As soon as Aleena recognized her sister's voice on the line, she hurriedly introduced herself. "Oh my god, Aleena," her sister gasped, a mix of surprise and concern evident in her tone. "Where are you?" Aleena quickly explained that she was at one of the phone charging booths, and her sister assured her that she would come to pick her up. Unsure of her surroundings, Aleena mentioned the name of the business located near the booth to help her sister find them. After a brief wait of about twenty minutes, an electric blue sedan pulled up alongside the curb. Aleena and Eli emerged from the booth, and she slid into the front passenger seat while Eli settled in the back. Her sister's curiosity piqued as she glanced at Eli, asking, "Who's he?" her sister asked. Aleena swallowed hard, introducing Eli as her friend while casting a quick glance back at him. Her sister's surprise was evident as she exclaimed, "Wow, I thought you were still with Tyler." Confused, Aleena asked, "Tyler who?" This only deepened her sister's bewilderment.
"We
definitely need to talk when we get home," her sister replied. Not wanting
to interrupt their family moment, Eli requested to be dropped off at an old
mistress's apartment complex. When they reached the apartment complex, Aleena
hesitated, asking, "Are you sure you want to be dropped off here?" He
reassured her, "It's fine. Just give me your number, and I'll call you
later." He leaned in to give her a gentle kiss that made her cheeks flush.
She quickly jotted down her number along with her parents' contact information.
She urged him to reach out if he needed
anything, and he simply nodded in response.
When Aleena
and her sister got home, she quickly realized their parents weren’t there.
"Where
are they?" she asked, prompting her sister to give her a puzzled look.
"Mom's in Puerto Vallarta,
remember?" her sister replied.
"Just humor me," Aleena insisted. As
her sister opened the fridge for a Bud Light, Aleena dropped her backpack on
the couch and scanned the room. Her eyes landing on a family photo featuring a
man she didn’t recognize. Turning to Kim, she noticed her light brown hair was
longer than she remembered, it was tied back in a ponytail, and she was wearing
denim overalls. A rainbow-colored friendship bracelet adorned Kim's wrist, but
Aleena didn’t think much of it. "Kim, who’s next to Mom?" she asked,
causing Kimberly's jaw to drop in shock. "Oh my god, Aleena, you did
forget everything, didn’t you?" she exclaimed, but Aleena just chuckled, realizing
her sister
was
serious. "He’s the reason you left over ten years ago," Kimberly
explained, and Aleena's expression shifted to one of horror.
"What
happened between us?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. Aleena pressed on, her voice tinged with
concern. “This isn’t funny; you’re really freaking me out.” Kim, rolling her
eyes, decided to indulge her sister. “Alright, let’s play along. Three years
after Dad passed away from a heart attack, Mom reconnected with a man from high
school. You didn’t approve; it felt too soon for her to start dating again,
which led to a big fight between you two. That’s when you left with Tyler, your
boyfriend. I still remember your last message: Kimmie, I’m sorry, but I’m
moving to Europe with Tyler. Occasionally, I’d hear from you, but then the
texts just stopped five years after you left. I knew you were still out there,
alive somewhere, so I wasn’t too worried. Mom ended up moving to Puerto
Vallarta with Javier after he retired, and she let me stay here as long as I
needed. I’ve been here ever since, always hoping you’d come back.” Kim’s eyes
looked down, letting out a heavy sigh, before meeting Aleena’s earnestly. The
information that her sister gave her was overwhelming. Her dad is dead, and her
mom is with a stranger living at a retirement community down south. She sighed,
“I remember now,” Aleena said, though she did not entirely remember anything.
It was as though she stepped into an
alternate
reality. In fact, she is certain she did. “Now it’s your turn,” Kim said.
Aleena sighed, acknowledging the complexity of
her situation. "I need a shower and some food first," she told Kim,
who nodded and quickly ordered delivery.
As Aleena
made her way to her room, she noticed it looked pretty much the same, except
for a new poster of her favorite band, now spelled, Mystic, hanging on
the wall. She paused to admire it before grabbing a few clothes that still fit
and heading to the bathroom. After her shower, she took a moment to check
herself out in the mirror, relieved to see no strange doppelganger lurking within
it, she stepped back into the living room and found Kim about to call their
mom. “Hold on, just hold on
before you call her,” Aleena urged. Kim nodded in agreement. The doorbell rang,
and the Ring camera revealed a delivery person, dressed in a red polo shirt and
jeans.
“Pizza’s here,” Kim announced. After placing
the pizza on the table, they settled down to eat.
“I got you a mushroom and spinach pizza, just
how you like it.” Aleena didn’t have strong pizza preferences; she enjoyed but
her.
