Jordan looked up at the sky.
Grey clouds painted the skies in an eerie art of blues and greys. The sun was completely blocked so the sunlight couldn't reach the ground below. He was standing in the middle of the road. On either side there were stalls of what looked like people selling their goods.
Jordan counted about ten of them.
This was the marketplace of the camp. And it was the first place that Jordan had decided to tour on his own.
There were also people moving up and down the streets, checking out the stalls and their items.
"Get your pots and pans for just 1 kilogram of rice!" a man from one of the stalls shouted
"Are you looking for a fresh pair of shoes?"
"Hot buns! Get your hot buns!"
There were numerous other calls coming from the other stalls as well. It truly represented what a busy market would be like. Most of the goods sold here were either food items, clothes or other basic utensils.
Of course there would be the occasional riff raff selling bogus items like tv screens and the like, as for the form of currency…well that all depended on the one selling the goods. One thing was clear though, society had gone back to the barter trade systems of the past and for how long things would remain this way remained to be seen.
To Jordan this was actually a fascinating and a new experience. He didn't actually plan on getting anything and was only here to take a look.
But as he was passing by a corner he saw a trio of women dressed in skimpy outfits. Fishnet leggings, thigh length dresses that hugged there figures and showed more of the cleavage. It was honestly a bit too much for the 14 year old and for a moment he considered falling to the temptation.
However, when the hookers locked eyes with him he felt as if he had been locked on by predators. Very deadly predators and before he knew it his legs were carrying him as far away as possible. He didn't even get the chance to see the disappointed faces on the hookers' faces.
He found himself going a little bit further than he had originally meant to and by the time he stopped he found himself standing in front of a tree. His eyes inadventently landed on a piece of paper and when they did, they widened.
It felt like what he was seeing was unreal.
But no matter how many times he times he looked at it. Its contents remained constant.
It was a missing person's paper.
And it was about him.
…
A short while later Jordan stood in a small neighborhood made up of several cottages. But Jordan didn't take a step forward. He looked back to the piece of paper he had ripped off the tree in the market. Making sure he read it write.
He had asked several of the neighbors in the place and they had been really surprised to see him and it was clear that they had recognized him from the posters. So they had directed him to this exact location. Where they said a woman lived alone.
And given the description of the woman. He was sure…no he was 60% certain he knew who it was and still he couldn't bring himself from taking the final steps towards the door.
The 40% probability that he was perhaps wrong irrationally gnawing at the back of his mind.
Times like this he wished he had Huey by his side.
If he had been here he was sure that brother of his would have been knocking on the door in a second without hesitation.
Jordan took a breath.
'Not point in delaying bud' Huey would say
Then he took a step. Then another. And another.
Step. Step. Step.
With every step he came closer and closer to the door. With every step he felt his heart pounding against his rib cage. After what felt like an eternity he arrived in front of the door. Jordan steeled his nerves. Releasing a breath before slowly raising a hand to the door.
He faced the floor. And then his knuckles gently brushed against the wood of the door. It was so light that nobody would have been able to hear it and a small part of him would have actually preferred it if the person inside the house didn't.
But reality was different
No sooner did his knuckles brush against the door, did it swing open from the inside. The light coming from the inside spilling outwards and a scent of cherry filled his nose.
Jordan's head snapped from the floor.
That scent. He would recognize it anywhere.
Then he felt a pair of warm hands wrapping around him. Embracing him in a tight and warm hug.
"Took you long enough son!" a soft an choking voice reached his ears.
Jordan froze. Feeling his eyes stung and burned. His breath hitched and he found himself sniffing and failing to fight back the tears that had already starting spilling from his eyes. Soon he lungs clenched as he released frantic breaths
Thoughts and feelings that Jordan had been trying to burying in the back of his mind spilled forth to the surface as his large arms wrapped gingerly around the back of the woman who was everything to him, as though to make sure he didn't want to hurt her but at the same time his hold was solid enough to make sure that she wouldn't disappear even if she wanted to.
Soon he found himself crying and wailing.
"Wah! Ah! I…I'm back mom" his words came out barely audible
Mother and son found themselves holding onto each other as tears of joy fell down both of their eyes.
After what felt like an eternity they had finally been reunited.
…
Jordan found himself sitting at a table in front of the chimney fire sipping on a cup of tea. His looking towards the woman working in front on the pot boiling over the fire. A delicious aroma filled the entire room.
The woman was middle aged with a petite build. She had slender hands and light smooth skin. And a face that had a slight resemblance to Jordan. Jordan had inherited his father's eyes but he had inherited his curly hair from his mother.
Grace Murrey hummed a peaceful melody as she worked on the vegetables. Her eyes looked tired and her body looked thinner whether from stress or from lack of food. It was clear that the woman hadn't had been sleeping enough but right now her tired eyes looked healthy and full of so much energy that Jordan was sure she would probably race up and down a mountain in several turns.
Jordan couldn't help the smile that spilled on his face. A large weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt fulfilled at this moment. His heart felt light at this point and if he wanted to he would simply stay inside for months on end as long as his mother was there with him.
Soon his mother was sitting across from him. She had a bowl of stew in front of her but she barely touched her plate simply content with watching Jordan eat his fill.
Jordan ate like a starved man. He really missed his mother's cooking.
He finished his plate in what felt like seconds and he released a relieved sigh.
"Seconds?" Grace asked her son but she was already standing and carrying his plate over to the pot. She knew him well enough to already know his answer and sure enough…
"Yes please" Jordan said with a large grin on his face.
He could live like this.
His mother brought the re-filled bowl over and placed it in front of him before she too resumed her seat. Once again she watched her boy eat with a loving expression on her face. She had been so worried for her boy that most of the times she wouldn't sleep but she was glad and her heart was at ease.
Soon she too began to partake in her meal. After she was done she was about to rise when Jordan stopped her.
"It's okay I got this" he said.
In the past cleaning dishes had been his least favorite choir but now. He would do it as many times as it took. With a smile he took both dishes to the sink.
Grace found herself watching him move but somewhere along the line she dozed off on the table. A content smile on her face.
When Jordan was done he turned to his mother but when he saw her sleeping form he smiled. Before carefully making his way over to her. As gently as he could, he carried her. Careful not to wake her.
And then he with slow and light steps he carried her to her room and set her down on the bed gently. He covered her with the blanket before stepping out.
"You can rest now mom" he said a low tone
Night fell and Jordan found himself laying down on the couch in. It didn't feel uncomfortable though and soon he found himself drifting blissfully to the land of dreams.