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As he crawled into bed, Merk thought about how little discussion had actually taken place that evening in terms of what their
next step might be. He knew his parents and was more than a little surprised that his mother didn't already have a list of
apartments ready for them to go look at the next day. There was something up but he wasn't sure if he'd ever get to the bottom
of it.
The next morning, with the sunlight streaming into his room, hitting him directly in the eye, Merk woke up. He looked at
the clock and saw that it was almost 10:00 am - almost two hours later than he'd ever been allowed to sleep in his life.
Pushing back the covers, he noticed three voices he hadn't heard before floating up from the kitchen. As he was getting dressed,
there was a knock at his door.
"Um... just a sec. Yeah?" He tucked his shirt into his jeans and went to the mirror to straighten out the rat's nest that
was his hair.
Nannie walked in, looking a little disturbed. "Hey. Merk. There's something going on downstairs."
"What?"
"Well, mom and dad are gone," Nannie said as she sat down on Merk's bed. "And there's three old women in the kitchen."
"Huh." Merk turned to look at Nannie and thought about the news she'd just given him. "So, mom and dad are gone, like left
for the day?"
"No... not quite. They're gone, gone."
"Packed up and everything."
"Not really. It's like they've never existed."
Merk laughed. "Sure. You're just over-tired. You were probably up all night packing all your shit up."
"No, I'm serious. They're not here. They were never here."
Merk went over to where Nannie was sitting and put his hand on her shoulder. "Nan, you're just imagining things. Mom and
dad are probably just out at the lake for the day and didn't want to disturb us. Those three women are probably just the
cleaning people. Your imagination's running away with you." He went to the door and looked out into the hallway. "Hey,
at least they left breakfast for us."
"Merk... come back here!" Nannie followed Merk into the hallway and down the stairs. As they got closer to the kitchen,
they could hear the women talking.
"Oh, Nona, you'll never get them that way."
"What do you know? You're the one who always ends up breaking them."
"Come, come, now... both of you. I think I hear them coming."
Merk and Nannie walked through the kitchen door and the three women turned to greet them. They were virtually identical
- all three were shorter than Nannie, had heads full of grey hair and weathered faces. They each wore a dress in a different
colour, covered with a crisp, snow-white apron.
"Merk, Ann..." the one wearing bright lilac moved towards them with her arms extended towards them.
Merk shied backwards as Nannie was captured by the woman, who squeezed her in a grandmotherly hug. "Actually, I like to
be called Nannie... or Nan." She shot a look back to Merk, who was trying not to laugh.
"Okay, Nannie. Now, you come over here and have a seat," Nona said as she tugged Nannie towards the breakfast table in
the corner. There were only two settings on the table and it appeared as though the three women had been up all night preparing
the feast that sat, covered with tea towels to keep it warm, on the counter.
"Merk, my dear boy." The old woman in the dull grey dress came over to where Merk was standing and led him to the table
as well. "You need to eat to keep up your strength. You're a growing boy." She pulled out a chair and Merk slowly sat in
it, looking at Nannie the whole time.
"Now. We have all kinds of wonderful treats for you to eat this fine morning. What would you like to start off with?"
The one in a modest yellow dress stood beside the table with a carafe of coffee in her hand.
"Um... coffee, I guess," Merk said as he put his napkin across his lap.
"Yeah. I'll have coffee, too," Nannie said to the yellow dress woman as she poured the most aromatic coffee she'd ever
experienced into Merk's cup.
"Dig in. We've got lots," said the lilac dress woman. Nannie looked at Merk across the table and made a movement towards
a basket of what smelled like fresh baked bread; Merk slapped her hand away and turned to the women.
"I'm sorry, ladies. We don't know who you are. We don't know why you're here. We don't know where our parents are. Maybe
you could help us fill in the blanks a bit. I mean, it is kind of surprising for us to wake up one morning and find our parents
gone and three old women in our kitchen making more food than we'll ever be able to eat."
"Well, my dears, I'm afraid I have some bad news," the grey dress one said as she moved towards the table. She put a hand
on each of their shoulders and sniffled. "Your parents are gone."
"Yeah, we kind of figured that," Nannie said as she sipped her coffee.
"No, dear. They're gone. Out of this house, this town, this life."
