The sound of wind howled through the woods, speaking another language as it guided the strangers to their abound lands. Long have they seen new souls but they sang gleefully in hopes of these travellers staying touching the edges of their transport. Dashing against the blowing wind was a small car that had seen many years, it’s paint job covered in scratch marks and dents forming from the side whilst the engine made awkward noises from time to time.

A mother and son sat in the car listening to whatever was on the radio travelling to a new house they had bought for cheap in the countryside. The boy scratched his wrist occasionally similar to if he had a rash. Elvis was singing one of his classics, ‘l can’t help falling in love with you’, his voice soothing in nature spreading throughout the space of the car. He tried to replicate the melody imagining his piano in front of him as he playing a twist on it. Both son and mother had matching pair of autumn-hair, for the boy it was straight only possible by constant brushing or combing. It reached to his shoulder dancing in the air as the car met with bumps. His mother embraced curly hair unbound by gravity that reached to her waist. The boy had inherited many feminine features with a face structure narrow and a frame thin gaining jealousy from any girl who laid eyes upon the boy’s body.

Wheels kept crashing with the ’flat’ trail told to them by physiatrist Phil as he spoke of his hometown. He spoke of Mount Giest, as a town that was hailed for its nature and peace, perfect for the boy and mother that had gone through such times of conflict. Words of hidden meaning pretending as if children wouldn’t understand, many could not to the account of the psychiatrist but Glenn wasn’t an average child. He was a bright boy capable of playing the violin at seven and all seemed swell until tragedy befell upon the family. Son and mother were driving to a new town knowing no one in it, but they took a chance for something new. Now Glenn was eleven, a grown boy looking outside the car window seeing many trees rushing past him, as a lake ranged across the woods. His eyes caught sight of a flicker of blonde hair, a blur it was dashing by only to disappear in the forest. The car collided with another bump and he was sent flying in his seat even with seatbelts, knocking into a case set below his feet.

"Be Careful mum!” He yelled gripping to the door handles scared for his life.

"Don’t be such a worrywart Glenn, l know what I'm doing.” She drove with not an ounce of fear speeding by bumps almost causing the boy to believe the car was about to fly. The wind giggled at the sight and tried to make the vehicle take flight. The car landed harshly onto the path continuing forward like nothing happened.

“See everything’s just fine.” She smiled looking at her son in the rearview mirror seeing his hair covering his whole face. He blew, blowing strands of hair to the side so he could once see again.

Glenn looked ghastly but he was more curious at the case beside his feet rather than dealing with his mother's new tendencies. it was in a familiar shape, curved and the length of his arm. He knew what was inside but asked anyway.

“What's inside here ma?”

She looked at the rear mirror again and pretended to act calmly reminding herself the calm waters of the Amazon that she liked to hear.

“Nothing sweety just something for me.”

“Mum,” Glenn spoke with a stone face.

“Yes, dear.” Glenn's mother replied acting normal.

"This is my violin isn’t it."

“....” The mother just sat in her seat silently trying to make up any reasonable excuse.

“Mother l told you already. I don’t want to play it anymore, not after what happened.”

“But you were so talented, son.”

"I’m sorry but l won’t play it, l don’t see why you brought it anyway, isn’t my piano playing good”. He pointed to his portable keyboard stashed away in the boot.

“Son you know how much l love you playing it but the way you played the violin was so...beautiful.” Memories of the past flashed before her, they were as precious than anything she owned or what was left of her possessions. She imagined him expressing himself like he used to, passionately placing his soul into the violin extending the musical instrument as a part of his own body.

Glenn just sighed trying to fall asleep in the car even though it wasn’t possible. A figure in the distance with a wooden mask painted in war colours watched the car travel through a path, that brought old memories. It was once filled with corpses and snow now a road was all that existed. Straight blonde hair was caught by the breeze lingering in the woods causing it to continuously flutter, as the figure darted away to somewhere else.

Dreaming is a peculiar aspect of human biology. Some stating that they are a sign to something in the future whilst others say it represents the past that was once behind you long forgotten and is resurging again in warning of what lays ahead. Glenn had nightmares rather than dreams, slowly losing track of the time he began transitioning to a world of imagination. He could hear a quiet instrument play in the background as his body felt cold wrapped around a void of pitch black. The melody was familiar until it slowly grew louder and voices cheering for the musician to continue. Glenn realised it was him playing the violin as his mother and father were the audiences to his often practices. They sat on a leather couch in a luxurious home filled with happy memories, paintings of them on the walls together smiling with lights brightening up the room. He could not move his arms, feeling as if they were connected to strings whilst he was a puppet only to be controlled. Glenn had so many thoughts running through his mind, wanting to run up to his parents, shout or just cry remembering this scene where they were once a joyous family.

“Congratulations, you’ve won the golden buzzer son,” Daniel said to Glenn impersonating Simon Cowell when he was often on talent shows acting smug.

Daniel had jet black hair matching his tanned skin. His beard was of a gentleman clean and shaved to his liking. Clothing similar to his personality wearing a suit after a long day of work. Smile glistening in white, perfect as a spokesman for a corporation and he was one being recruited after adulthood.

“Emma thank you.” He looked to his side saying it to his wife.

“For what?” Emma glanced at Daniel confused, wondering what she did.

“Giving birth to such a talented boy, he obviously got it from you.” He spoke with such charisma flirting with Emma.

“Eww, can you not do it whilst l practise,” Glenn spoke being the child he was, not understanding love yet at such a young age.

“What son?” Daniel kissed his wife, gently planting kisses along her lips teasing Glenn.

