Chapter 6 - What really happened...

"Shrek..." Maria paused for a moment. "It was so long ago..."

"It really wasn't anything dramatic or life changing, at least it wasn't supposed to be like that."

Knowing that Shrek probably didn't understand what she just said, his parents decided to take him someplace very special.

"Come with us son, we'll show you your past, and explain what happened."

On the third floor in the main house, past the main foyer, the endless hallways, and broken mirrors, they stopped at a partially filled bookshelf.

"This is were you grew up Shrek."

"Here, in this book shelf?"

Maria gave Shrek a sarcastic smile. She went to one end and pushed it. Behind the bookshelf was a dark wooden door. As Maria unlocked it, she said,

"It has been over 15 years since this bedroom was last used. After you left, we moved Murdoc out. Nothing has been altered or moved in here in all those years."

The door opened with a subtle squeak. Inside, the room was pitch black. Maria lit a small candle that was nearby. The room filled with light, what was inside amazed Shrek.

His old toys, bed, sleeping cage, MAD magazines, and his posters of Earon the ogre.

"This is...", "My...", Shrek stumbled in his words.

"My bedroom."

"We knew that we would be going back to this old place again sooner or later."

Shrek looked around, and remembered his fun childhood. He picked up one of the Mad magazines that were stacked with others on a shelf near his old bed.

"Heh, heh, I remember these old things. I used to read them into the wee hours of the night."

"Yes, we remembered as well. You and Murdoc would read all night. Sometime we'd find you still holding a book while sleeping."

Shrek put the magazine down and walked further into the small room. The bedroom was small in size, but had tall ceilings. Wind chimes and sleeping cages hanged from it. There were two beds on both sides of the room with short shelves with cloths and books at either end of the beds. A large picture window was at the far end of the room with a view to the black lagoon that was not far away.

"Say? Isn't this my bed over here?"

Shrek sat at on his old bed, it moaned under his weight. He picked up a doll that was at one end of the bed, it was in the shape of Earon. Shrek looked at it for a while and remembered his younger days. He became a little sad thinking about it.

"I don't understand it. Why was I kicked out? I know that I wasn't acting to good just before I left..."

Shrek looked in the direction of his parents.

"Why did I have to go?"

"You didn't have to go. It was YOU that left." Maria said back.

"I know I did, but YOU guys kicked me out. What was I to do?"

"We gave you your own place to stay on the property. It was all ready for you, but you left before we could mention it."

Shrek now realized what happened. He was to blame for leaving his family behind!

"Oh. I see." Shrek was in an awkward position. "But you guys did say I was kicked out of the house!"

Maria stood back and said,

"I think you took our words a little too seriously, when we said "your KICKED OUT OF THE HOUSE" we didn't mean to that you had to leave us. We just meant that you couldn't stay in the house anymore."

There was a moment of silence. Shrek went over to the window and looked out into the night.

"We'll you guys sure gave me the impression that I was supposed to leave." Shrek said calmly.

Cearl walked over to were Shrek was and put his hand on Shrek's shoulder.

"You know, come to think of it, we were kind of harsh."

"Me and Cearl are sorry if you got the wrong impression from what we said." Maria added in.

Shrek turned around and said,

"Well..."

"Will you accept an apology from us?"

Shrek smiled and hugged his parents.

"Yes." Shrek said happily.

"Thanks." Shrek's parents said in an emotional voice.

After hugging, Shrek said in a funny tone,

"I wasn't acting that good that summer."

Shrek was ready to hit the hay again. Before deciding to leave, he glanced at other bed on the other side of the room. Murdoc, his oldest brother used to sleep in the bed across from were Shrek slept.

"Mom, dad... I do have another problem on my mind." Shrek paused. "I can't stop thinking about my oldest brother Murdoc, there something just not right about him... I feel as if I... I left him in the dark somehow."

Murdoc is Shrek's first brother. Both were very close and became best friends. When Shrek left, he left Murdoc behind.

Maria and Cearl knew what happened. Maria said to Shrek in a solemn voice,

"Shrek, Murdoc was a close friend until you left. After that, he was never the same... He stopped getting involved in our daily activities, and would often be by himself most of the time."

Shrek knew what he had to do, so did his parents.

"We can't really help you in trying to gain his friendship with him again, but we can say that he is lonely and needs a brother."

"I know..." Shrek said hesitantly, almost ready to give up.

Shrek perked up, and shook the doubts out of his mind. He looked back at his parents and said firmly,

"I must try and be a brother to him again. I'm not going to let it go this time."

Shrek's parents became happy inside, and smiled.

As Shrek walked out of the main house he looked up and saw his bedroom window. He could see his parents hugging. The bedroom went dark, as Maria and Cearl left the view of the window.

Shrek smiled, he felt good inside. As he left the main lawn and entered the guesthouse, a unnoticed face stared at him from the dark. In the thick forest that lay on the perimeter of the lawn, hidden away from the moonlight, the unknown entity looked upon Shrek and deviated.

Shrek heard a noise behind him coming from the woods. He looked back, but saw nothing.

He fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. He dreamed of being in a perfect family with his parents, brothers and sisters.

Shrek was confidant that he could repair his relationship with Murdoc, and continue were he left off from. Little did he knew what the outcome would be...