A Shift In Perspective Is Sometimes All We Need To Move Forward

Tarik

June 15, 5:01 pm, Paris, France

He was here again.

A shadow passed over the light under the door. Tarik blinked, confused.

"Mom?" he called out uncertainly.

He had been here before. He knew what he was about to see.

But his mom wasn't supposed to be home yet. She said she was going out for a little, and that he should play outside. Which was dumb, because Tarik was sixteen now. He didn't "play."

Nevertheless, he took the opportunity to get out of the house. It wasn't every day that his mother simply let him do what he wanted.

Maybe that should have warned him of what was about to happen.

He took a step closer to the door, the wooden floorboards creaking. The house was old, and not very well kept. That said, the old man next door always said that this house would outlive both him and his mother.

Why was he thinking about this now?