LOST IN TIME

The fact that no one would believe me if I ever so much had tried to tell the story was overwhelming my mind. It felt so unreal that I was still in the moment of processing everything that just happened, struggling to make it all make sense. Was this even innately possible? Have I gone completely mad? “Break it down to me, girl. You gone tell me what happened, or you just gone sit there lookin’ like a deer in a headlight?! Snap on out of it now.” Grandma Doll said as she arranged herself in her old wooden rocking chair. The white antique furniture squeaked with every move she made until she got herself comfortable. She stared at me, one big hand resting on her thick hip, and the right arm resting on the arm of the chair, with her head cocked into the dent of her shoulder.

There was no question that Grandma Doll didn’t have an answer for, no sickness she didn’t have a cure for, no obstacle she couldn’t withstand. She’s the only person on planet earth I would share my unexplainable experiences with. She really didn’t give me a choice. She was standing there in front of me when I came to it. “What are you so afraid of, honey bun? You know I teaches y’all not to be ‘fraid of nothin’.”

“I wasn’t here, Grandma.” I said with tears rolling down my face. “I was running and hiding from something that was chasing me…something I ain’t never seen before. It looked so scary, and it didn’t have a face or feet. It was just a darkness wrapped up in some long black trench coat, and it kept following me.” I looked up at her to see if she was still following along.

“Mhm… Baby, go on.” She said, as she rocked away in her chair, eyes focused on me, as if she were analyzing my every move. It was as if she was waiting for me to say something spectacular or something.

“The faster I ran, the closer it got. I ran for hours, and I was getting tired. Somehow, I managed to lose it, and I was hiding behind a raggedy old house that nobody lived in. It had gotten dark, so I was too scared move and keep running, so I stayed there until daylight came. I didn’t know where I was or how I got there. All I know is I was at the coffee shop around 2:30 p.m. yesterday because I had a lot on my mind and I couldn’t sleep. I started to take a walk through the park because it was peaceful, and I sat down by a tree. I don’t remember falling asleep, but somehow, I woke up running for my life. When daylight came, I walked from behind that house and ended up walking out of my room door, and you were standing there looking at me.”

“I hear ya, honey bun.” She said, smiling.

“What’s wrong with me, Grandma? Where was I?”

“You were back at home, where you were born and grew up at baby. Come here and give me a hug. It’s gone be aright, now.” She confirmed. I walked over to her, those beautiful Indian eyes and prominent cheekbones, and I rested my head on her chest as I hugged her and closed my eyes. I felt so safe in her arms. “What you need to do now, baby, is wake up.” She said as she softly rubbed my back.

“Wake up?” I asked, confused as ever.

“Wake up, baby.” She said again, more firmly. I lifted my head up and she was gone. There I was, my head laying on the tree, held up by a branch. I hear my phone going off indistinctly as I was coming to it. I see a message from my mom, saying that I was late for the memorial event. It was sent at 3:31 p.m. today.