The candles had burnt down to the last centimeter of wick, the melted wax laid puddle on the wooden table. A constant dripping sound came from the glass of wine, tipped over and slowly emptying onto the white carpet. 3 chairs lined the table, and four indents on the carpet took the place of a fourth. A clock ticked quietly from the opposite side of the room, the hour hand approaching 12, the second hand making a pass at 6.
The woman, with dark amber eyes and salt and pepper hair, lay asleep in the twin sized bed. The missing chair accompanied her in her slumber, a figure sitting erect against the furniture. As he gazed down at the sleeping woman, he sang a lullaby softly.
She must have heard him, for in her sleep she stirred. With wide eyes she stared at the figure, and bolted up from the mattress, startling the figure.
"Who are you? Why are you here? Get out!" Her panicked voice rang through his ears as he struggled the grab her shoulders and lay her back down on her bed. He was sure someone had heard her, woken up from their slumber as well. Wincing as the woman dug her nails into his arms, he chocked out an answer.
Quietly and calmly he spoke, "Shhh, quiet, the others are sleeping. It's alright, it's me, can't you see?" She looked at him puzzled, and continued to struggle out of his grasp. "Don't you remember?"
She choked, "I don't know what you are talking about, now please, leave." He let go of her, and shifted backwards in his chair. Standing up, he took a step forward. As he looked back, she looked down. Down, at his shoes, which made a clicking sound as he walked on the hardwood floor of the bedroom. Cleats, why was he wearing cleats?
That's when it came back to her, a flood of images which played like a movie in her head. Vivid colors, vibrant images. Faces, voices, tastes. Engulfing her in a surge of emotions.
The keys, where did she leave the keys? They were somewhere around here…weren't they? And the grocery list! Where had they all gone?
"Honey, do you know where the car keys are? I don't seem to remember where I placed them. I need the go grocery shopping, could you help me? Audrey, Michael, will one of you be a dear and help poor old Mom?" Her voice echoed in the quiet house.
There was no response, even after calling him again. Confusion and a troubling sense of isolation gripped her. Holding her breathe, she waiting impatiently for a response. When, once again, she heard nothing, she made her way up the winding staircase.
No one. She had checked every room, every hall way. No one was in the house. Where had they gone? Why hadn't they informed her first?
The creaking sound of the front door made her snap her neck around to glance down the stairs. A tall man walked in, followed by a dark haired girl and boy, all laughing. The man and the boy took of their cleats, and dropped them heartlessly on the tile flooring. Soon after, a golden colored dog ran excitedly through the open door, chasing a black and white ball.
"Where have you been?" Her voice was aggravated, the creases on her forehead emphasized against her pale skin. The young boy and girl ran out of the woman's view giggling, as the man slowly walked up the stairs.
With a concerned tone, he began "Well, honey, Michaels football game has been marked on the calendar for weeks now, and I remember reminding you before we left," He stopped to study his wife, "Why are you all dressed up?"
She sat down on the top stair, "I was going grocery shopping, we are running low on cereal and I thought," He sat down next to her.
"But you went shopping yesterday, and I made the kids bagels this morning, so unless you ate two boxes of corn flakes," He studied her uneasy expression. "Honey, are you all right?"
"Yeah, I just, I'm not sure what's gotten into me. I can't get anything straight now-a-days." She placed her head in her hands for a moment, before looking back to the man. "What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing is wrong with you," His distressed expression told her he wasn't so sure himself. "Here, I'll schedule an appointment with the doctor tomorrow, okay?" At her nod, he got to his feet, and climbed the last stair.
Glancing over at the railing, she could see the luster of a key sparkling in the sunlit hall way. Sighing, she also stood, and grabbed the keys on her way to the kitchen. Opening the cupboard, she removed one of two boxes of cornflakes. Reaching up the grab a bowl, her right hand moved a notepad full of brand names to the side. As she poured her breakfast, she remembered throwing out the milk yesterday, it hadn't smelled right.
Scowling, she reached for a pen, tore off the pen marked sheet of notepad paper, and started a list. "1.Remember to buy milk."
With tears of regret streaming down her face, she looked up at the sullen figure in the doorframe. "Honey, did you remember to buy to milk?"
In an instant, he had turned around and was by her side. Holding her hand delicately in his, he smiled, "Of course, but thank you for remembering." He gave her one last kiss, before slowly turning away. He nodded a hello to the nurse in the hallway, who walked in inside as he exited.
With a smile on his face, he drove through the dimly lit streets, towards home, to have a bowl of cornflakes.