“So, what’s the story? Who was that guy? And
how come you look just like you did ten years ago? You must have some secret to
staying young. Look at me—I definitely look older.” Aleena studied her sister
closely. Her sister is three years her junior. If Aleena was 21 when she
vanished, she is now 31. Glancing at the calendar by the fridge, Aleena noted
it was March 3rd, 2035. A wave of sadness crossed her face as she sighed,
realizing that she is in fact in an alternate reality.
“Kim, I need you to listen to me because what
I’m about to share might sound crazy.” Aleena recounted her experiences in the Backrooms,
but Kim raised an eyebrow and laughed lightly. “So, you’re keeping secrets, but
at least you’ve identified that older man--Eli Marsh.
He’s not
the richest man in the world, though.” Kim stood up and grabbed a magazine from
the magazine rack on the wall and handed it to Aleena.
“Avery Marsh?” Aleena whispered in surprise.
“Yeah, he’s the wealthiest man in the world. I can see why you’d think Eli is connected; he resembles him, kinda,” Kim explained. Aleena felt a knot in her stomach. “Oh no, Eli doesn’t know,” Aleena muttered, sighing heavily. “If you’re not ready to share everything, that’s okay. I’m just glad you’re back and hopefully you are here to stay. I missed you,” Kim said, pulling Aleena into a warm embrace. Wiping away her tears, Aleena felt the weight of the moment. Later, as she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, her thoughts drifted to Eli and how he was faring.
After a particularly disheartening encounter with his estranged mistress, Eli found himself at a homeless housing complex, a place that felt like a far cry from the life he once knew. He tried to contact his wife, but the number did not exist. The memory of his friend former mistress’s words to the police still echoes in his mind: “It’s one of those Unknowns.” Those words linger, a reminder of how easily one can slip into the shadows of society, becoming just another face in the crowd, lost and overlooked. He assumed that she was just being a bitch but something in her eyes indicated that she truly did not recognize him. Eli stood there, feeling utterly lost and bewildered, as a nagging sense of something being off washed over him. It struck him that everything had changed the moment he and Aleena crossed over to this new reality. After being settled into a homeless housing complex, he began to piece together the fragments of his disorientation and was hit with a staggering revelation: it was now the year 2035. The weight of this discovery left him reeling, as he grappled with the implications of the time slip. The world around him felt both familiar and alien, filled with advancements and changes that he could hardly comprehend. Each day brought new surprises, and Eli couldn't shake the feeling that he was not just in a different place, but in a completely different reality, where the rules he once knew no longer applied. He glanced at the calendar once again, the year 2035 staring back at him, and muttered to himself, “Ten years have passed, while I was in the Backrooms, unbelievable.” It was a strange realization for him. Later, as he stood in line at the cafeteria of the homeless shelter, the smell of warm food wafting through the air, he turned to the server with a grin and declared, “Hey, I’m Eli Marsh, I’m the richest man in the world.” The words rolled off his tongue with a hint of irony, a playful jab at the stark contrast between his current situation and the grandiosity of his claim. In that moment, the server shook her head. A plus size woman with short blonde hair and grey eyes, wearing an off-white apron, raised an eyebrow and let out a soft chuckle.
“Oh, really?” she said, pausing for a moment before handing him a steaming bowl of chicken soup that she had just ladled from a large aluminum pot. With a resigned sigh, he settled down at one of the cafeteria tables, ready to dig in. As he enjoyed his meal, curiosity got the better of him, and he inquired about who the richest man in the world is. To his astonishment, someone mentioned the name Avery Marsh. “Avery Marsh? That’s my younger brother,” he thought to himself, a mix of surprise and pride washing over him. He swallowed hard, his mind racing, and then asked if anyone had a picture of him, eager to see what his brother had become. Eli was taken aback when a man showed him the latest issue of People magazine, featuring his
brother on
the cover as the most influential entrepreneur of 2035. As he read the article,
he was stunned to discover that it referred to Avery as the only child of Rena
and Timothy Marsh. The revelation hit him hard, and he felt as if he might
faint. With a ghostly expression, he quietly murmured, “I was never born.” “Keep
dreaming, loser, there’s no way you’re rich. Just stop pretending to be someone
you’re not. If you were really rich, you wouldn’t be hanging around here,
delusional fool.” The man who had handed him the magazine, chuckled
dismissively before striding away, leaving Eli feeling a mix of embarrassment
and frustration. As the laughter faded, Eli’s mind drifted to the thoughts
of Aleena, her smile and warmth contrasting sharply with the harsh words he had
just heard. He couldn’t shake the feeling that her belief in him was the only
thing keeping him afloat in a world that was not his world. When Aleena awoke
the next morning, she walked into the bathroom to take a shower. She looked in
the mirror and noticed her face had changed, she looked older by eight years.
