Red strings

Red Strings

Arthur was a bit puzzled.
The faint memory of..... something, was boring in the back of his head. Little seemed solid in the depths of his now sluggish memory, and he felt a tug in his need to take in his surroundings. He opened his eyes slowly, wondering suddenly why he could remember his name at least. He thought it should be Arthur, but he was not sure why. It was dark wherever he was. not a pitch dark surrounding, but darkened. All was as if covered in shadows. He got up, and started to brush off his jacket and pants, but realized he was no really dirty in any way. Stranger still was his left hand. He was holding a thin red string. He could not recollect finding a string, and could not understand why he had to keep hold of it.

"rubbish." he started thinking, but making a mental note of letting go of the string met with a wave of fear. He had to hold on.
Looking about he noticed that there was no light here, but still shadows. The few people he could see was more an outline or a silhouette. they seemed very determined and walked along slightly rigidly. "Oy!" he bellowed to one across the street. "where are we?" The man stopped a small moment, but continued on as if deciding it was just the wind or something, shaking his head. Arthur was not really surprised, manners where in all reality dead to most people. But deciding to shove them aside himself, he started walking over the street toward the man while speaking loudly after him, "Oh come on! help me out here, don't be so daft! A name of the place would even be a little helpful. and..." Arthur stopped short, the string in his hand gave no more leeway. The other figure walked as if not hearing anything this time, and while Arthur bellowed after him he rounded a corner and was gone.

Cursing and muttering he stood there in the middle of the street, and looked round at his hand holding the string. He could not see much and so it only lead into the nearest darkness. He sighed and gave a "fine" to no one in particular. He was at least in the understanding he was in a city at least, that felt at least somewhat comforting. He picked at the string. He was not sure it it would not break, but he found it wise in himself not to try it out. He started walking, letting the string and his left arm, lead him.

Coming to a crossroad he felt it kind off lead him across it toward a tree. "tree in the streets? does that mean.....anything. no not really." he had planned to think british or some other, but found it was not exclusive of much. western maybe. or not. I did not really matter as he started to pick up the pace further down the street after rounding the tree. walking along he got a feeling of finding more things he ought to know. Particular lampposts, mailboxes, stairways or doorways, but it always eluded him why. He wondered why he was led this way when he noticed movement on the other side. he had not seen movement in a while and this intrigued him much. squinting into the shadows he saw silhouettes of two men talking. It was attentively not a nice argument, cause they where gesticulating a very familiar argument. And like a cue in his stomach one of them punched the other, and the fight broke out. And as a horrible dawning came to Arthur he reached out his hand towards them both screaming "NOOO!" just as a gun got flung out from a jacket pocket and a horrible thunder could be heard.

A new colour swam into view. red. draining from the silhouetted body. Arthur suddenly looked down, he was now holding two strings. the new led over the street toward the body and into the shadows the second figure faded. "no....." he thought slowly, "not revenge." He had come to the conclusion that he could not follow both. and vengeance seemed not important and the unknown drew him more. He dropped the second string and watched as it just sank into the shadowed street. The scene across the street was gone, and Arthur was left to follow his first string again. He walked along what was now not just a familiarized street, but could very well be his own street. Yes. yes it was, and there was his house. He looked down his own neighbourhood and up to his own street, just to see the silhouette of himself tread out of the shadows. He was looking at his watch nodding with flowers held in them. Arthur did not wish to remember it, but he stayed. he wanted to remember all, even this.

The shadow of Arthur came storming out of the house moments later, throwing the flowers as far away from himself as he could, before storming off into the shadows again. Walking closer to his shadow of a house he noticed the string splitting of into three. One following himself, and he immediately started to wonder if he could prevent what had happened. Shaking his head he dismissed it as childish and pondered if he wanted to see Alice again or just move on with his backtrack. Scratching his beard, he suddenly noticed he had it. Ha started patting his face and started running his hands over his body, fixing himself with the mental image of his former self. He had grown s bit scruffy now in the later years, realized he was not even 30 any more he had sort of given up a notch. stupid really. Looking up at the window he saw the silhouette inside of his wife. his Alice.
Sighing slightly, for a reason he was not sure he followed the string up the stairs into their house.

Inside he was filled with a shiver as he noticed everything was back in colour again, just as he had left it. Standing in the foyer he looked at his house, and his things. They were still here? maybe he's not dead, just back in the hospital or something. and then he heard a small hiccup and a low sobbing. He started walking toward the sound, noticing he was also following the string. In the living room Alice sat in her chair, No. His chair. Clutching to her chest the jumper she had supposedly thrown out cause he had worn it out. Arthur smiled.
Watching down he saw the string go from his hand toward and more or less into his wife. "I could stay? here with her, till she's to walk as well." The thought was rampaging the poor man, but he seemed to make some resolution and walked over to his wife and sank down to his knees. "Alice, I've always loved you. Might not have done my best to show it, and in the end we grew apart." ha talked low in her ear, and Alice gave a small "don't hate me" into the nothingness. Arthur continued on, "But live on, dove. And goodbye!" He leaned down kissed her lips gently.

Raising himself he saw Alice start to cry again, but with a soft smile on her lips and eyes. Looking down in his hand he saw, not to his surprise, a new string leading back out and further down his life. He turned around and felt a little joy at the thought of seeing the wonderful life he had lived, like a loving mystery revealed yet again to forgotten minds. He walked out the door letting a small draft signal his departure before disappearing into the shadows following his red string.