Found

 The cool mist floated over the thin wire, making the end completely indistinguishable. Aiko trembled, moving her jet black hair from her eyes. She took a deep breath, standing on her tiptoes and placing one foot onto the cord. Seconds passed and she slowly added her second foot. The rope dropped slightly under the stress of her weight, making her hold her breath. Both of her arms moved from her sides as she attempted to stay balanced. She inched forward, the frigid wind stinging her eyes. Waves rushed under the wire, dangerously close to Aiko’s feet. Aiko squinted her eyes, attempting to see through the thick fog. She felt herself lose balance. She shut her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself. She had expected to fall into the icy water but she felt as if she were flying. Her eyes opened and she looked around, realizing she was on a.. paper airplane? The lights of the city glowed around her. It was a magnificent sight. 

There was a barking noise in the distance. Aiko shot out of bed. Her dog stood at the end of her bed, tilting his head in confusion. Aiko exhaled, smiling at her companion. She lifted the pile of blankets off of her and stepped onto the hard wooden floor. She gently patted the dog’s head before making her way to the small desk in the corner of her room. Aiko reached for the notebook that always sat in the same spot. She grabbed a pen and began to write. “Dream log,” she spoke out loud. “April 28th.” She summarized the dream before jotting down notes under it. Dreaming of walking a tightrope means you need to get out of your comfort zone and that you may meet a new group of people through an activity. Dreaming of a paper airplane represents- She was taken out of thought by a knock on the door. Aiko placed the journal back to its original spot and sat up walking towards the door. A man she had never seen before stood behind the door. But once the words came out of his mouth, she knew exactly why he was here. “We found him.”

Him. Her son. Her son, who had been missing for almost a year. She remembered the last time she saw him. He was packing his things, getting ready to go back to his father’s home. His parents had been divorced ever since he was 5. She remembered how much he hated going to different houses every week. That had also been the same day that the two of them had that argument. Aiko wished she could have taken everything back. Her son’s name was Oliver, named after an olive tree that represents peacefulness. But he was far from peaceful. She remembered the doctor's visit. She remembered how she felt. A wave of emotions struck her as the doctor spoke the word. “Schizophrenia.” The argument had been about his medication. She remembered it clear as day. She had walked upstairs into his bedroom, silently watching him pack up clothes. She had set the bottle of pills onto his bedside table. “What is that?” he asked, his eyes not looking away from the bottle. Aiko gave him what she thought was a comforting smile. “They are just here to help you.” She handed him the bottle as he continued to stare at it. “You need to take them once-” He chucked the container to the ground, pills scattering in every direction.

Oliver stared at the mess, breathing heavily. “First the kids at school,” he whispered, hands shaking. He turned to his mother, his voice rising. “And know even my own mom thinks I’m a freak?!” Aiko looked at him, her eyes filled with fear. Then her facial expression softened as she noticed Oliver had begun to cry. She walked up to her son, gently touching his face. He flinched, immediately swatting her hand away. “Don’t touch me!” he screamed, snatching his unzipped bag and running down the stairs. Aiko stood by the doorway. She didn’t know how to get rid of the anger in her little boy’s eyes. She was alone. She was only left with her racing thoughts. 

Aiko felt as if she could barely breathe. There were so many people crowding around her. She heard some of their conversations, one of them about children, another about astronauts, one even about paint being spread on walls. She reached into her pocket, brushing her thumb against the cool metal of the necklace. It had been a gift from her grandmother. It was a necklace that was split in two, each made of a magnetic metal. Once in contact with each other, the two pieces of the necklace would reunite, forming a heart. She had given the second piece of jewelry to Oliver, who had unfortunately destroyed the other half during one of his breakdowns. Even with the bad memories, the broken necklace still gave her comfort. She had no idea why. A man pushed his way through the crowd, softly grabbing Aiko’s arm. He led her to a small room. He spoke to her, but Aiko couldn’t pay attention no matter how hard she tried. However, she did hear the last sentence. “He’s in here.” 

Aiko ran into the room, not bothering to hear what else the man said. Oliver sat on mint green sheets, wearing a blue hospital gown, multiple IVs connected to his arms. He was hellishly skinny, dark circles lining his eyes. His hair was a rat’s nest and it had seemed to have been cut. He did not look like the boy she once knew. Before she could walk up to her son, a doctor stopped her. She explained everything that had happened. It had in fact been her ex-husband who had caused this. He didn’t know how to deal with Ollie either. The doctor explained that Oliver had been locked in the attic as an attempt to “cure” him. He was extremely malnourished and had only been given food almost every 2 weeks. She explained that his hair had grown past his shoulders. A hairdresser came in and said that the only way they could save his hair was by cutting it. The doctor described him as a fighter. Aiko pictured him as an army soldier. Her eyes returned to her son. She slowly walked up to him, gently touching his face just as she had done the last time she saw him. He didn’t swat away this time. Oliver closed his eyes, placing his hand on top of his mother’s hand. None of them spoke a word, they didn’t need to. The two of them were reunited. 

-Allitini