"Out of this life? They're dead?"
"No, not dead, dear. They're just not here and likely never were."
"I may sound like a simpleton when I ask this, but I need to know what the hell you're talking about," Merk said.
"We'll start by telling you our names. My name is Nona," the lilac one began.
"I'm Marta," the yellow one continued.
"And I'm Lacy," the grey one concluded.
"I'm, ah, Merk and this is Nannie - not Ann - but you already knew that."
"Yes, dear, we did," Nona said as she sat down in an empty chair beside Nannie. "It all seems a little unfair that we know
you and you don't know us, doesn't it?"
"Kinda."
"Can we speed this up? I mean, what the hell is going on? If someone doesn't tell me what's going on soon, I'll..." Nannie
said as she clenched her hands and became tight-lipped.
"Of course, dear. Here's what I can tell you..."
"You mean you can't tell us everything? What kind of bullshit is this?" Merk flew up out of his chair and began pacing
around the room.
"Merk, just sit down and listen. By the end, you may feel as though we've told you too much or too little, but we won't
know until we've told you what we can," Marta said as she tried to block Merk's path around the kitchen.
"Fine. Just get it over with," he said as he sat down again.
Nona made herself more comfortable in her seat and nodded to Lacy for more coffee. Marta joined them at the table and Nona
began the story.
"I'm sure you're expecting to hear me tell you that your parents weren't really your parents or that it's some kind of government
operation that took them away, but I can't tell you why they went away. Or where to. I can tell you how we arrived here,
though.
"Marta, Lacy and I have been directed here by an unknown force. We just had to come here, to help you both. We don't know
what our exact roles will be, but between the three of us, I'm sure that we'll be able to figure it all out."
Merk sighed heavily and put his head in his hands. Nannie took another sip of her coffee and deliberately set her cup down
gently. They were both quietly considering what Nona had told them. After a few minutes, Lacy put her hand on Nannie's and
said, "Dear, it's not that bad, really."
"I don't know how much worse it could be, Lacy. I mean, we go to bed last night with our parents still here and we wake
up this morning and they're gone."
"Oh dear. That's the other thing." Lacy looked sadly at Nona, who nodded her head in silent agreement.
"What other thing?" Merk looked at each woman individually. "What's the other thing?"
"Well, dear, you didn't exactly wake up the morning after the night before."
"Excuse me? I'm not following you."
"You went to sleep one night a few years ago and you've woken up this morning."
"No, no, no. We woke up this morning after going to sleep last night."
"I'm sorry, but that's not what happened."
"Prove it." Merk leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest, attempting to look as authoritative and challenging
as he could.
"That shouldn't be a problem. Marta, fetch me the newspaper." Nona pointed to the front hall. The room was silent as Marta
went to get the daily newspaper from the table by the front door. She returned and placed the paper on the kitchen table
between Merk and Nannie. They both looked at the date - eight years from the day after their graduation.
Merk looked at Nannie, who was shaking her head. "That's not right. You guys did this to fool us. There's no way that
we slept for eight years."
"Yeah, this is some kind of joke," Merk said as he got up from the table and began opening cupboards. "Mom and dad are hiding
here somewhere, aren't they?"
"No, Merk, they're not," Nona said as Merk went into the pantry. "Has the thought crossed your mind yet as to why the blinds
and curtains are closed tightly in this room?"
Merk slowly stepped out of the pantry and looked around the room. He hadn't even noticed because everything else was just
too much. He moved towards a window and pulled the blind up. From what he could see, not much had changed in their yard;
in the neighbour's yards, however, were new trees, new pools new vehicles. He didn't recognize the neighbours on the west
and the mother of the family on the east seemed greyer and older than what he remembered.
Nannie came up beside him and looked out. For a few moments, the two of them took in what small - but significant - changes
had taken place. "So, what can you tell us and don't spare our feelings or any details," Nannie said to the reflections of
the women in the glass.
Marta came up behind the two of them and spoke to their reflections in the glass. "We came here because we knew we were
needed. We honestly don't know what happened to your parents. If we did, we would have fixed this situation a long time
ago."
"And we don't know why you didn't wake for eight years," Lacy said as she came up beside Marta. "We knew not to try because
it would have caused a disruption in whatever grand plan this is."
