LIFE SURE IS STRANGE A short story. By Glenn Williams

As I opened my eyes the sunlight shone through the crack between the curtains and it was blinding, I was eventually forced to get up. After a short visit to the bathroom I made my way downstairs and was instantly attacked by the dogs coming at me from all directions jumping at me with tongues and tails wagging in unison. As I walked down the hallway I passed a fleeting glimpse at the mirror and was horrified to not recognise the face staring back at me. I know the sun had been bright and my eyes were blurred with sleep but this scared me.

After staring for what seemed forever staring at this unknown face looking back at me I raised my hands up to touch my face the face I was used to seeing for years but now it seems as though I had gone completely mad because the features I touched were not my own. In a blind panic I shouted for my family but there was no answer. I shouted once again and still there was no answer. So I made my way upstairs to see what was going on but as I went into the first bedroom it was empty not just of my sons but empty of all the furniture as well. This was the same for all the rooms, I ran to the window and threw back the curtains and I was staring at a street I had never seen before now I was worried am I completely mad!

After what seemed forever I had calmed down and my heart was no longer running like an out of control express train and my mouth was dry. I made my way downstairs again and into the kitchen I needed a cup of tea to calm my nerves, once again the dogs attacked me but the strange thing was they were my three dogs, but no matter who I was or where I had landed I still needed a cup of tea.

After finishing my drink I opened the curtains in the kitchen and decided that I would go outside and see if there was anything at all that would jog my memory. As I made my way to the front door and turning the key the door opened gently and with anticipation and a feeling of dread I stepped outside.

Once outside everything was as it should be I was in my own garden suddenly I heard voices turned and stared through the kitchen window there was my wife at the sink washing the dishes and she asked what I was doing outside I just shook my head and said not to worry about it and went back into the house. But as I entered the kitchen it was once again empty and I was now scared beyond words and I ran outside again and my wife was still doing the dishes and the kids were playing at the table with their food. I asked her to open the kitchen window and I put my hand through and asked her to hold my hand which she must have thought was a strange thing to do but she did and it felt great to hold her hand. She could feel I was shaking and I asked her to please come outside, and to my amazement she did and I just held onto her so tight she was forced to push me away saying I was hurting her. She asked what was wrong so I told her with some anxiety in my voice and to start with she just laughed and said I should not have seen the horror movie on TV last night .

I told her as calmly as possible what had been happening and although it was hard for her to understand she knew that something was wrong and eventually she had to admit that she had noticed something strange while in the kitchen the kettle had started to boil on it's own without her touching it but she had not thought any more of it. After a few minutes I took her hand and we walked slowly back into the kitchen and once again as we both entered she vanished and I heard a faint scream coming from outside.

I ran outside and she was back at the window crying this time now she was as scared as I was but I had to stay focussed on what was happening. Now I decided to try one more thing before I would go completely mad and I got her to open the kitchen window as wide as she possibly could, and by now the kids were laughing at us and asking all sorts of questions but as the window opened I started to climb through and eventually I landed with a large thud onto the floor with my wife and kids staring at me. I flew up onto my feet trying to embrace all of them at the same time, my wife told me to go and lay down on the sofa and she would bring me a cup of tea and we would talk about what had just happened.

I lay down on the sofa and closed my eyes and far off in the distance I heard my wife shouting and as I opened my eyes the sun was shining through the crack between the curtains and instantly I was attacked by the dogs being licked to death, you would have thought I had been away for weeks. I looked up and my wife was staring at me from the kitchen and she said "good morning" "would you like a cup of tea" and wiping the sleep from my eyes all I could reply was "yes tea would be great".

Photographs courtsey and Copyright © Mo thisisUll.com

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