Old Memories And Doubt [Fiction]

Allen Deacon was in Ariel, Suffolk county.

He shouldered his duffel bag. Eyes darting left and right, he hailed a cab and once it stopped in front of him, he jumped into it. As the car drove through the neat and quaint village of Ariel, the feel of warm sunlight mingling with a cool breeze on his skin welcomed him into the heart of the countryside.

He missed his home so much. Yet anxiety stole the heartwarming feeling from him. If only the circumstances were different and he was truly coming home for a visit.

He tried to stay calm but unconsciously tapped his fingers on his thighs. Then he remembered switching off his phone on the plane. He turned it on. Within seconds, it pinged and the screen displayed a jiggling envelope. He sucked in a breath and tapped it open.

Mr Deacon,
Joline Matthews was found dead in her apartment. I'm not sure if you know this. Give me a call. This is urgent.
— Delano.

Shit!

The cab driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "We are almost there, sir."

"Sure,” Allen said quickly, remonstrating himself for the vulgar utterance. “It's alright….wait!"

The cab driver slowed and pulled the car to the side of the dusty road. He turned, casting a concerned glance at Allen.

“I'm sorry. Just give me a few minutes, please,” he said and slowly stepped out of the car, leaving the passenger door open.

There were parched, brown grasses on the side of the road, swaying gently to the call of the wind. Gazing through the grasses, the sight of an old, two-storey farmhouse in the distance made him smile. When he was a young boy, he would stop by the roadside and admire his family house before running through the grass to get there. His mother would often tell him to take the tarred road, but he would argue that it's longer to get home.

He sighed, got back into the cab and they got back on the road.

Twenty minutes later, Allen paid the cab driver with a generous tip and waited until he reversed the cab, tires screeching and kicking up dust, and drove away.

A tranquil silence enveloped the landscape presented before him. He gazed at the winding road that curved up to the family house surrounded with vibrant wildflowers that danced in the gentle breeze.

But now it was his aunt's house.

The entrance door swung open and a middle-aged woman in a multicoloured flower dress with eyeglasses stepped out with a big smile. She spread out her arms. Allen returned the smile and moved into her embrace.

"Now, if it isn't my dear nephew come to visit me," Safira Deacon said sweetly. Allen held her tight, the scent of coconut and flowers filling his nose. He was home, the same place where he grew up after his parents passed away when he was ten.

After unpacking his things in his old room, Delano began to call his phone. He picked up.

"Detective."

"Mr Deacon. Finally! I understand you are out of the city. Is it a work thing?"

"Uh, yes. It's work. I'll be back in a week, two weeks tops."

"I'm afraid you'll have to make it earlier than that or tell me where you are. I can come to you."

"Detective, I can't…."

"Mr Deacon, don't make this hard on yourself. Your prints were found in Joline's apartment. You are an upstanding citizen and that's why I'm giving you the courtesy of this heads-up."

Allen Deacon gripped his phone tight, his knuckles pale. "I did not kill her!" He whispered into the phone then blanched when he realised his secret was out. His aunt, Safira, stood by the door, looking perplexed. "I…sorry, I'll have to call you back."

"Deacon!" Delano's voice was loud enough for Safira to hear as Allen ended the call.

"It's not what you think, Auntie," he whispered.

What I See

Parched grasses on a wide land and a big building, like a farmhouse in a distance

What I Feel

Nostalgia

I hope you enjoyed reading this short story. It's an excerpt from a longer story I'm currently working on and the above picture conveyed the exact image I had in my head of this scene when I was writing. It's uncanny, in a good way!

This is my entry to A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words. To participate, click on the link.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

^{Image 1: cottonbro
Image 2: @wakeupkitty}