Tom hugged himself tightly. How long had he been here already? He felt so alone. All he wanted to do was get out of this dark room, even though it felt as though it was his whole world now. "I don't want to be in here." He whispered to himself.
But those strange men in white coats said that he needed to be in this place. They said that he was a mad person, and since this was a place for mad people, he belonged here. But he didn't. Tom wasn't mad, no matter what other people said. Sure, strange things had happened around him, but that did not mean he was mad. He did not belong here.
He heard the heavy metal door open, and he looked up. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the man standing in the doorway, a man he had thought he would never see again. "Father…?" he asked cautiously.
The man smiled. He held his arms wide. "Hello Tom. Come and give your old man a hug."
"Father!" he cried out, running into the man's arms, hugging his chest tightly. "I thought you left me." He whispered.
The man chuckled. "I would never abandon you Tom, because you are my son."
Tears of happiness ran down Tom's face. He was finally going home, where he really belonged…
X
There was a crash of thunder, and Tom's eyes shot open. He sat up, and saw the raindrops coming down the dark window. With a jolt, he realized what was happening and began to frantically grab at the dream that was already floating away, but it ran through his fingers like running water.
Finally, he gave up, and curled up into a ball, sobbing as he faced with the reality of it all…