Good morning and welcome to Friday. The rain has tapered off and the sun is bright enough to kill the mold that rose in the aftermath of the rain. Deep breath in and feel the air. No stuffed nose, no itchy eyes. Isn’t it glorious? What a fantastic way to end the week. So are you ready to dive into the morning prompt? Fabulous. Let’s go then.
Interesting. I think I need to pick one character and tell it from their point of view, but I like the mystery of the disappearance and possible search for what happened. Certainly something to expand and play around with.
Friday, March 18th: The suitcases were already packed.
The suitcases were already packed, everyone was ready to go. All they were waiting for was Dennis. They lined up the cases in the hallway so that as soon as he arrived they could be loaded into the car. Bags of snacks to see them through the trip ahead were placed on top of the cases. Last bathroom breaks were done and then the watches were checked. He promised to be there by quarter after.
They waited in the hallway with anticipation. Quarter after arrived and they peered through the sidelights by the front door expecting him to come around the corner. At half past they began to talk of traffic and haw heavy it could be and how it could cause unexpected delays.
When the clock struck six, they drifted out of the entryway and into the living room. Colin turned on the television and flipped through the channels until he settled on the traffic report. They huddled around, expecting to hear news of an accident or some other delay causing event. There were none mentioned. The roadways were clear.
Still they waited.
At six thirty they tried his cell phone only to have it roll over to voice mail. At seven they called his office to see if a work emergency caused him to stay in the office late, forgetting about their trip. By then the television channel had been changed, the traffic reports left behind for a movie with limited commercial breaks. Each car that passed by the house caused someone to reach for the remote control, everyone sitting up, prepared to sprint out of the door.
The car never turned into the drive. Worry dominated and frantic calls were made. No one answered Denis’s cell phone. Other numbers were tried. His best friend, his parents, even one of his coworkers. No one had seen Dennis. No one could tell them where he was.
Worry mixed with annoyance. Had he forgotten? Was he in some sort of accident? The emotional barometer oscillated between anger and concern, no one quite knowing where to land.
“Even if he forgot, he’d be home by now,” Colin pointed out. The thought was one in everyone’s minds and caused most of them to lean into the worry. There was disappointment in the delayed trip, but the continued absence of Dennis grew more concerning as time passed.
At eleven o’clock, the television no one was really watching was turned off and everyone went upstairs to bed. The suitcases were left packed by the doorway as if leaving them there meant that their journey could begin the moment Denis returned, despite the delay. It was an optimistic gesture no one really believed. Still they left the cases where they were.
No one slept well that night, everyone waking up at even the slightest sound outside. In the morning, everyone raced downstairs. The cases were where they had been left, the car was still not in the drive. Dennis never returned home.
Ten til Midnight 