Prompt: You are having an uneventful day until you are loudly interrupted by a stranger, shouting "Come quickly! You have to see this"...". Finish the story...
Sunday just seemed like any other day. Dreary, dull and grey. Winters in Leamington Spa were traditionally uneventful and uninspiring. There was nothing more to do than take a nap. I had rested in bed, put on my warmest pyjamas and fluffiest socks and was relaxed as I drifted into a deep sleep.
Soon though, I was awoken to the loud vibrations of a storm brewing outside, was this foreshadowing what was to come? Over the threatening bangs of the thunder I could hear the faint sound of shouting. Hastily, I jumped out of bed, running to my window to investigate the commotion. There was a windswept man, hysterically trying to gain attention. I had never seen this man before and yet I felt a cold chill as our eyes locked. "Come quickly! You have to see this!", he exclaimed. I was frozen for a moment. What was there to see that could possibly justify going out in this storm?
I frantically searched the room for a suitable coat to withstand the blustering winds and driving rain outside. Alas, I could not find my wooly hat, I must have left it by the front door. I exited the bedroom and ran down the stairs to the door. In my haste, I forgot the hat after all.
Upon stepping outside, the wind caught my hair. I fought against it, trying to find the strange man. Since locking eyes with him, I could not shift the image of his face. I panicked as I was dragged by the sudden gush of wind. It seemed to push me in one direction no matter how much I resisted. After what seemed like forever the wind eventually suddenly released me. I fell onto the ground, struggling to catch my breath and process what was happening. Once I gained some composure I looked up at the hand that had stretched out towards me. It was the man. His weathered cheeks were flushed and his eyes were glazed. His panicked expression had left and I was instead staring into an expression of deep sadness. "I wish you did not listen to me" he whispered as he lifted me to my feet.
The man was trembling but was not cold to the touch. There was something wrong, perhaps fear. He strode away with purpose and motioned for me to follow, "Where are we going?", I asked, "you'll see", was the solemn response.
As we walked swiftly away from the house, it was noticeable how eerily quiet the street was. No cars, no people. There were even no street lamps lit and the houses were all bathed in darkness. We continued. At this stage I cannot say why I was still following this man, but I felt compelled to see what he so desperately had wanted me to see. Finally, as we reached the end of the street we reached a house that stood out in the darkness. This was not like the other houses on the street, it radiated warmth, it was a home. He gazed in awe at the home. We both stood and stared into the house. We saw a happy, wholesome family scene. I stared and looked in longing. How I had dreamed of having the life I saw playing out in front of me. The more I looked, the more I observed. They were laughing but something was missing.
The man turned to me and said, "I needed you to see this family. I come and I watch them every day and I come to your house too, but you've never seen me before. Today was the first day you heard my shouting. You should go to them. You need to trust me. It was my objective to bring you to them. To show you...".
I felt compelled to walk to the front door and before I could stop it, my hand was knocking. The door opened. As soon as she saw me, the woman began to cry. She ran to me and gripped me in a strong hug. I was confused, who was this woman? She whispered, "we thought we would never see you again" and she wept into my shoulder. I began to remember memories that were locked deep inside of me. How had I forgotten? We released me from the embrace and ran to gather the rest of the family. I turned back to thank the man but he had vanished. I could never thank him for the gift he gave me that day. I was back where I belonged.