emilyreid

[emilyreid]

Alone Together (3) - The Life of Mrs. Manson

Mrs. Manson was old. In recent years, her ability to take care of herself began declining after the loss of her husband. And so, she felt eternally grateful to have her loving son by her side to keep her company. She missed her husband dearly, but having David with her every day kept her from falling into a pit of loneliness.

On a Saturday like any other, she worked in the kitchen awaiting her daughter's arrival. “David!” She called out, hoping for a hand in the kitchen. “Come help your mother slice the bread, your sister will be here any minute with the chili” As she set the table for three, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was her daughter, Elizabeth. Hugging her, she noticed that a few steps behind her was Amy, the nice girl from down the street who occasionally delighted Mrs. Mason with a tin of homemade cookies.

“Amy” she let out a wide smile. “What a nice surprise, I wasn't expecting you today.” She looked over to her daughter before having an epiphone. “Oh, Amy! You would be just perfect for my son. A sweet, pretty girl like you, you should join us for dinner so I can finally introduce the two of you...” She began to call out, “Oh David-” Her daughter interrupted. “I think Amy has to go, Mom, maybe another time.” Elizabeth forced a smile and quickly showed Amy out the door.

“She really is a nice girl that Amy.” Mrs. Manson continued... “Do you fancy some tea? I'll have David prepare some.” Her daughter let out a sigh and headed to the kitchen to start the kettle. 

Just like every Saturday for the past year and a half, Elizabeth spoke to her mother for hours at the round dinner table. Only this time she didn't know it would be the last.

A short while after the passing of Mrs. Manson, Elizabeth came to sort out the items in her house. Following hours of packing boxes and organizing clothing and trinkets, she came across an album of old photos. For about an hour, Elizabeth sat at the round table where she exchanged countless conversations with her mother, recounting all of the wonderful memories the house held. Just as she felt her eyes begin to fill with tears, three knocks hit the door. Elizabeth peered through the window and saw Amy with a tin of cookies.

Opening the door, Amy immediately knew something was wrong. Elizabeth then broke the news of her mothers death. 

“How is your brother holding up?” Amy asked. “I wish I got to meet him, your mother constantly spoke of how kind and helpful he was, living with her after the passing of her husband.”

Elizabeth's heart slowed. She took a deep breath and began to hesitantly explain the story of her brother. The kidney he tried to give his father to save his life. How they both passed away in the same night. That her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia shortly after the incident. 

“My mother hallucinated quite a bit.” She started. “At first we thought she was grieving, but quickly realized she truly believed my brother was living with her. She was able to wrap her head around the loss of her husband, but losing her child was unfathomable. I was concerned, for a while. But now, looking back and seeing how happy she was towards the end, thinking that her son was always there with her. It gives me comfort. Even though she was alone, they were sort-of alone together.”

Media Credits (In order of appearance)

Cecille Blake

“The Shadow Series” - Tony Luciani

Lexie Jules

“The Shadow Series” - Tony Luciani

[emilyreid]

Alone Together (2) - My Dear Steven

My Dear Steven,

My whole life I've preferred to be alone. I’ve always felt disconnected from the rest of the world....

Almost like an alien on my own planet. Like my mind didn't belong, or rather my soul. I looked at the rest of society and often thought about how absurd it was that people all follow these made-up conventions that govern our world. None of that is real. Work, money, laws, it's all just made-up bullshit that humans have, as they call it, “perfected” over countless years. I've always felt wrong. Like I looked at life differently. As if my brain was missing something that everybody else had. I felt broken. That was until I met you.

Steven, when I met you, my life changed. My heart changed. My soul changed. The moment we first spoke I felt this incredible, indescribable feeling in my heart. Like my brain finally understood why everything I'd ever experienced in this life happened. It was all to lead me to this moment. To you. As if my soul and yours were always meant to find each other.

It felt like, without knowing you, you knew everything there was to know about me, the real me, not the person I pretended to be for the convenience of others. When we began hanging out, driving each other to and from rugby practice, that's when I realized our minds were connected. The conversations we shared and the unspoken love between us from the moment we met made me realize that this was it. The reason I was put on this earth. It was so I could find you, and you, me. 

