The lightning had stopped, yet the rain continues. Lying on my bed, I put on my earphones when all of a sudden, I heard a noise downstairs in the kitchen where my mum was. Straining my ears, I tried to listen.

"Come on, you know that I'm not going to harm..."
"No! Do not try to fool me again. Thirteen, thirteen years I had waited for you, Lucas. Yet you never came..."
"Come, and I will show you why.."
"No, I don't...NO, GO AWAY!!" My mother screamed.

Putting my spectacles on, I rushed down to the kitchen, throwing all caution to the wind. A thousand questions flooded my mind. One of the most disturbing ones were, since when were there another person in the house? And how did the mysterious person enter the house if my mother did not welcome him in? He couldn't possibly break in, could he? That thought horrified me as I climbed down the stairs two steps at a time.

And what about the part my mother said? That she had been waiting for thirteen years? The more I thought, the more puzzled I became. I reached the kitchen and slowly opened the door. What awaits me there?

It was all dark. I could not see a thing. Softly, I called out, "Mum? Where are you?" When there was no answer, I called out several times. Still no response. Now panicking, I shouted,"MUMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?" Hurriedly, I switched on the lights and sweeped my eyes through the kitchen. There was nobody there. How did she disappear all of a sudden? Is this some sort of joke? But as I thought of it, my mother was never a joker... As serious as a person can be, my mum disapproved of jokes and was really strict about it. Tears welled up in my eyes. I blinked them away angrily. I rarely cry and I should not cry, my mother is missing!

After searching the whole house, I was fully convinced that my mother was not here. Sinking down into the sofa, I buried my head into my hands. After who knows how long, I looked up to a voice behind me.

"Your mother is gone."