Her mouth dropped but her sudden age change wasn’t what shocked her. She looked
down at her stomach, a prominent pregnant belly replaced her flat one. She
screamed. Kimberly knocked on the door.
“What’s
wrong?” Aleena opened the door and to Kim’s surprise she saw Aleena’s changed
body. Aleena put her robe on and walked into the Livingroom, in shock.
Oh my god,
I’m pregnant, no,” Aleena said, clearly in distress. She sat on the couch and
her sister sat next to her. They were both in shock.
“No, this
is too weird,” Kim said in shock. “Suddenly you are pregnant. How the Hell?”
“Now, do you believe me,” Aleena told her. Kim
slowly nodded. “There are no words,” Kim said, as she stared at her sister’s
pregnant belly. "
“I don’t know what comes next, but we’ll figure this out together. You’re not alone," Kim reassured her sister, determined to support her through this unexpected journey. Aleena gave a slight nod. Kim, contemplating the weight of her sister's situation asked, "Should I let mom know that you're back and expecting?" her voice tinged with concern. With a heavy sigh, Aleena replied, "Just give me some time to process everything, alright?" The weeks ahead have been hard on Aleena. She has kept the details of her mysterious disappearance and unexpected pregnancy to herself, even from the doctor. Her sister is the only one that knows the truth. She feels that revealing the full story isn't necessary; after all, aside from her sister, she doubts anyone else will truly understand or believe the truth of what happened during those lost years. Meanwhile, Eli is currently living in a homeless apartment complex, but he’s found work assisting a gardener.
Unlike Aleena, he lacks an ID and is being paid in cash under the table. To establish his new life, he’s considering paying someone to create an ID for him, even though it feels a bit sketchy. However, he feels it’s a necessary step to make this fresh start truly his own. There were a couple of times when he wanted to call Aleena but decided against because he wanted to give her time to reunite with her family. Months later, Aleena welcomed a healthy baby girl into the world. Her mother only knew that Aleena had spent ten years abroad with her boyfriend and had returned with a child. Despite her initial disappointment over Aleena's long absence, she was thrilled to embrace her new role as a grandmother. A year passed, and Aleena found herself working as a waitress at a local restaurant when a man walked in who resembled Eli, albeit older. She couldn't help but stare, and when he noticed her gaze, their expressions mirrored surprise. He approached her and enveloped her in a warm, tight hug.
“Aleena, oh my god, how have you been? I’m so sorry I
didn’t call you. Trust me I really wanted to but,” he paused. Aleena cut in,
“But you found out that you no longer are the man you use to be, right?” She
guided him to one of the empty booths, and they sat down. She gulped. He
nodded, and their eyes met, silently acknowledging the secret they held.
Eli had transitioned from being just a gardener to running his own gardening business, which provided a decent income, though it was far from the comfortable life he once knew. As he opened up about his struggles, she reciprocated with her own. Just then, her sister stepped in with Aleena’s one-year-old daughter in a stroller.
“Hey, there you are. Linette wants to see her mommy,” Kim said, casting a
disapproving glance at Eli. “So, you found him, I see.” Her tone was icy, laced
with resentment, as she knows Eli was the father and couldn’t fathom why he
hadn’t reached out to Aleena all this time. Eli swallowed hard, feeling the
weight of her words. “Thanks for bringing her,” Aleena picked up her daughter
out of the stroller and hugged her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She turned
the baby so she could face Eli.
“Eli Marsh, this is your daughter, Linette.”
Eli’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He was at a loss for words. “Yeah, she’s your
daughter, so you better make good and be a father,” Kim took a better look at
him.
“Wow,
really sis, he’s much older than you and mom’s gonna flip.”
“I’ll deal with that when the time comes,”
Aleena responded. A week later, Eli decided to move into Aleena’s
parent’s home, with her mother still living in Puerto Vallarta, Aleena felt it
was the right thing to do. Kim wasn’t too happy about it, but she accepted
Aleena’s decision. The house has six bedrooms and before Eli moved in, it was
just her and her sister. Later, during dinner, Kim confided in her sister about
her new girlfriend, mentioning that there was a possibility she might move in
with them. Eli glanced at Aleena, who appeared taken aback by the revelation.
Aleena vividly recalled her sister not being a lesbian in the other reality,
she identified as straight. Struggling to reconcile this new information,
Aleena managed to express her support, albeit with a hint of confusion
lingering in her voice.
