THE HOMECOMING
"The Homecoming" found a home in an American-based print magazine recently venturing into the online-publication domain: "Blood Moon Rising". The piece was accepted in 2009, but due to the magazine's overwhelming load of submissions, only saw print mid-2010.
You can find "Blood Moon Rising" at www.bloodmoonrisingmagazine.com.
(...)
There…
Martin rolled over, dug his elbows into the mattress and propped himself against his headboard. The pine groaned and tapped against the wall as he shifted against the continental pillow.
He blinked.
The room was dark. Shadows were black puddles against the dark grey space. They seemed to cower back, twisting into recognizable shapes as his eyes adjusted. The monitor across from the drawn curtains with its orange standby light, etching the outlines of the mouse and keyboard, took shape first; the desk. His school blazer slung over the back of the chair oozed into existence. On the floor: a black lump with straps – his satchel.
The steady hiss of rain drumming against the window harmonized with the gurgling of the fish tank’s filter.
Martin’s chest burned. He let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He twisted, reaching down. He fumbled for the switch then flicked it on. At first, there was just a pale glow, a buzz. Then the fluorescent tubes flashed into life with two feint pops. A cold white rippled over the room. He could see now, even though there was still no color. Small filaments of lint and cat hair flickered silver as they curdled lazily from the plush carpet.
There…
A quiet scraping whine bolted Martin upright.
He squinted at the cupboard door.
It moved… Didn’t it?
(...)
