Entering the room it was different from what he had expected. His mom's things were still there.
" Didn't I tell you to take a shower Son?" A voice asked causing him to jump a little.
Solum was startled jumping around to see his father.
" Yeah," Solum stuttered the answer and left.
The next day a teacher came by Solum's house as she and a few others had grown worried. It was during the late evening hours so Cary was home. They all sat together in the living room.
Miss Gamson asked Cary if had seen any indifferent activities from his son. In response Cary answered no with a gentle smile. Miss Gamson found it odd, everything about this man was odd and it made her unsettled. She was used to speaking with the mother and she thought it would be best.
" Excuse me, but Solum, where's your mother ?"
As usually Solum drew his breath, in response he told her he didn't know.
After a few more minutes Miss Gamson didn't find out much, but she informed them that Solum wouldn't be allowed at school for the rest of the week. The father nodded. But school was something that wasn't on Solum's mind any longer.
The following night sleep wasn't easy for Solum as there was continuous sounds down the hall. It sounded as if an burgular had broken in and was ransacking the place. He wanted to see what was happening, but it would be best if he stayed put and so that's exactly what he did.
The entire night before falling asleep he listen to the music of someone playing as if they knew nothing of their instruments.
The next morning Solum didn't have school and the house was quiet. How he misses the sound of his mother hiting pans and plates downstairs as she would hum or sing to a tune from he memory or she would switch on the radio.
Suddenly Solum was hearing the humming and the singing, but this was wasn't his mother off note voice. This voice was beautiful as if it dotted all the 'i's' and crossed all the 't's'. This melody was soothing, now Solum understood why seamen were drowned so much.
Solum tidied himself and went downstairs, his father was in the kitchen. The figure there once belonged to his mother. Solum said nothing only staring as his father hummed a calming tune.
It didn't take long for him to be acknowledged by his father as he was greeted with a pleasant morning greeting, in which Solum responded to. Cary called Solum to the table and infront of him was bread, eggs, sausages, milk, orange juice, water, fruits and pastries.
This was something his mother usually did, making a too big of a breakfast in the morning. Solum wasn't sure how to bring him to eat, it had been a few days since he last ate breakfast. Solum sat unmoved staring at the food before him as if he was calculating how to eat it.
It didn't take long before he was broke from his thoughts when his name was called. Cary calmly instructed him eat. And with that Solum hesitantly took up his fork. He didn't take much, just some fruits and poured himself a glass of water.
Two hour had gone by and for some reason his father hadn't left for work. Solum sat in his room with his not so friendly headache. He tried reading, playing games or studying, but he couldn't keep focus on anything.
Solum heard as the door bell was rang, but he didn't want to see who had came to this house.
Not long after he was called down stairs where he met two police officers. They both said their greetings politely. The adults talked while he stood idle. The officers then start looking around his house.
After about five minutes of them doing the taller one of them apologized in advance before asking to see Cary and his wife's room.
Cary happily agreed leading the way. Solum and the officers followed going up the stairs and the down the passeng was. When they arrived Cary turned the handle before pushing the door forward.
" Well this is it," said Cary.
" Hmm,"
The taller police officer stepped in further looking around and about the room collecting data with his eyes and nose. At one moment he threw in a comment, commenting that the room was cozy. Cary responded with a heartly smile.
When Solum stepped in and could see the inside of the room, he trembled for a moment, everything was beyond different. Solum started counting making a mental note whete he last saw everything. But now the furnitures had been shifted and the room looked as if only one person has been living in it.
The only thing he found familiar was the three portraits on the wall. The shorter officer also stayed at the entrance of the door with Solum and he saw how the bow shivered upon entering.
They didn't spend long in the room as they didn't want to draw suspicion, so they were in the room for probably three minutes at best. Their main purpose here was finding Cary's behavior odd at the station and not to mention his son. They also came to check on the young Solum.
Reaching downstairs they shook Cary's hand and he happily returned the gesture. As Cary led them through the door his gaze louder looking like a building storm.
The policemen walked back to their vehicle casually. Upon entering they spoke.
" There's definitely something going on there," the taller officer spoke first pulling his seatbelt to a click.
" So what you think?" asked the shorter one.
" The room you can definitely tell everything was recently rearranged, you can see it by the dust lines, and the atmosphere of how some parts were cooler," the tall officer answered turning the car.
" Hmm. Yeah I saw. There's something wrong or at least I think something is wrong with the son too,"
" Solum? What you mean?"
" I don't know. But the way he keeps counting. Like when we were going up the stairs I heard a few numbers escape his lips, and when we were in the room too. He looked also frightened and then he started counting again,"
" Mmm, OCD,"
"Not the mention his features he looks stunned into silence, there's even eyebags under his eyes. He looks so.... I don't know,"
" Maybe depression," the tall officer suggested.
" No, I think it's different somehow," the shorter officer answered trailing his words.
The officers drove off with many suspicion, but each on could be labeled as a coincidence. But the officers knew something was going on at that house.