Flash Fiction Friday - Trapped in Time

One of my greatest fears unlocked

She wakes suddenly, jolting out of a dream that quickly fades, leaving her unsure why her heart is beating so hard. She is thankful for the nightlight providing a warm glow in the bedroom, but the young woman asleep by her bedside alarms her once again. She wonders how the woman got in, but also thinks that she must be harmless given that no harm has come to her.

Slipping quietly out of bed, she tiptoes to the bedroom door, her full bladder requiring immediate attention. The hallway is lit in the same warm glow as the bedroom, which makes her journey to the open bathroom door at the end of the hall seem somehow less daunting.

She makes her way to the toilet but stops beside a closed door to her left. The door is plain and white, but the ruby red doorknob looks somehow magical in the dim light, the soft rays catching it and creating what looks like a small universe encased within the plastic.

With a frown, she reaches out to the handle, the door swinging open at her touch. The room beyond is dark, but the light from the moon shows her enough once her eyes adjust. It is a bedroom that looks trapped in time. The wallpaper and bedding look to be from days past, while the pictures on the wall contain faces she does not know, but feels she should.

She steps inside and is greeted by the scent of lavender, the sweet smell drifting into her nostrils and sending her synapses firing. She closes her eyes and sees her younger self dancing with a handsome man, the shine of his highly polished shoes somehow brighter than the smile on his face. The vision makes her feel warm, the heat slowly radiating through the wrinkles on her skin.

“Mom.”

She jumps as the hand lands on her shoulder, angry that the touch pulls her out of such a sweet dream. “What are you doing?” she barks at the young woman who had been asleep beside her bed moments ago.

“Do you need to go potty?”

She wonders why the woman is talking to her like a child, but she nods just the same, her bladder sending a quick reminder of her initial trip down the hallway.

The young woman takes her hand and smiles. “Did you see Dad again?” she asks softly.

The old woman’s eyes go wide as clarity returns for the slightest moment. “He was so handsome, Julie. He would be so proud of you for looking after me the way you do.”

Almost as quickly as it receded, the fog returns, and she cannot remember why she is standing in the hallway with a strange woman at her side.