"Sorry, kiddo"

I was twelve when my parents went to Texas and left me with my aunt. They were expected to be gone for three weeks and I had to deal with the boring house my aunt lived in. She had no video games, no DVDs, and no TV! What did they expect me to do for three weeks while they were out living in Texas?

I remember how long those weeks dragged out. Every day seemed to last years as I waited for the three weeks to pass. Then on the third week, my aunt told me that my parents wouldn't be coming back for another three weeks. She seemed upset when she said this and I figured it was because she was stuck watching me for an extra three weeks.

The next three weeks weren't as bad. I had met a friend down the street from my aunt's house and he had a PS2 that we would play all day. I was starting to enjoy myself. At the end of the next three weeks, I was more than ready to see my parents. A month and a half without them were terrible and I missed home.

My aunt walked outside as I headed out with my bags packed. I remember how upset I was when she told me that my parents had decided to go to New Mexico for three weeks now as well. I thought they had abandoned me and I started to get depressed.

The next three weeks were just as uneventful as the first three weeks. I had forgotten how my house looked and I had nearly forgotten the faces of my parents. I was ready to go home. The night before my parents were supposed to be back, I was woken up by a tap on my shoulder. I looked up and saw my mom and dad standing over the bed smiling at me. I was so happy to see them and hopped out of bed to hug them both. “We can't stay for long buddy. We have somewhere else we need to go." I remember my dad saying to me. Although, I sensed something unusual about them. They had red cut marks all over their neck, hands, fingers, and even legs. It seemed strange but I could care less. They were present here and that’s what mattered.

We walked out to their car and they drove me around for a while. We didn't talk much but I was so happy to be with them even for a little while. When we finally arrived back at my aunt's house, I was reluctant to let them leave. I ran into my room and came back with the camera my dad had bought me before they left and I asked them to take a picture with me so I wouldn't forget their faces. I set the camera on the hood of the car and set the timer on it before hugging my parents and waiting for the flash. After that, my dad wrote something on the back of the picture and handed it to me before he and my mom got in the car and drove off.

In the morning, I woke up my aunt and told her that my mom and dad visited last night. She looked at me with so much sadness on her face that it worried me.

"You must have been dreaming." She said to me fighting back her tears.

"Why?" I asked her.

She hesitated a moment before she answered me. Tears were now rolling down her cheeks. "Your parents died in a car crash on the way to Texas."

I laughed as she said this. There's no way it was a dream. Then I remembered the picture I had taken with my parents and I ran into my room to get it. I grabbed it without looking at it and ran into my aunt's room to show it to her.

"Look, this is proof they were here." I handed her the picture.

When she looked at the picture she screamed and dropped it. Her face turned as white as snow and she covered her mouth. I was confused so I picked up the picture and looked at it. The picture showed me standing out front of my aunt's house hugging the mutilated figures of my parents. I couldn't believe what I was looking at. I dropped the picture on the floor as my hands went numb. The picture landed upside down and I read the words written on the back.

        "We're sorry kiddo."