The vision slowly vanished, as the lights flickered out dimming the room allowing darkness to overtake. Alone again Glenn searched for his parents blind in the pitch black. Hands reaching out to grasp upon solid yet only nothing was grabbed in desperation. Slowly he heard his name be called out from the beyond, the warmth of summer rid away the void as he heard a voice call out to him getting louder. He raised straight in his chair wide awake, back drenched in sweat.

“Glenn are you ok? You had me worried for a bit.” Emma looked at her son noticing him breathing rapidly trying to regain his breath.

“I’m ok ma just had a nightmare”. He tried to smile comforting his mum but it ended up making Emma more nervous.

She tried to cheer up the mood carrying the boy out of the car using her thin arms. Princess carrying him to his new home. He complained, whining he wasn’t a small boy to Emma even though she only saw her son as a fetus. She laughed whilst furiously taking steps forwards, her lower back about to give out to the weight of her son. He wasn’t the tiny boy so long ago but a teen going through puberty with voice cracks and growth spurts appearing from left to right. She wished he would stay a baby, cute not having to leave the nest. Glenn continued thrashing around in the hands of Emma but his curiosity got the better of him catching a glimpse of their new place. It was old fashioned, a house outside the woods near the beautiful nature, grasshoppers chirping during the day. A door made of old wood, the entire place smelt of oak but the boy didn’t mind it, he loved it similar to when he always sniffed the old books in the library that had an aged smell. He felt as if he were one of those connoisseurs of wines taking a whiff whilst using his wrist to gently swell the red drink. He once had it, sneakily taking a sip as his mother was passed out like sleeping beauty dead drunk.

His gaze on the house went to the floor, as his mother hunched over plopping him and her onto the ground. They looked at each other and then burst out into erratic laughter, it had been a long time since both of them laughed out loud together and they cherished the moment. Emma with the help of her son took all the baggage out of the boot. Dragging their bags inside the house, they were hit with a wave of dust. No wonder this house was cheap they thought, thirty minutes away from any other homes, old and most of all kept the same way it was from its previous owner ten years ago.

Emma went to work cleaning out the place whilst Glenn played his portable piano playing new tunes, as he wasn’t allowed to help with his allergies to dust. A boy at school had once threw a mountain of dust covering his long hair catching it all, he did it out of fun to bully Glenn. He had been sneezing for the rest of the day, sick hearing his mother yell at the boy for what he did and Glenn was glad he had left the school and in a new town to start fresh. His appearance gathered a lot of teasing but he expected it with every school ignoring it until it went too far having to move to another place of education. The melody he played was nice, as Emma danced to the Rhythm of it acting ten years younger than she looked. She was an adult like no other, none matching her young spirit as Emma shook her hips along to the piano’s music. There were webs in every nook and corner but she was prepared to kill any foe that lived in her castle slaying dragons, which were spiders who were in their own right monsters.

He had seen a blur of gold, he couldn’t imagine someone simply going through the forest at these times, where the sun was about to set. His eyes told him otherwise remembering the sight, maybe he did see an individual but it didn’t matter to him any longer. Glenn poured his soul into the new instrument he found a passion for, remembering the Elvis melody he focused on previously.

“Glenn come in and go to sleep for school tomorrow.”

Glen looked up at the sky and realised it was dark, he was too lost in his music to notice. He scratched his wrist once again that were hidden by the long sleeve shirts he wore. Strolling back into the house he was shocked, confused if he had teleported to some other house upon his entry. The walls were clean sparkling even, as the cobwebs and dust previously inside were gone. All the mess seemed to have just went up and gone somewhere else.

He gasped and could only say, “Woah.”

Emma grinned at the sight, grandly spreading her arms wide saying, “I’m a wizard aren’t l?”

“Wouldn’t you be a witch mum.” He pretended to cackle like the witch from the Wizard of Oz.

Emma shook her head slightly giggling at how cute her son was. She guided Glenn to his room and said, “Get to sleep young man.”

He walked into his room turning the lights on. A single bed with a wooden table sitting across from it. Neither the bed or table were stable, as he gently rocked them noticing the legs weren’t all even. The owner of the house must have been a carpenter making all the furniture, Glenn thought he must’ve been not a very good one, considering the bed or table legs weren’t flat.

Pills laid to the side of the table, one was sleeping pills and another had many labels of caution warning to take precaution before swallowing it. The psychiatrists Phil had said he needed it for him to get better but Glenn didn’t believe a word. He went past the pills until a knock at the door made him freeze.

“Forgetting something young man.” Emma shook the bottle of pills causing it to make a rattling sound. She smiled at the surprised face her son gave.

“You know that you have to take these, psychiatrist Phil said so and these sleeping pills are for you to sleep better without the nightmares remember.”

Glenn looked close to pouting not wanting the pills but in the adversity of dealing with his mother, he’d rather swallow them along with his pride than to face the angry side of Emma. She could be as ferocious as any lion ripping you to shreds with her words. He was about to get a cup of water when his mother gave him one magically as if reading his mind. Gazing at both pills, he took them separately feeling nothing. Emma smiled glad her son had listened not trying to rebel as she did with her parents at Glenn’s age. She giggled remembering how fiery her temper was at Eleven, now a mother she thought how time flew. Sounds of snoring woke Emma up from her thoughts, as she looked to see Glenn deep in sleep. His long hair hung off the bed as loud snores erupted from his mouth kicking his blanket off at some point in time. Emma grinned gently placing the blanket neatly back on Glenn, kissing him on the forehead.

“Good night sweety.”