"But we are here now. And we'll be here for as long as you need us to be," Nona said as she joined the other two.
Merk turned to the women and laughed softly. "Nannie and I - have we aged eight years, or are we still 18?"
"No, you've aged. You didn't stop growing, you stopped existing for some time. But you shouldn't have any physical or mental
damage from it," Nona stated.
"Okay. So we're 26 now. What would we need three old women for, no offense?"
"None taken. We don't know why we're here, outside of being here to help you."
"So you're kind of like our guides to getting re-acquainted with everything?"
"I guess you could see it that way."
Merk turned to Nannie, who'd been staring out the window during the exchange. He sighed and said, "I'm not sure what to
make of all of this."
"Neither am I," Nannie said, as she continued to look out the window.
"I mean, all we have for proof is the date on a newspaper and the neighbours getting some new stuff. How real does this
seem? It's like it's... just some really fucked up bullshit practical joke."
Nannie turned to him and said, "Okay. Let's think of it as a joke - where the hell are mom and dad? Seriously, do you think
that mom would have let us sleep in that late, or let these three women into her house, or even kept this quiet for this long?
She would have been in here the minute we walked in the door, telling us to get our bags packed and out of here - oh, and
don't forget to make sure we label everything properly and roll our clothes rather than fold them to save space and whatever
other fucking controlling crap she could come up with just to keep us under her thumb just a little bit longer. Merk, they're
gone."
"We haven't actually checked the house, Nan."
"Yeah, well... go check their room, or what was their room."
Merk ran up the stairs to the room at the end of the hall, his parent's room. He stopped at the closed door and took a deep
breath. He let it out slowly and opened the door.
The room was as bare as could be. Not a stick of furniture, not a curtain on a window, nothing. He remembered the last
time he'd seen the room - it was when he was 15 and his parents had left the door open. Closing bedroom doors was an absolute
must in their house, so when he saw his parent's door open, he was instantly attracted to it. He'd crept in slowly and as
quietly in case someone heard him, even though he knew he was alone in the house at the time. Back then, the room had been
elegantly finished with solid oak furnishings and family pictures on the walls and the windows had thick velvet curtains.
It was like walking into a show bedroom - it was too perfect to believe anyone actually slept there.
And now, it was a stark white room. There was nothing unique about it, nothing different, nothing personal. A room with
a door and a couple of windows. Merk closed the door and headed back downstairs.
"Well?" Nannie questioned.
"Nothing. There's nothing in there." Merk sat back down at the table.
"Exactly."
"But that proves nothing, Nan." Merk turned in his chair to look at all four of them. "Okay, let's say we did fall asleep
for eight years - and that's something I'm not quite willing to believe yet, either - how are we supposed to believe these
three women, women we've never seen before in our lives, that mom and dad just vanished?"
"I don't know, Merk. I really don't know."
*****
Nov 12
Nona moved to where Merk was and looked him in the eye. "Merk, we mean no harm. We're just doing as we were directed to."
"By who? Who directed you to do this?"
"We don't know. We just did it. There is no other explanation I can give."
"Look, my sister and I just want to know exactly what happened and how we ended up here, today, apparently eight years from
last night."
"I understand that, but..."
"No, we're going to figure this out. We don't need your help or guidance or direction with this. We're going to do it on
our own."
"Merk," Nannie said as she came up beside Nona, "until we know where we're going, don't you think it might be handy to have
these ladies help us a bit?"
"Not really, no."
"Well, maybe you might want to put a bit of thought into your answer."
"Nan, we can't get a straight answer out of these women as it is. Do you really honestly think that they're going to help
us? Really? We have no proof, outside of an empty room, that we can believe them."
Nannie sat at the table across from her brother and took his hands into hers. "Merk, we don't know what's happened with
anything or anyone. We don't know why it's eight years later. Look at it this way - these women are probably going to be
our only means of finding out who or what put us in this situation."
Merk pulled his hands from Nannie's. He sat back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair. He thought about what
she'd said for a few minutes and it seemed that she had her mind made up quite firmly. He knew Nannie and knew he'd never
be able to change her mind; he also knew that trying to figure out what was going on by themselves would be a challenge.
Why not use these women - whoever the were.
"Fine. We'll do it your way, Nan."
