Normal

Normal

By Jake Swartwout

Our world is normal. Or at least we thought it was. No matter who you ask, we will all remember the day Jenna went crazy. It was a calm warm evening, with the sun shedding its brilliant warmth for all. Jenna was walking home from school like she normally did. Even though she was lugging along her sleek black trumpet case, she didn’t care. Today her Dad and Step-Mom were going to take her out for dinner, as a reward for her good grades. Everyone was coming. Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt Norma and Uncle Ricky, and her best friend Dwain.

Now, only Mrs. Grammen knows this next part, and even though she is believed to be crazy, what happened later told us it was true. Mrs. Grammen is a grouchy old lady who lives at the end of the road Jenna lived on. She says that on that particular evening, she was sitting on her porch, enjoying the sun. Just on time, Jenna walked by coming home from school. She was smiling and happy like always.

She passed by the bushes and was shrouded from Mrs. Grammens view like always. Only today, Mrs. Grammens heard a thump. The old lady said she was worried if a thief was behind the bushes, so she went to investigate. Instead, she saw Jenna, standing on the sidewalk, case on the ground, and a strange look on her face. “What happened? Miss Suzan?” Jenna asked Mrs Grammens. Startled that Jenna knew her first name, and called her by it, Mrs. Grammens just stood there.

The girl looked so confused that Suzan wanted to do something, but didn’t know what. “Where is Jack?” Jenna asked. This confused the old lady even more. She asked: “Who? The blacksmith?” but was corrected by Jenna. “No, my older brother. You haven’t heard of him?” Since Mrs. Grammens kept to herself, she didn’t know much about the different families. But she did know that Jenna never did and never will have an older brother, especially one named Jack.

When she told the confused girl that, a smile spread across her face. The next few minutes were filled with skipping and yelling until Jenna ran home.

Jenna’s parents tell this next horrific part. They tell of how Jenna bursts into the door calling for her dad. When he comes down with his latest stitching project she hugs him and almost impales him with the needle. He backs off and puts it down, calling his wife into the front room.

She comes in and they both hug her, asking if she is excited for tonight. She is confused. “What’s happening tonight? And who are you?” She asked her mother. Jenna’s parents laughed and hugged her again. “Your ceremony, remember?” They laughed and went back to what they were doing, letting her do her homework.

It wasn’t until they heard a scream that they realized something was wrong. Jenna was standing in her doorway, looking at her room. “Eeeek! What happened to my room!!!” They thought something was wrong, that something was broken, but when they got there it was all the same. “What happened to my trampoline?!? And my hamster?! Mr. Squeakers where are you?!?!?!” Who was this Mr. Squeakers she was talking about? And why did she keep yelling at a Syinn?

Jenna rushed into her room, and slammed the door. Her parents heard a gentle crying, so decided to let her have some time alone. But it wasn’t long before the doorbell rang. When they opened it, it was Dwain, ready to go. They welcomed him in, but warned him that Jenna was having some trouble. And like the good kid he is, he decided to go up and cheer her up. A little later, he came back down, depressed. “She didn’t remember that we were friends. She said she didn’t want to ever see me again.”

They were all surprised. What had happened to Jenna? As the night went on, she stayed in her room, more guests came over, but she didn’t want to see any of them. Only her father could talk to her, but even he couldn’t make sense of her mumblings. She wanted a...a genie named Syinn? To bring back her brother? He didn’t remember her ever having one.

He decided to cancel the party and sent everyone home. Since it was getting late, he went up one more time to say goodnight. He found her sprawled on her bed, with her cheeks wet. When she saw him she gasped out: “Dad!” and gave him a hug.

Later Jenna gave her own account of what happened. She was walking past Mrs. Grammens house, the bush outside to be exact, when suddenly everything changed. The world twisted and she felt a tugging feeling in her head. When it settled down, she continued on. When she got home, she went in the back way and went straight up to her room, to fix a thank you card for her parents. When she opened the door, her room was gone. It was completely extreme! Like they were rich! She had a trampoline, a hamster!! She explored until she was interrupted by a guy apologizing. When she asked who he was, he laughed. He said his name was Jack and he was her brother.

She was so confused and so scared she screamed and ran downstairs forgetting everything. But on the way down, she bumped into a strange woman. They looked familiar… like her first mom!?!?! She screamed again and ran out of the house. Down the street to Dwain’s house. She always felt safe there.

But his mother answered and said that Dwain had gotten detention, and even if he was home he wouldn’t want to see her. She was so confused! What had happened? All she could guess was that someone went back in time and made her have a brother. Why would someone do this without telling her? Why would they try to ruin her life?

She was so confused. She ran back to her house to lay on the bed that might have been hers. She looked down as tears flowed across her face.

There was a knock on the door. She looked up at her door, but something was better. It was normal… She was back! Her father came in and she was so relieved that she went and hugged him.

And forever on, everyone will remember the day that Jenna went crazy. But no one will remember the day Jenna’s alternate self came to visit.