"Well, I’m happy for you," she said, trying to mask her bewilderment over Kim's unexpected shift in orientation. Curiosity piqued, Kim then asked, "Was the other me a lesbian?" Aleena responded with a shake of her head, emphasizing the stark contrast between the two realities. Aleena smiled as she said she was happy to be home with her family, reaching out to take her sister and Eli's hands. Her daughter, perched in a highchair, giggled joyfully. Later that evening, as Kim and Aleena's daughter drifted off to sleep, Aleena and Eli shared a warm embrace in her full-size bed, they chatted quietly.
“Was your
sister gay in the other reality?” Aleena shook her head, reflecting on how the
world might look the same yet hold subtle differences. Aleena's voice trembled
as she spoke, revealing the weight of her emotions.
"This reality is hard for me to
accept," she confessed softly. Eli nodded in agreement, his expression
mirroring her turmoil. "I can’t believe that my brother, Avery, has taken
my place, and I never was born," he added, a hint of disbelief lacing his
words. Aleena let out a subtle scoff, a bittersweet smile breaking through her
somber mood. "I understand.
The friends
I attended Comicon with before I vanished have since moved on; one has
relocated to Washington, while the other is happily married and settled down in
Texas." She turned to Eli, her eyes searching for his reassurance. He
gently caressed her cheek, grounding her in the moment.
"Eli, do you think we can truly adapt to this new life? Can we ever move past the pain of our past?" she asked, vulnerability evident in her voice. Eli responded with determination, "We will, and we must embrace what we have now." Six years have passed, and Aleena's daughter is now thriving in school, while Kim and her wife have settled into a comfortable life with Aleena and Eli. Eli continues to run his small business, relishing the peace that comes with stepping away from the intense scrutiny of being a billionaire and in the spotlight. Life seems idyllic, filled with the joys of family and the satisfaction of personal success.
However, beneath the surface of this happiness, both Aleena and Eli occasionally find themselves haunted by the shadows of their past, where their dreams can morph into unsettling nightmares that draw them back to the eerie memories of their time in the Backrooms.
As Aleena wandered through the local art gallery one afternoon, she stumbled upon an intriguing painting that immediately captured her attention. Two women were perched on a bench in front of it, engrossed in conversation as they gazed at the artwork. They discussed the art-piece. The painting itself, a stunning beach scene, meticulously crafted on a four-piece rectangular canvas measuring eighteen by forty-four inches, popped out. The vibrant colors and serene waves seemed to invite viewers into a tranquil paradise. Aleena felt relaxed and it gave her a sense of peace. However, as Aleena stood there, enjoying the painting, she noticed something unsettling.
The idyllic beach landscape began to shift and distort right before her eyes,
morphing into the unsettling yellow maze of the Backrooms. The transformation
was both mesmerizing and disconcerting. Her heart raced as she instinctively
took a step back, her mouth agape in shock. In an instant, the image before her
shifted back to a serene beach landscape just as quickly.
“Did you
see that?” Aleena asked one of the women, her voice tinged with urgency. They
turned to her, their expressions perplexed by her question.
“See what?”
asked the woman with dark blonde hair, clearly puzzled. Aleena felt a wave of
embarrassment wash over her for even bringing it up, yet she needed validation
for what she had just experienced.
“It looks like a landscape of the beach,”
replied the other woman, who had curly hair, her tone dismissive. Aleena
swallowed hard, nodding in response, and quietly walked away. When she found
Eli, she recounted her strange encounter, he enveloped her in a comforting hug.
“I didn’t want to tell you, but I’ve seen it too,” he confessed, his voice low.
“I’ve caught glimpses of that terrifying place—once in a mirror and another
time when I opened a door at work. It was there for just a second before it
vanished.” In that moment, they both understood that the haunting memories of
the Backrooms would linger with them for the rest of their lives, an
inescapable shadow that would forever be with them, in a distant memory or
perhaps just waiting for them beyond the veil.
(Amidst the eerie expanse of the Backrooms, a couple unexpectedly cross paths, forging a bond as they journey through the perils together. After the characters finally escape the Backrooms, they find themselves in an alternate reality. As the author, I decided to place them in this new setting because it would be virtually impossible for anyone to return to the exact universe they left behind when they entered the Backrooms. I might be off base, but as a writer, it's fascinating to ponder the possibility of a place like the Backrooms actually existing. The thought of a place like the Backrooms existing could send shockwaves through the very fabric of reality as we know it.)
**I wrote a book based on this short story. The book has 26 chapters. Eli Marsh's age is 35 in the book unlike the Wattpad & Ao3 version of the story. I enjoyed writing this short story.
