Author's Note: I'm still having trouble writing that story for Queenie, and it's driving me crazy. So I decided to write another story, to get my mind off of it. Again. I was sitting there, wondering what to write, and the only thing I could hear was a cricket outside my window. That's how this got started.
Much of my inspiration came from Jake's chapter in the fic Alone, by Stretch1. The link is in my favorites, if you're interested.

Disclaimer: I don't own Jake, or anything Newsie-related. The idea that Jake came from down South (although I chose a different state) was inspired by Stretch1's fic, Alone (Go read it. It's amazing.) But that's about the only thing... I changed his past and everything else to make it my fic, not Stretch1's.

Queenie, doll, this is for you. I'm so sorry your fic isn't getting done very quickly. And thank you for looking this over for me... you're the best!

This is only the prologue… sorry it's so short!

Crickets chirping. I hear them every night. Not only in my dreams- sometimes when I'm awake too. But if I told anyone that, they'd think I'm crazy. There are no crickets in New York City, after all.

It's this mind I've got. I'm not ashamed to say I got a vivid memory- I can recall things at the drop of a hat. But that means that sometimes the past is so real, it gets confused with the now. Like hearing the crickets, and plenty of other things. Waking up insanely early, for no reason at all; practicing my times tables in my head, when I have no use for them; slipping into my old accent, until I get surprised looks and snap out of it; hearing a laugh and recognizing it as amazingly familiar, only to find that nobody else heard it, and besides, that person is long out of my life...

I miss the past. If there was a path that lead back to it, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

A/N: This definitely isn't my favorite of my stories... but I like it well enough. I might rewrite it one of these days, if I feel up to it. Tell me what you think.
And what's this I hear about not being able to give shoutouts? That's so disappointing… So I'll just say thanks to all of you who reviewed Perfect Aim and Beautiful. You all rock.
And I'm expecting this to have about five chapters… I know... -gasp-... It's not a one shot.