Family Time

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Nancy's eyes met Tom's with shock and disbelief. "So what do you think?" she asks. "I don't know. I honestly don't know how I feel," replies Tom. Nancy and Tom had just gotten off the phone with Tom's brother Frank. Frank called to invite the family over to spend the holiday. The invite was unexpected and strange since Tom and Frank had been estranged for years. "Well, I think that was a very sweet gesture, and we should consider it," says Nancy. "You don't find it odd and a bit unnerving that he would call us after all these years?" asks Tom. "Odd, yes, but unnerving? Not sure why that would be the case unless you know something that I don't. I mean, he is your brother." Tom shakes his head and says, "I don't know; it feels strange to me." They go back and forth about the strangeness of the call and invitation. Eventually, Nancy convinces Tom to accept it.

The drive to Frank's felt long and tiring. The family, including Tom, Nancy, and their two kids, would occasionally rest and reset before returning to the road. The road felt narrower, and the street lights dim and unwelcoming. Thankfully the kids were sound asleep in the back. "This feels a bit creepy, don't you think?" asks Nancy. "Yeah, just a tad," replies Tom.

As the road starts to curve and wind, Tom is forced to turn his high beams on. "It's getting a bit dicey for me, so I think we should keep the high beams on," says Tom. "No objection there," she replies. "This drive, though? Why would they live so far out? And so secluded?" she questions as she stares intently out the window and into the darkness ahead. "Not sure, but it sounds like it could be a conversation piece," says Tom. Nancy turns to her husband and laughs, "so, are we trying to find things to talk about and avoid the awkward silence you know is inevitable?" Tom starts to chuckle, and as he does, his young daughter, Susie, begins to awaken from her slumber. "Are we there yet, Dad?" says Susie. Nancy turns around and tells her daughter that they are almost there.

They begin to drive at a much faster rate of speed. The car is filled with heavy panting and nervousness across everyone's faces. Charles, the youngest, finally breaks the silence, "Mommy? I think I have to pee." "Can you hold it for a bit longer, sweetheart?" replies Nancy, "I'll try," says Charles. Nancy is flustered and grabs the phone to see how much longer they have on the road. "Looks like we have about another half an hour. Do you think you can hold it for that long?" Charles shoots his mom a look of intense nervousness and says, "That sounds long, Mom." "It's not, sweetheart; please try to hold it for thirty minutes. It's too dangerous and far too dark to pull over anywhere," says Nancy.

Suddenly the phone navigation screen goes black. "Oh no," she taps on the phone and presses the sides to get the screen back on. "What's wrong?" asks Tom, "I don't know, the phone just died?" replies Nancy. "What? That's not possible. It's plugged into the car charger," says Tom. Nancy continues to poke and tap on the phone, attempting to revive it. She unplugs the charger and plugs it back in but to no avail. "You know what, let's just use my phone," Nancy starts to grab her purse and rummages for her phone. She finds it, and to her surprise, her phone is also unresponsive. "You've got to be kidding me?" "What is it now?" asked Tom, "My phone won't turn on; it's dead like yours," asserts Nancy. "Let's keep our eyes peeled then. You said it's about another thirty minutes, so we should be there soon," says Tom as calmly as he can muster up.

They are greeted by Frank's young daughter, Audrey, and her older brother, Andy. Frank then slowly makes his way down the top of the grand staircase. "Welcome, family!" shouts Frank, "Welcome to our humble abode!"

Frank gets to the bottom of the stairs and immediately goes in for a big hug with Tom. As Frank tightens his grip around Tom, he shoots Nancy an awkward grin, "Oh, it's been so long, Tom; you've filled out a bit more, haven't you?" Frank grabs him by the shoulder and starts to massage him playfully. "It's good to see you, Tom, it really is, and Nancy, my sweet, beautiful sister-in-law Nancy," Frank swings over and embraces Nancy with the same tight grip. "We are happy to be here and appreciate the invite," she replies. Frank releases his grip on Nancy. Charles tugs at his mom's shirt and whispers, "I gotta pee, Mom," she is frazzled "oh yes, Frank would you mind telling us where the restroom is? Poor Charles has been holding it for quite a bit," she laughs, "oh, of course, Andy would you mind showing your cousin Charles where the restroom is?" he asked. Andy starts to usher Charles toward the restroom.

"Shall we go get your luggage?" inquired Frank "yeah, let's go do that, but umm, Frank, I hate to have to ask this, but where is Emily?" Emily is Frank's wife, Mother to Audrey and Andy. He fidgets a bit and smiles awkwardly, "Oh, she's still getting ready for dinner. You'll see her at dinnertime," he replies. "Is there anything I can help her with?" asks Nancy."No help is needed, but we appreciate the offer," he replies. Frank and Tom make their way to the car and back to the house with luggage in tow. Frank and the kids show them their accommodations and tell them dinner will be ready soon.

Once inside their guest bedroom, Nancy waltzes over to Tom and gently whispers, "Something feels off," Tom rushes over to the door and locks it, "Yeah, I know," he quickly snaps back. "Should we even bother to unpack?" she asks, "let's just see how dinner pans out, and we'll go from there," says Tom; Nancy nods in agreement. Next door to them is Charles's and Susie's room.

A loud thumping sound could be heard outside the guest bedrooms. Tom opens the door and looks over the railing, "Frank? Is everything okay?" he shouts, "Yes! We're fine. Dinner should be ready soon!" he yells back up. Tom returns to the guest bedroom and shakes his head in confusion. "What was that?" asks Nancy, "I think Frank was moving something into the dining room." Suddenly Nancy is startled by Audrey and Andy, "Oh my goodness, I didn't see you two standing there." 

Frank gestures for the family to sit. "Please have a seat." The figure at the far end is very still and quiet. The family situates themselves, and as they do, they all have their eyes locked at the far end of the table. Nancy leans across the table and whispers to Frank, "Excuse me for asking, but who is that?" she asks. Frank, amused by the question, immediately laughs, and so do Audrey and Andy. Nancy turns to Tom and shakes her head, "I don't get it? What am I missing?" she questions.

Audrey giggles and finally says, "That's Mommy." Tom and Nancy are shocked and draw glances of uneasiness. Nancy pivots herself towards the dark figure and softly asks, "Emily? Is that you?" No response. A sense of nervousness is now settling in, and Frank can feel the tension. "Emily isn't as social these days, so you'll have to forgive her," says Frank. Still unnerved by the whole thing, Tom asks Frank if they could crack open a window to let some air into the dining area. "We don't like to let the cold in this time of night. I hope you'll understand," remarks Frank. "I hope I'm not being rude here, but there is an extremely foul odor," says Nancy, "and I'll be honest, I'm not sure I want to have dinner with that smell in the air."

Frank shuffles back to the dining area, and the kids ask if the family has left. He shakes his head in disappointment that they have. Audrey starts to let out a whimper and begins to tear up. "I was hoping to have a new friend," she replies sadly. Frank leans into his daughter and wipes a tear from her cheek, "You'll have a friend, and she will be special like Mommy," he says.

Andy gets up, walks towards the dining room window, and stares intently into the darkness. "Is that because he's going to bring them back to us, Dad?" asks Andy. "Of course, he will. He always does. Just like how he brought Mommy back when she didn't want to stay with us anymore." says their Dad. Audrey cracks a large cynical smile.