Nannie came around the table and hugged her brother. "Thank you. Now where do we begin?"
"I have no idea."
"Neither do I."
"Maybe we should... I don't know. I really don't know."
The two of them sighed in sync. Merk was trying to figure out the best way to approach the three women; Nannie was thinking
about the possibility that this was all a dream. They hadn't noticed the three women leave the room.
Meanwhile, in the dining room, the three women sat around the table in peaceful silence. After a few moments, Nona stood
up and went over to the window that overlooked the yard.
"Somehow, I feel incredibly decietful for doing this. There's a kind of unease that's filled my being this morning." She
turned and looked at her sisters sitting at the table. "Have we perhaps done wrong this time?"
"No, not wrong. Maybe a little unjust, even a little dishonest, but not wrong," Marta said. "What do you think, Lacy?"
"To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Those two people in there-" she looked at the door separating the two rooms, "are
being forced to deal with not only the absolute loss of their parents, but also waking up in a different time."
Nona laughed softly. "Oh, dear. But we can take peace in the fact that it's not nearly as bad as that one time..."
Marta smiled. "No, we can thank our lucky souls for that. But what are we going to actually do about, and with for that
matter, them?"
"Maybe we should let them figure it out on their own?" Lacy asked.
"No. Those two are smart, almost too smart. They'd end up in some kind of trouble before the end of the day, mark my words."
Nona returned to the table and sighed deeply. "I'm not opposed to some slightly ambiguous control tactics, are either of
you?"
"No. I never have been before, why would I now?" Marta said defensively.
"Oh, but dears... think of them. Think of how lost they must feel right now." Lacy wiped a small tear from her eye. "Couldn't
we just let them be for a little while?"
"I'm afraid not, dear sister. Our mission was laid out for us well before this time and we must continue with it. There
must be no slowing down or taking their feelings into consideration. There is but one purpose to our being here and we must
see our mission through to the end," Nona said as she slammed her hand on the table.
"I see that you've taken the role of leader again, sister," Lacy said.
"Of course. Neither of you are strong enough to go through with the difficult parts of our orders nor do either of you have
the backbone to stand up to those two when challenged. It's been proven time and time again that we work best when I'm in
control."
"So say you," Marta said as she stood up slowly. "Perhaps this is the one mission where Lacy and I should share control
and direct you to do our bidding."
Nona laughed. "Marta, you always one for the funny. I saw how the two of you handled that little scene in there. Virtual
doormats, both of you! We can't, and I won't, run the risk of this blowing up in our faces."
"Fine. As there is no point arguing this because you're a pigheaded witch, I'm sure I speak for Lacy when I saw we will
help you with this mission, but we will not be ordered around. We have opinions and feelings too..."
"Oh! Feelings! The root of all problems. Feelings are too inconsequential to be taken seriously. I've seen where 'feelings'
have led the two of you before and I don't want to return to that hell anytime soon."
"Nona, please. Lacy and I are more than just your minions. You must give us some responsibilities," Marta pleaded.
"Yes, please. Give us some areas to take care of, please, Nona?" Lacy took out her handkerchief and wiped another tear
away.
"What areas do you suggest?" Nona crossed her arms and looked sternly at her sisters. Only once before had she been challenged
like this and it had taken all her strength and powers to bring her sisters into submission then. Another challenge to her
position may have unknown results.
"I don't know," Marta said as she looked at Lacy for support. "Perhaps basic, everyday, mundane things?"
"Hmm." Nona looked out the window at a bluebird perched on a branch. She considered what trouble her sisters could cause
and decided that simple things like basic hygine and housekeeping would be easy to control; if there were any problems, they
could be easily rectified in one simple step. "Fine. Yes, I like that idea. Where will you begin?"
Lacy cleared her throat and looked at Marta. "Well, I was thinking we - all three of us - could start by taking them out.
I mean, that's more everyday-type stuff, but we'd need you there, Nona, to help us figure out how to do this properly."
"Ah..." Nona smiled. "You need me? Huh. Well, I supposed the three of us taking them out into the world they no longer
know would be beneficial for all three of us, but I know this is a stalling tactic for the two of you to figure out what boring,
silly everyday things you might be able to have some kind of control over."
