Confusion

Story by Lucille Dorwart Crane, Main Street Middle School

I'm confused. OK, fine I'll start at the beginning. Yesterday I was at home going to bed and…so let’s just say I wasn’t. I started to feel dizzy, only a little, but still dizzy. Something was… wet, 💦on my forearm, and then suddenly everything turned pink. Yes, I know you expected me to say black, not black, pink. I felt like I was bouncing up and down, getting dizzier and dizzier each time. My head started to hurt, and then when it finally stopped, I looked around. Several images were floating everywhere. I reached out and touched one of my 11th birthday. “H-how is this possible?‼⁉” I thought. Suddenly I felt even more swirling, and "oh great, not again", it finally stopped. I was in the past. I was confused. I started walking. Time was almost frozen, as if I was walking on a picture. Oh, wait-shoot-I was. I leave the house and go back to where I was before. I touch another photo of my mother in, wait, WHAT. France? 🇫🇷.
She lied. I can not believe it. What other lies did she tell me? Well, let's find out. Great, I sound like a TV.📺. I click on the photo. Suddenly, I find myself at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Oh my God, oh my God, I'm freaking out. I sprint as fast as I can and then stop. Wait, that's my mother.
Hannah, calm down. Think carefully, think carefully. It looked like she was talking to a Frenchman, they were almost hugging. Wait what.
That. Is. My. Father. They are French! They told me they were from California.
I enter a bakery.🧁. I end up back where I started again. I don't see the photos anymore, so I wander around and finally find them. But these are my mother and a dog!? She. Said. She. Was. Allergic. I start walking again. I'm trying to find photos of her when she was younger. A lot younger. I see one of my mother at Elementary school. Jackpot. Hannah, come on, come on, just touch the picture. Why am I afraid?
I touch the photo. Suddenly, I'm in France. There is French written all over the board and I see my mother sitting at a desk and raising her hand. I take a piece of chalk and suddenly everyone starts talking. "Calm down everyone." The teacher said. I freeze. A girl with ugly blonde hair points me out.
"Who is she?" I stay completely still. I should not have done that.
The teacher looks at me. “You’re too old for elementary school, what are you doing here?"
"I-I was just leaving. I think I got mixed up. I should be going to my grandparents.”
I run towards the door as quickly as possible. Finally, I'm back where I started.
I tap on another photo of her in middle school. I won’t make that mistake this time. I sit at an empty desk. I move something on the desk and the teacher starts talking.
"Adeline?"
“Here"
"Eliza?"
" Here"
“ Anna?”
I gasp.
"Here"

I have to stay. I need to understand what her life was like before that. Before these lies. Before-before me.
I look at my mother. I can't believe it was her, her in France.
I am. SO. MAD. At. Her.
😡
For many reasons.
Here is a list.
⭑SHE LIED.
⭑SHE LIED.
⭑SHE LIED.
And finally,
⭑SHE LIED.

Okay, fine, it's not a list.
But seriously, my mother is the most trustworthy person I know. I can't…
Sigh…

Okay, okay, I have enough to prove her wrong.Anna is probably wondering where I am.
I can't believe she told me her name was Christine.
She... she doesn't want me to know the... the truth.


●・○・●・○・●・○・


Okay, maybe if I think really hard about my... bed?
Bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed.🛏.

I open my eyes.👁👁. I'm still in the same place.
Hallelujah, I'm a genius. I'm just going to try to find a memory from not too long ago, like maybe 2 hours ago or yesterday or earlier. I walk a long time.
Finally I find one of us at the pool🏊 this morning. Yes!! I'll go there and wait until some time. All right. I touch the photo, and finally, I'm home.🏡
As time goes by, we play in the pool, then we come home, we have dinner and then, finally, it's the current time. I look at the clock and it's 11:27. I left at 11:30.
3 more minutes. I pay more attention to my surroundings. Suddenly everything becomes a little clearer. Then I find myself in my bed. Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes! I did it.

●・○・●・○・●・○・

Now I have to confront my mother.
Me: “Do you speak French?
Mom: “No. I'm from California."
Just PLEASE tell the truth…
Me: “Yes, you do.”
Mom: “No, I don’t.
Me: “You. Are. Not. From. California!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!🔊. What has gotten into them?
Dad: “Honey, calm down.”
Mom: “ How did you sleep?
Me: “I slept well.”
Me: “And you’re not allergic to dogs.”
Mom: "I-I'm not, okay, you're right but-but how did you know that?" 🫥
It's not a movie. I'm not going to pretend, I'm not going to say that I found a photo book or that I don't know.
“Somehow I found myself in your memories like in your head and I hit a photo and it's just...
I saw the picture of you and Dad on the Eiffel Tower and you at school and with a dog and, yeah.
“I’m going to prove it.
Say “What’s your name? " in French."
"Fine. Comment tu t'appelles?"
“Dad, answer her.”
“Fine. Je m'appelle Dave.”
“Proved it!!”
“Can you take me to france?”
Mom: “fine.”

She takes out her phone. “ What are you doing?”
“ Booking flights.”
“Don't we need the money?”
“Fine. You figured the rest of it out so I best not lie to you anymore.”
What is she saying? She lied again!!
“ Your Grandpa was a millionaire and we inherited the money because I don't have any sisters or siblings.”
“WHAT THE-!”
Oops!
●・○・●・○・●・○・

Once we went to France,🇫🇷 I was so excited that I jumped up and down for.. at least 20 minutes.🕰.
For heaven’s sake, just calm down!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😑- Mom
 

Story by Lucille Dorwart Crane, 10, Montpelier, VT, submitted by Main Street Middle School teacher Lauren Chabot