirt. 

As I continuously scrubbed the dirty plates, the sun went down. Soon after, the temperature dropped, and as the cold wind hit my bare fingers, I continued to worry about my family. 

Once I finished the dishes, I called my mother, hearing her nurturing voice on her voicemail. “Hi, it’s Erina. Please leave a voicemail and I’ll call you back soon!” 

Would she ever call me back soon? The anxiety was keeping me on edge.. I called my brother’s cellphone, getting the same result. Straight to voicemail. After some time of repeatedly calling the pair, I went to Mom’s backyard.

In her backyard, the salty yet refreshing autumn air hit my nose. It felt like medicine after battling a cold for days. I sat down in the burgundy leaves, not a care in the world, watching the stars.

I thought about Mom, and how I hoped I would find her. Shortly after, I drifted off. I dreamed of distant old memories of her taking me through the park. I woke up a couple of hours later, being flashed back to reality. Still nothing from her. I went up to the guest room, deciding to rest there for the night. I woke up the next morning, deciding to take a walk when I woke up. Everything seemed empty, almost too clean.The whole town had become nothing but a liminal space. Every single mark of life had been removed swiftly..

5 years later, no one has found my Mom or brother.. Even after it all, I still leave out hope that one day we’ll reunite.

written by Zoe