Out of Time - Part Three

As if something had heard my silent pleas I feel myself slowing to a complete stop, my head spinning as I look down at my Aunt's old house.

I could barely remember the lavish property, having only seen it in old pictures of my Aunt in your youth. It had been bought by her first husband's parents as a wedding gift for the happy, albeit short-lived, happy couple. While my mom and dad had to work hard to afford their old home far out into the suburbs, with little to no help from either of their families, the wealth inherent in my Aunt's temporary in-laws oozed from every corner of the property.

Despite being within spitting distance of the city the property was downright huge, being a part of a 'well-established' neighborhood with large plots of land which had managed to avoid subdivision over the years. The two-story property, really three if one were to include the expansive attic space, overlooks an expansive backyard kitted out with a large pool and trampoline.

The front yard is well-maintained, the obvious work of a professional gardener keeping the grass and hedges perfectly trim and keeping up with the community standards. The whole lot is enclosed by way of a large fence, the backyard having towering wooden slats while the front yard was protected by an artistic mixture of wrought iron stakes resting between pillars of limestone. The exterior of the building is painted a crisp white, the color almost being blinding in the right light, while the roof is tiled with a stark and contrasting dark brown tile that borders on black.

Bay windows dot the lower and second floors, the protrusions from the house mirroring their way up between the separate floors for simplicity's sake. At the top of the building, resting in the attic, is a large ornate circular window that overlooks the front yard and gives the house an almost magical or mystical appearance.

Still hovering over the house my mind races, taking it all in and trying to place when this exactly was.

"Stacy married...what was his name...Dayle? Dayle in the...Was it some time in the seventies?" I mentally muse, looking around for further clues.

Stacy had married Dayle around the same time she had dropped out of college in her first year, latching onto her high school boyfriend as well as his parent's wealth as soon as she was out from under my mother's and her own parent's watchful eyes. However, she had divorced him only a few years later before quickly marrying her second husband Jason and taking a decent chunk of Dayle's assets in the process. She hadn't kept the house though, and I did remember hearing that he had sold it due to it carrying too many pained memories.

Stacy had returned to Dayle however sometime in the eighties, starting a family together and making Dayle husband both husband number one and three after their quick wedding before my cousin Paul was born. So began the longest period of Marriage for my Aunt, having two more kids after that point with Dayle and adopting a third before leaving him again only to get married and divorced once more.

"If Stacy is here then this must be the...seventies then...unless..." I mutter, my voice echoing with a cacophony of disparate voices and causing me to wince at the awful noise.

Before I can really finish my thought I feel something tug at my chest, pulling me forward as my arms and legs lurch behind me. Rapidly approaching the house I try in vain to protect myself, to raise my arms to take the brunt of the impact as I approach the dark tiled roof. However, right before I slam into the house I watch in amazement as the roof begins to fade away to reveal the aged wooden beams in the ceiling. The whole house quickly follows suit, the roofing and floors peeling away to give me a perfect view of the property.

Blinking rapidly I try to make out the layout of the house, having never seen it much myself beyond those poor quality aging photos. The bottom floor is largely dedicated to living space, a massive lounge room stretching off from the entryway to the right and connecting to a large dining room. Wrapping around a central hallway and stairwell the kitchen rests at the back of the house, the appliances and aesthetic being too far away and obscured with other aspects of the house to properly make out. Continuing around the laundry sits in a cozy back corner, only being accessible through the kitchen and only a short walking distance to the back yard. The remaining space on the right of the ground floor appears to be two smaller rooms, designed to be cozier spaces for use as studies or playrooms.

Shifting my gaze up to the second floor the nonexistent wind is knocked from my lungs, my body hurtling down through the hallways. Considering how close I was to the house it was all too obvious, I was about to reach where exactly my new self lived. My stomach sinks as I realize that now I'd be living with my Aunt, shuddering at the image I had of her as the irresponsible party animal that had always been painted by my family.

Tumbling through the second-floor hallway I begin to get glimpses at the room, my eyes spying a small bedroom filled with plastic as well as wooden toys and a colorful childish bedspread atop a small bed resting low to the ground.

"Paul?" I mutter under my breath, my mind racing to piece everything together as I pass by more rooms including a...