Nona stood up and looked at her sisters, shaking her head. "We've been doing this for hundreds of years, ladies. You should
know better by now that you'll always need me, no matter what." She turned and went to the dining room door and pushed it
slightly. Through the small crack, she could see Merk and Nannie sitting at the kitchen table where they'd left them. They'd
been picking at the plates in front of them, and now both seemed to be lost in thought. She closed the door quietly and looked
at her sisters who'd come up behind her.
"Marta, Lacy. This is it. With any luck, this will be our last mission and we'll be able to move on with our pitiful lives,"
Nona said as she hugged her sisters. Lacy sniffled and Marta inhaled deeply as Nona turned back to the door, pushing it all
the way open.
Merk turned and saw the women coming back into the room. He hadn't reached any decisions on what their next step would be.
All he knew for sure was that he and Nannie were virtually without anyone to turn to, except for these three strange women.
Nannie looked at the women at the same time. She just wanted someone to tell her what to do - after a lifetime of having
strict order in her life, being left without a set schedule or direction from someone, she was completely lost. She hoped
these women would have some kind of idea of what they were to do next.
Nona, Marta and Lacy came up to the table and looked fondly at the twins. Lacy wiped yet another tear from her face and
sniffled. Marta played with the pleats in her skirt and looked at anything but the twins. Nona looked both of them in the
eye and cleared her throat.
"Merk, Nannie. We have discussed some things in the other room. The three of us have decided that we will help you as much
as possible, in whatever areas you need help, to regain some balance in your lives."
"What do you mean? You'll be like our chaperones or something?" Merk asked.
"Perhaps, if that's what you wish. Or we can just be here for you to talk to. We will fill whatever roll you wish," Nona
said as she brushed her hand across Merk's cheek.
He jumped slightly at the touch and stole a look across the table to Nannie, who seemed to be entranced with the woman.
"I think maybe Nannie and I should get out of the house for a while. Get some air, maybe go see some friends... if we have
any that remember us."
"Yes, that's what I want to do," Nannie said as she nodded in agreement.
"Would you like us to join you," Nona said in a voice that was almost a combination of neutrality and sugary-sweetness.
"Well, maybe. That might be a good idea. I mean, I don't know how much has changed in eight years. And the three of you
have probably been around for more changes and stuff, so you can guide us."
"Oh, we're not nearly as experienced as you think us to be, dear Merk. Now, I suggest the two of you go get ready. Change
your clothes, bathe, do whatever you do in preparation for the day. My sisters and I will clean up the kitchen while you
gather yourselves together."
Merk and Nannie got up from the table and went up the stairs. As Nannie turned the knob open the door to her room, she stopped
and looked at Merk. "Are we doing the right thing? I mean..."
"Nan, come on. We can't keep second-guessing ourselves. What other options do we have?" Merk said as he went over to her
and gave her a light hug. "They say the know something and we're going to have to believe them. All we can do now is hope
that they're right and they really do know what to do."
"Yeah, I guess. I mean, they seem nice."
"Sure," Merk said as he let go of her and went to his door.
"You don't sound so sure about that."
"Well, how can I be? We'll just have to make sure we stick together through this, okay? I have a feeling about all of this
and it's not warm and fuzzy."
They each went into their rooms and got ready. With their parents gone, they each had a bathroom to themselves and took
long, leisurely showers. Neither of them gave much thought to what they might meet on the outside once they left the house.
Nannie was more pre-occupied with looking her best and Merk didn't give a hoot what people thought.
After an hour, they descended the stairs to the front hall. Nona, Marta and Lacy met them with smiles. "All ready, then?"
Nona asked as she put a small hat on her head, a hat that matched her sisters in all but colour.
"Yeah, as ready as we can be," Merk said as he pulled on his coat.
They left the house as a little group. There was a small compact car in the driveway, one that neither Merk or Nannie had
ever seen before. Nona got into the driver's seat while her sisters argued over who would get shotgun; Merk and Nannie stood
back, waiting for a decision to be made before attempting to get into the car.
"Merk, why don't you sit in the front?" Nona asked as the arguing became more intense.
"Um, sure," Merk said as he made a move toward the front passenger door.
"Hey! That's no fair!" Lacy cried out as Merk opened the door and got in.
