Life is Strangender: introduction (Patreon)

And here's a new story—I could almost call it a commission from my friend Molly ^^ Let's start off slow this time; I hope you like it. See you Saturday for the comic^^

_____________________________________________________________________

Marie was a computer engineer at a large tech company. He was what you might call a workaholic. All of this allowed him to live a great life, though not without stress.

His mind, however, had found a way to counteract it all. For the past six years, he had been returning every summer to the town where he grew up to recharge his batteries.

It did him a world of good, even though the first year, it was mostly the teasing about his first name that came back to him. Nevertheless, the anger he felt back then gave way to a sort of relative calm; after all, they were just children’s words. He also took the opportunity to visit all the places dear to his childhood, such as the school, the playground, the candy store, and so on. That evening, he began looking through a photo album at his parents’ house, and a name came back to him: Dominique.

He was his best friend from childhood, the one with whom he’d gotten into all sorts of mischief over the years. He’d stayed in touch when Marie left town to go to college, but as time went on, their contact grew increasingly sporadic before cutting off entirely. He tried to get in touch again during his vacation but without success. Dominique’s parents had left town a few years earlier without leaving an address. He continued his search nonetheless and, after three years, finally managed to contact him again.

“Hey Dominique, it’s Marie, aka ‘Window-Breaker.’”

“Yo Marie, it’s been so long.”

“Phew, I thought you weren’t going to answer.”

-Why wouldn’t I have answered?

-Well, it’s been years since we last spoke.

-So what? You’ve been busy, and so have I.

-Yeah, that’s true. Tell me, is there any chance we could meet up?

-Oh, sorry, I’m abroad right now for work.

-No problem.

The conversation continued, but the two friends couldn’t manage to set a date. Marie tried to contact him every year, but without much success. The fourth year, he got in touch too late. The fifth year, it was Dominique who replied too late, as he, too, was swamped with work. Finally, in the sixth year, they had finally managed to set a date, and Marie was looking forward to seeing his friend again.

The holidays finally arrived, and Marie packed his suitcase with some enthusiasm. Once back in the town of her childhood and at her parents’ house, he began counting down the days. He felt as though he had become ten years younger, so strong was his excitement. Of course, they weren’t going to get into mischief like they did when they were children. Just the thought of seeing his friend again filled him with joy, much to her parents’ surprise.

Finally, the big day arrived. Marie got ready and went to the agreed-upon spot. He arrived a little early and was completely nervous. It felt like a romantic date, even though it was just a reunion between two friends. Time passed—an hour, then two hours—and there was no sign of Dominique. At first, Marie thought he might have gotten the date wrong, but he was right.

Another hour went by, and he tried to reach him on his phone, but got no answer. He began to think his friend had stood him up, surely to get back at him for all those years without a word or something that had happened in the past. He started to leave, his head still full of questions, when he heard someone calling him. He turned around and saw a stunning woman.

-Sorry I’m late.

Marie was speechless. Who was this young woman? Dominique’s girlfriend? His sister? So many questions raced through his mind.

To be continued