Fractured

4

Once he was fully awake, Nathaniel rose from his bedside to his dresser. He gathered himself some warm clothing, a jumper, some track pants, a beanie and two pairs of mittens. Nathan walked out his door, it was early, and his mother was yet to wake. He went to his and his mother's shared bathroom. Most people would take a hot shower in the morning, Nathaniel did not. He turned the tap to colder than cold and let the water run loose. According to Nathaniel the cold clears the mind and he believed that he would need a clear head if he was to go through with his plan for that day.

After his shower, Nathaniel dried himself off with his frilly blue towel and rugged up with his warm clothes. Dressed, he looked in the mirror, soon he would need to shave, soon he would need a haircut, and soon he would do just that, but not now. Now he was busy. He moved silent as a shadow, not attempting to hide his movements, but doing so anyway. His mother needed her sleep, and so he let her have it. Nathaniel made himself breakfast in the kitchen, made his bed in his bedroom and put on his shoes in the hallway. He said not a word this morning, his mind though. That was talking.

He held his remembered keys to the front door, turned them in the lock and progressed outside. He turned back and locked his door. He saw the morning rays of sun through the early clouds; he squinted as his brown eyes adjusted to the light. He left his house. He went left. His pace consistent not rushed or hurried but completely natural. This is unexpected of someone chasing their sanity and an invisible house

Nathaniel knew exactly where it should not be, he also knew where it should. It was that simultaneous knowledge that allowed him to walk on, he continued to progress down the street, he needed the house to be there. It was a requirement, the one and only. He counted each step in every square on the footpath, two steps each, then one on the cracks. He was repeating this pattern to himself the whole time he walked. It was all he did and all he had done. Two then crack. Two then crack.

Many cracks later he stopped, raised his eyes to it, to where it was. It was there. He could see the house, he could see the battle on its door, he could see its intricate window frames, he could see everything. The house was just there. It was not a figment of his imagination. His eyes tight in determination, he took a step forward. Nathaniel was being watched. It was early morning and he never thought anyone else could be up at the same time as him. The resident looked out his window at the boy.

He studied the young man before him with startled eyes. The boy was looking straight at his house, no one ever did that. It was not visible to the normal person, how could this boy see what none before him had? These were the questions the resident asked himself. He was intrigued by this irregularity, he was amazed by this anomaly and so he rose from his window seat at the sound of knocking. He opened the door.