The Garage
Charlie walks through the laundry room that acts as a small hallway to the garage. What once used to serve as the entrance to the house with her Grandparents is now just an afterthought on the tour. Walking through to the garage now, Charlie can see the evidence of past lives here; the grease stains and skid marks of tires on the stone. The dust on the walls of a room that is clearly not a priority, like the kitchen.
Her Grandparents, or her Grandpa, rather, loved cars. The garage before her now is not one she recognizes, filling her with a feeling of disgust she knows she has no reason for. Charlie is very aware that her behavior in this house tour is abhorrent — she not only isn’t interested in buying the house, wasting the Agent’s time, but also judgmental in every step of the process.
With a groan the door to the two-car garage starts to lift, revealing her car in the driveway, Bill, nowhere to be seen.
“There’s really not much to see here,” the Agent explains to Charlie, hinting at her desire to keep moving through the tour.
But Charlie can’t help but disagree. She thinks of the moments she spent pulling into this garage, her Grandfather opening the car door for her. That, when she entered the house through the laundry room, that meant she was staying for a while. Looking out at the driveway now, Charlie thinks back to all the times she spent playing in the woods, hiding behind the trees and around the outside of the house.
“Should we keep going?” The Agent presses on.
Back Inside
With that realization Charlie turns back to look at her inspiration, finding the corner of the woods she occupied deserted. A chill sweeps down her spine, again unsure of what she is seeing and not seeing. Charlie can’t help but feel as if that girl means something to her. That in a certain lifetime she needed to find her and help her. At least see that she will be alright. Why can’t that lifetime be now? Without realizing it, Charlie is at the top of the steps leading down through the woods. She tries not to run down them, taking two at a time.
To The Porch
With that realization Charlie turns back to look at her inspiration, finding the corner of the woods she had just occupied deserted. A chill sweeps down her spine, again unsure of what she is seeing and not seeing. Charlie can’t help but feel as if that girl means something to her. That in a certain lifetime she needed to find her and help her. But, looking out into the woods, Charlie is sure she cannot go out and look for her. That, if anything, seeing her there in the distance was enough for her to know she was wrong for coming back here. With an almost lightheaded certainty, Charlie wraps the rest of the porch around to the front door. She is at the door, hand in movement towards a single knock, when Charlie feels a tap on her shoulder. When she turns her attention, she is suddenly in the mirrored room.