Barbara had been worried sick. Her son hadn't replied to any of her texts or answered any of her calls. She was starting to imagine the worst. That he had been kidnapped or something even more terrible had happened to him. She had looked everywhere, contacted his friends, but they hadn't seen him. Then one day, she comes home from work after forgetting her phone, and finds him in glowing armour, fighting an old man.
"Mom!" Jim says, noticing her after parrying an attack from the old man's sword. "This is... er, not what you think?"
While her son was looking at Barbara, the old man had used the advantage to push Jim up against the wall and hold his sword to her son's neck.
"What are you- oh!" she was about to intervene when the old man had pulled something blue off Jim's chest. The latter screamed, his armour just- disappeared, and Jim fell unconscious.
"What- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SON?!" Barbara screamed, lunging for the old man with a broom she had grabbed.
"Please, relax. I did not mean your son much harm," the old man said. "I merely needed him to stop worrying about his friends, and, well, problem solved."
"Get out of my house!" she yelled. She was about to whack him with her broom when it soared out of her hands. "How did-"
"I am Merlin. I am a wizard. You should not have seen this. Please, close your eyes." the old man named Merlin said.
Barbara did not obey. "Excuse me?" she asked.
"I said, please close your eyes," Merlin repeated. He pointed his sword at her.
Not understanding, but confused, Barbara obeyed.
When she opened her eyes, she was back in her office.
"Hm, that was a strange daydream," she mused. She saw her phone in front of her. "Huh. I thought I forgot that," she added. She then got back to work.
It was nighttime when Barbara had finished her work. She opened the front door, wondering when her son would return. She was about to throw herself on the couch and pity herself, but she saw a monster sleeping on it instead! She screamed and whacked it on the head with a broom when it started to stir. It saw her threateningly holding the broom and it screamed.
"What- what are you doing?" The monster held its hands out in front of it and screamed again when it saw its hand. "My hand- what's wrong with my hand?"
"I don't know what the hell you are, but you need to leave!" Barbara said bravely.
"Mom! Mom, it's me, Jim!" the monster said.
"You are not my son! My son is human!" she yelled. She had obviously struck a nerve. The monster looked at her with pain and sadness.
"Is- is that really what you think? Am I that different?" the monster asked quietly. The it did something strange- it started to cry. The way it cried was so familiar to Barbara. And then she realized. This really was her son.
"Jim?" she asked. The monster- or potentially her son- nodded.
Then an old man walked through the door.
"Yes. That is your son, James Lake Junior." the old man said. She thought she recognised him. What was his name? Marlin? Melly?
Barbara glared at them. "Explain."