"Well, don't stand around and argue for so long next time," Nona called across the passenger seat. "Let Nannie sit in the
middle of the back and the two of you can sit on either side of her. Hurry up, we don't have all day."
Once everyone was in the car, Nona reversed out of the driveway and onto the street. There was little traffic this morning,
so the drive to downtown was fairly uneventful. Both Merk and Nannie sat in silence, watching the scenery pass by. They
noticed that the neighbourhood they'd grown up in hadn't changed all that much, except for the new vehicles and a few paint
jobs. As they neared downtown, though, they noticed the new shopping centre and parks.
"Oh, Merk, they built a mall on the old field."
"And look there," Merk said as he pointed to a monstrous building across the way. "What is that?"
"That's a warehouse," Nona said as she put on the turn signal at a stop sign at the end of the street. "Your home hasn't
changed that much in eight years, really. It's grown, that's for sure, but the basics will always be there."
They drove down the main street quietly. There were several people on the sidewalks that Merk and Nannie recognized - several
of whom they weren't sure would remember them. How did time pass without people knowing we were gone, Merk thought, or did
they even know we were gone?
Nona was well aware of the silence from the twins. She wanted them to see that life had moved on, despite what they'd been
through. She'd been thinking about how to approach introducing them back into their corner of the world, and had decided
that just putting them out there, forcing them to interact with the people they once knew was the best method. What she was
unsure of was how they would react to being a part of society again after such a long absence. She pulled the car to a stop
in front of a semi-popular restaurant and turned off the ignition.
Merk looked out the window at the storefront. "What are we doing here?"
"You are going to get reacquainted with the people you once knew," Nona said as she opened her door.
"By ourselves?" Nannie asked.
"No, dear. That would be cruel. No, Marta, Lacy and I will be there for you, but you two must make the first move on your
own."
Merk opened his door and climbed out slowly. Marta and Lacy had already escaped the car and were waiting on the sidewalk
with Nona. Nannie sat, stock still, in the backseat with her seatbelt still firmly in place. Merk opened one of the backdoors
and climbed in.
"Aren't you coming?" he asked her.
"I don't know if I want to."
"Come on, we have to do this sometime."
"I know. But does it have to be now? We haven't even found out what happened to mom and dad. Isn't this a little sudden?"
"Maybe. But why not get this over with now?"
"Because... because I don't want to."
"If I have to, you have to."
Nannie looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. "Merk, have you wondered why this is happening to us?"
"Yeah, but I figure we'll find out why eventually. But right now, we have to get back out there."
Nannie reached down and undid her belt. She titled her head back and sighed. "Fine."
"You know, Nan, you've been caving in to every suggestion today a little too easily," Merk said as he stepped out of the
car.
Nannie followed him and leaned close to his ear so she could whisper. "I miss mom and dad, Merk. At least with them, I
knew nothing was going to be coming out of left field."
Merk looked at his sister and shook his head. "Maybe you should start making some decisions on your own, or you're going
to end up in real trouble soon."
"Why? I've got you, don't I?"
"Yeah, but I won't always be there. You're... wow, we're 26 now. You're an adult, start thinking for yourself," Merk said
as he walked away, leaving Nannie standing beside the car. She quickly caught up with him and grabbed his arm.
"You think you know me, Merk. Just because we're brother and sister doesn't mean anything, you know."
Merk looked at his sister. "Nan, you're starting to scare me. I've never seen you this erratic."
"I'm not erratic. I'm lost."
Merk sighed, put his arm around her shoulders, and started walking her towards the three women still standing on the sidewalk.
"Lost, eh? Nan, you have no idea how lost you are."
"Ah, so you've finally decided to join the real world, eh?" Nona said as them as they came closer. "Let's go inside and
see what transpires, shall we?" She turned and her sisters followed her into the Red Mug.
Merk and Nannie had never set foot in the Red Mug before in their lives. They'd seen it virtually every day of their lives
from the outside, but were strictly forbidden from entering by their mother, who believed that too many 'common folk' frequented
the restaurant for her liking. As they walked through the door, they noticed that it was well-lit, seemed reasonably clean
and had a warm, friendly atmosphere. There was a counter along one wall for patrons to sit and several tables filled with
what Merk supposed were workers from the local industries.
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