When you and I were alone together, I felt like I could breathe for the first time. Like the world was no longer a fog of confusion and chaos, I could see the world clearly as long as I was with you. The weight of life and everything that came with it was finally lifted off my shoulders. When we were alone together, I felt a sense of comfort and certainty. 

When we were with other people, we became the faces that they wanted us to be. There was a layer of us that we were hiding. But even amidst the others, we still secretly had one another. I could look at you and know, an hour from now when we're alone together, all will be right in the world because I'll have you and you will have me.

I like to think that you and I were painted by the same artist. Or created from the same star. Or maybe even “cut from the same cloth” as others say. The point is, you and I, Steven, we’re the definition of soulmates. You’re my definition of a soulmate. 

It breaks my heart to leave you, but you know I don’t have a choice. 

I hope you always know how much I love you. Our friendship meant more than the world to me because you were my whole world. Thank you for being the one person I preferred to be with rather than alone. I promise to find you in another universe. Now that I know you, you and I will never be alone again. We will always be alone together. 

Media Credits (In order of appearance)

Jim Stark

“Blue Cloud”

Robert Moss

Mirayam Kim

[emilyreid]

Alone Together (1) - Country Roads, Take Me Home

At seventeen years old, Alice often found herself overwhelmed by her busy student-athlete life in Barrie. Whenever she could, she’d take the opportunity to drive up to her aunt's country home among the rolling hills of Mulmur. The roads that brought her from the bustle of the city to the quiet, comforting presence of Mulmur were her favorite. 

After a long week, she headed up to her aunt's house for dinner. Although it was almost two hours of driving round-trip just for a few hours of company with her aunt, it felt well worth it. 

On the way there, she made an illegal left turn upon realizing that Innisfil Beach Road, the route she normally takes, was closed for construction. Had she not caught herself and pulled a U-ie, she would’ve been stuck on the 400 series all the way back to Barrie. Pulling over to a Tim Hortons, she looked for an alternative way to get to her aunt's house. The only route that didn’t send her thirty minutes in the wrong direction put her on poorly paved and unlit side roads, but she was determined. So she began to drive. Alone. A decision she would come to regret.

After a lively visit with her aunt, she promptly headed home in the dark of the night, ready for the hour of driving ahead. 

When she reached Thornton, preparing to make her typical left turn back to Barrie, she remembered the closed road and instead signaled right, trying to retrace her path home on the uncertain country roads. “Country roads, take me home” she sang softly to herself. Nobody could hear her. She was alone.

It was dark. She could only see the road directly in front of her. She drove slowly and cautiously, minding the winding roads and unpaved sections. Just as her brain began to switch to autopilot, she noticed something in the middle of the road. Spikes. Laid across the pavement from ditch to ditch. Sure to pop her tires.

Turning around would delay her return home by hours at minimum, but her gut told her not to get out of the car. A few minutes passed and the car shut off. That had never happened before. Her heart dropped. The lights had gone off. It was pitch black. 

She quickly restarted the ignition. Without thinking, she stepped out of the car to move the spikes. Getting half of them off the road as quickly as she could, she heard a sound that scared her like nothing had before. The car locked. Looking at the keys in her hand, she panicked and began desperately pressing the unlock button. Nothing happened. 

Terrified in the dark, she ran back to the car trying anything to get the door open. Remembering her almost-dead phone sitting on the passenger's seat, she instinctively smashed the window. Alice reached in and grabbed her phone, turning on the flashlight, and frantically looking around. Nothing was there. Nobody was there. She was alone. Or so she thought.

She noticed a car pull up on the other side of the spikes, its headlights blinding her. 

“Help,” she thought. She ran up to the car and her heart sank when she saw nobody sitting there. Terrified, she began screaming for help. Something ran through the bushes. Scared, Alice hopped into the ghost-driver car and locked the doors. Letting out a sign that bordered on relief and terror simultaneously. She was alone.

Suddenly, a soft whisper graced her ear. Before she could turn her head two hands grabbed her neck and mouth from the backseat. 

She hadn’t been alone, but rather alone together. 

Media Credits (In order of appearance)

John Denver

Kurt Huggins

"The Lineup"

Vae Minaxo