"It hasn't changed a bit."

"all our shit is gone."

"I can see that mom. they really cleaned this place out." the worn traveler walks into the dining area of the abandoned Food Jackal and peers over to the corner. he spies the mattress that he drug up the overgrown path way from the valley below so many years ago. "at least they left my bed. I remember the day I drug this inside. you were so mad and worried, mostly worried. mainly cause stuff was so crazy back then but also cause you were always a tad protective." pausing for a solid minute as if caught in a fragmented memory before snapping back to the empty room. "this place feels a lot more different then I remember."

"well of course you dumb ass, its been almost 15 years since you set foot in this place. and its not like anyone was going to take care of it."

"I know." Reggie proclaims "it's just...well its just, you know how you feel when you haven't seen your home in a really long time. you travel and see the world. try to get a better understanding of your self...." Reggie peers out the grimy window as the billowing clouds begin to turn in the dark sky. "....and just before long you find that you hit the road that leads you straight back to the place that turned you into the person that wanted to leave in the first place."
rain beings to hurl its self down. "and when you finally return, everything is just a bit older but still feels like it did when you were just a young kid making blanket forts in the living room."

"yeah, but most the time. it wasn't the place. you felt at home cause the people you loved filled that home with warmth."

Reggie scoffs "you sound like one of those old greeting cards we used to make for each other. they said things like "live love hope." or "you can accomplish anything with the help of a friend."

"I forgive you but you must for give ones self"

Reggie snickers "oooOoo profound."

"its true though...about this place feeling different, there's a kind of energy that flows though a place. and it can be altered by people or sometimes the absence of people."

"oh okay. and I assume that your going to read my aura next." he mockingly laughs through his teeth. the rain thickens as it pelts the window. a crack of lighting strikes in the distance. a few seconds later a peak across the valley is hit. flashing directly in the window the room is filled with an intense light for a split second. just long enough for Reggie spot another bed in the south east corner of the dining hall. Reggie's joking demeanor shifts abruptly to a somber sigh. "that's where you used to sleep." walking over to the bed he sees an old cell phone covered in a thick layer of dust residing next to the damp pillow. the screen intact but thoroughly scratched. the tall modeled fox finds himself gripping the phone. entranced by it he pulls a S.U.N.C. from his pocket and plugs the phone in to the port. a few moments later the phone flickers to life. the light floods the room showing just how much the place has changed. "it works. well I'll be damned." as the loading screen blacks out for a blink. the hall falls silent and dark. he looks over to the other bed. then the lock screen pops back and fills the room once again. "Reggie recognizes the background picture "this is mine! I can't believe it's still here!"

he sits there for a moment trying to remember his password. and after a few attempts gives up. "you probably won't want to see whats on there anyways."
Reggie looks up from his phone "why wouldn't I? this was my whole life before. you know how many pictures I have of you on this thing?!" I haven't got a single picture of you." in a huff to open the phone he tries a couple more time.

"that phone was your whole life. that doesn't sound pathetic. how could one persons life be crammed into a thing so small and fragile?
that was ridiculous."

Reggie turns up from the device again "do you remember the password."

"but totally believable." a quick breath "No, I can't say that I ever knew it?"

punching in a few more pins he gives up. he flops back on the bed. a large quantity of dust flies up into the cold dry air.

"1312...no 53....uhhh34 nope god damn it" Reggie flings out number after number trying to see if anything trips his memory.

"you're talking to your self again. you haven't done that in a while?"

Reggie tilts back up "of course, I always talk to my self when I feel lonely. and this place makes me feel lonely." outside the sky is at war with its self. winds howling through the rolling hills and sinking into an endless hum from the valley below. he flips the light of the screen towards the room. the tables piled by the door and the the service counter piled high with chairs. finding his gaze to the corner where his bed resided. the sky grow darker. evening was approaching but the storm had yet to let up. caught in that same puzzling memory he had from staring at it earlier. "I think I slept in your bed the last night we stayed here." he mumbled to himself

"you're talking to your self again."

slowly a picture of that night came into view. "I remember. I was scared of sleeping so close to the window during a thunder storm. and it was kicking a lot like it is now."

"yeah and you wouldn't put down your stupid cell phone. the light was so glaring."

siting up all the way, the tired fox finds him self renewed with energy. "you kept telling me to shut it off but I wouldn't listen. it was the only thing giving me comfort."
for some reason Reggie's heart began to race. he felt a sense of urgency rush through his extremities. "we shouldn't talk any more." he blurts out.

"what's wrong?"

Reggie feels his blood boiling as his fight or flight instinct begins to kick in. gets up from the bed and paces around the room as hail begins to thwack the roof.
he hastily moves towards the door and closes it. he gravitates back to the center of the room where a soft spot in the floor creeks. he looks down. lightning strikes close by and rattles the glass. collapsed on the floor he scans the room for a place to hide.

"what the hell is wrong talk to me."

"Shut up mom, please!" he grinds through his teeth. "make the rain stop it so god damn loud." begging and pleading with him self he gets louder and louder. he scans the room abruptly and spots the supply cabinet beneath the soda machine and begins to make a stumbled crawl to towards the faded pink doors. "JUST MAKE IT STOP!" grabs the handle and yanks the door open and shoves him self in side.

"Stop talking to your self you scaring me!"

the lighting smashes against the side of the foot hill causing the whole building to rattle. "STOP TALKING TO ME! Please Just stop please....please...."
a bright line of flickering light slips in through the warped door. " I don't want you to stop talking to me. but I need you to give me a chance." Reggie slows his breath as the lightning starts to roll into the distance. "I need to be a rest and so do you."

"are you finally saying good bye?"

calming down he remains silent. a quick relaxing breath of air, he looks through the crack in the door. "I didn't mean to attract them." he begins to well up. a relief of pressure that has been holding him up beings to flow. "I was just so scared that I ignored you. they found out were we where." unable to control it, he begins to pour out "I'm sorry mom, I'm so...soo..soooo sorry. I want you to know that every thing you have done for me. Please just please please please forgive me." tilts his head back in the crowded space. "could you ever forgive me." he stifles his crying and shudders.

the door opens and a soft hand reaches in "I already have, a long time ago" in a loving voice a women with long flowing hair peers down with a radiant smile. "you just have to forgive your self." he begins to bawl again as large tear hit the floor he grabs her hand and she helps pull him up onto his feet. "October 8th." she gives a motherly smile before embracing him in a hug. "you always were forgetting my birthday." Still crying Reggie release one final sigh before closing his eyes.

the following morning Reggie finds him self asleep in bed in the south east corner. he looks up at the moldy ceiling and cracks a smile. laying there for a bit he feels the crisp air hit his nose. he thinks for a moment and digs into his pocket and grabs the scuffed relic of a phone. he opens the now fully charged phone to lock screen. "1008" the phone opens. the home screen has a few games and various apps. he scrolls his finger over to the photo gallery and clicks.

a few seconds later the app opens and shows several black boxes just before the pictures load to take there place. he opens them and begins to scroll through them odd and end pictures. pictures from a road trip, A few traffic jams, some side roads. a farm house. the farther back into the pictures he went the more at home he felt. he kept scrolling searching for something. he paused on a picture of what looked to be a pillow fort. gazing in another trance, he spot in the corner of the blurry snapshot a picture of his mother standing in the kitchen as clear with that same embracing smile."

and another journey begins.

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Short story to I guess get the creative juices flowing. tee hee juices
also I'm not the best with grammar so if you spot any major errors let me know.