Just Take a Step Back

This Old Room

            The knob began to twist, unlocking the pine door as the old, long-but-forgotten room began to appear through the widening crack. She cringed in fear, stopping herself—and the door—as it began to creak, seemingly echoing throughout the hallway, and perhaps the entire house. As loud as it seemed, no matter how slow she would push, the hinges were quite persistent to awaken those passed out from the exhausting day before behind them. However, despite the echoes, she could faintly make out the snores and mutters of her fiancé. She nudged the wooden entrance open all the way, leaving it to side upon the door rest, and breathed in the sick yet familiar must. The woman walked over to the navy-blue adorned bed, and plopped herself down upon the mattress. She glanced around the room, wondering how long it'd been since she'd been in here. She peered over to the side of the bed, where the brown dresser sat. A smile crept across her face, as she noticed a still-framed image of a boy sitting on a bench. Beside him stood a man which laid a hand across the boy's shoulder, while he pursed his lips and kissed the boy's mother; her.

            She bore the camera that captured one of the most memorable moments of her lifetime, or at least she was convinced of that before. She hadn't noticed until now, however long it may have took her to realize what it'd been, and found it to be quite puzzling and strikingly odd. The boy was diverting his eyes away from the lens, staring at the scenic view of the mountains in the distance, and the bluish lake reflecting the beautiful bright, warm sun on the horizon. That wasn't what struck her as odd. The expression he wore was empty, and the blank eyes he now bore had its color stolen away, metaphorically speaking. His energetic side always kept him at play, and his happiness would never fade, no matter how difficult times were. However, this was the first time she'd seen her son sad, despite all the times he'd scrape his skin across the pavement, or get teased and harassed by his classmates.

He was truly one of the happiest children I'd ever known.

            Sighing, she wiped a tear away with her finger as she got up from the bedding, setting the frame unknowingly on the edge of the dresser. A loud thud was heard after she took a couple steps towards the door, and she glanced back around to notice that the frame fell to the floor in pieces. Parts of the frame itself were cracked and scattered among the wooden surface. The glass sheet protecting the still image was smashed, and now shimmering tiny grains which were sprinkled across the tan flooring. She knelt down, collecting as many of pieces she could and set them aside. Lifting the frame up from the ground, she sat it on the dresser, however, a golden clip that kept the picture in place broke away, letting loose the back covering. Suddenly a piece of paper fell out onto the dresser. Confused, she sat the frame down, picking up the oddly-placed scrap and analyzed it for further inspection. The mother was hesitant enough to consider putting it back, disregarding its existence. Yet, for some reason, the curiosity filling up inside overpowered her hesitance. Unfolding the apparent letter, she pondered each sentence, taking in every single word written across the letter.