Morning. He rubbed the remnants of sleep off his face and swung off the bed, clad in PJ’s. Must’ve been his room or something but it felt colder than it need be, like it was suddenly snowing outside. “morning,” he said at the bedroom door of his parents. He hadn’t heard Rick when he left this morning. Now he heard no return of the morning greeting from his mom; she probably hadn’t woken up yet.

Adam took a thirteen minute shower and stepped out of it. It’s so silent in the house. Felt like he was the only one here. When he went to the lounge, after brushing his teeth and putting on his school uniform, he found no sign of his mom. The TV was still Off.

Adam went to the bedroom and called out for mom again. He went in there fastening his yellow and blue tie on the neck, school bag on the shoulder. The bag fell off. He stopped moving, didn’t even pick up the bag. The bedroom was empty. The bed itself wasn’t made. No sign of the mother. He raced out of the house and found his dad’s car, a blue Subaru, still parked where it usually is, by the house on the concrete space. No sound at all, only that of the pacing air.

Adam returned to the house for his phone. He called his mom. Voicemail. He called dad. Voicemail again. Why did they leave without at least saying anything?

Adam sat on the bed and started thinking. Where could his parents have gone to, without the car even?

When he went next door to ask Mam’ Mvelase if she’d seen them or heard them leave, Adam didn’t find the neighbor. He knocked the door loud until his knuckles got sore. No one opened.

He opted to get in but the door stood locked. “Ms—Ms Mvelase! Karabo!” he yelled and went to peep through the windows, but the white curtains blocked his view. “kar—Karabo!” only the silence answered and the wind twirling about. The feel of being in a desolate area where it’s only you and the earth. Adam, not knowing what to do now, grabbed his school bag, locked the house and left for school.

There was no one in the streets. No people. No moving cars. It just looked normal…and abnormal.