Brummagem hadn't changed since I last saw it. Then again it had only been a couple of months. I asked if we could stop somewhere before going to mother's house.
"Sure where do you want to go dude-man?" the stranger asked.
"There's this little Italian takeaway on the corner of station road which has the most divine food. Mum loves the food from there…" I explained.
"Say no more man" he said and drove in the direction of station road.
When we got there I thought to myself about how I wanted to look as not to draw attention to myself. Unable to remember how I used to look, I imagined a form that was easy enough to look at but not easy to pick out in a crowd. When I looked down at my hands all I could see were long bandaged fingers, but my reflection in the van window was that of an average looking young man in casual clothes.
The stranger was looking at me wide eyed "woah that's awesome…" he said upon seeing my change "where was that ability when I gave you my fancy piece of material?"
"Do you want it back?" I said.
"Nah it suits you better as a cloak than it does as curtains in my van" he replied.
I ordered the usual from the restaurant, 2 small pizzas, 1 with mushrooms and one without. Not the most exiting of meals from an Italian takeaway but it has always been a family favourite. When we reached mums house I was wrecked with nerves. The stranger said that he wanted to go and do something while he was here in Brummagem and would be back when he was done. He had driven off by the time I reached the door. I decided to shed my human form before seeing my mum. I was standing in broad daylight trying my best to mask my presence from the neighbours, with a takeaway bag in my right hand. I lifted my hand and knocked the door taking a deep breath as I did. The latch went and the door swung open revealing my mum in her dressing gown.
She looked up at me in what I assumed was sheer wide eyed terror at my appearance.
"Mum don't be afraid it's just…" she threw her arms around my waist.
"I thought you were dead, I saw your body, you were all weird and crusty." She sobbed "I heard someone had stolen your body from the research lab. You stupid boy donating your body to science…" she started hitting me "come inside quickly before someone calls the police" she smacked me round my head and forced me inside.
"How did you know it was me?" I asked her.
"I don't know…" she said as she forced me down next to her on the couch "I just knew it was you the moment I saw you. Is that pizza…"
"Yeah…" she grabbed the bag out of my hands and started unwrapping the food.
"I haven't had a good pizza since you died" she complained bluntly "get us some plates will you, I'll call Frank"
"Isn't Frank at work?" I thought out loud.
"To hell with that. When he hears you're alive…ish… he'll come faster than he did on his wedding night" she chuckled at her own joke.
"Ew mum he's my cousin, and your nephew…"
"You really are alive" Frank said "I thought Auntie had finally gone demented…" mum slapped him as she came through with some forks. We then all sat down for some masala and I explained what exactly had happened so far. "So you died, but you didn't die and then you had to escape the police for a murder you didn't mean to commit?" Frank said.
"Yup" I replied
"And then you went on some kind of cross country spiritual journey with a hippie and discovered the meaning behind the universe and that you also have special powers now?" Frank continued.
"That about sums it up" I said "the stranger is picking me up in a bit and is taking me to Direbrack"
"Oh right, Cordelia…" mum said "she's been distraught she's visited a couple of times. She'll be relived to see you. Two weeks after finding you again, she watched you die saving her from a failed experiment"
"Good lord, I hadn't thought about it like that" I said "do you still think she'll love me?" I asked mum
"She spent 14 years looking for you. She'll love you no matter how you look, you still have the same heart…" mum said.
"I don't think I have a heart anymore" I half joked.
"I remember…" she said, and me and Frank groaned.
"You're not going to tell us how you and dad met again are you" I moaned.
She ignored me and continued "I remember when me and your father first met. Good god he was the most hideous man I'd ever seen, and yet when he spoke to me, he was charming and had the most wonderful heart and soul…." She picked up a photo of him and looked at it "I do miss him you know. And your parents too Frank. I didn't just lose my husband in that accident I lost a sister and a friend" I'd never seen her like that before "when I thought I'd lost you, …, I started to go a little mad I think"
"Pardon what did you call me?" I asked.
"She said your name… don't you recognise your name?" Frank said.
"It's one of the few gaps in my memory… apparently I'm not allowed to remember my name no matter what…" I explained to the shock of my family.
There were a couple of honks outside the house. It was the stranger in his van. It was time for me to go. I asked mum to ring Delia and let her know I was coming and brief her on the situation. The ride to Direbrack was uneventful except for the fact that the stranger decided we should have a sing song to keep spirits high, especially as we were heading through The Valley of Direbrack where it wasn't exactly cheery. When we reached the top of the mountain I got out of the motor. Before I left I poked my head through the van window.
"I suppose this is where we finally say goodbye and thank you ever so much" I said to the stranger "but before I go I think I've finally thought of a name to give you"
"And what would that be?" He asked
"Strange" I replied "because despite me spending so much time with you you're still a total stranger" at this he chuckled
"I have something to say to you as well Theo…" his disposition had changed to be quite serious "this journey you've been on has been to figure out who you are. You have re-discovered many good emotions on this journey: joy, happiness, understanding, inner peace, contentment, but now you will be subjected to much anger and hate. I wish you much luck in staying your hand in the upcoming situation…"
I didn't really understand what he had said at the time but in a few minutes I would.
After I'd walked up to the great castle door I turned back round to wave one last goodbye to my mysterious friend, but he was gone just as quickly and silently as he appeared. Sadly, I never saw him again…