2003

A creak. The house, granted it hadn't been opened in an year, leaned in greeting as the man entered the house.

Dad had come back from his fruitless journey. Nothing at all. No evidence of where his beloved son went. It was as if he was...Dad tried not to think about it, but he knew, logically, it was a possibility.

He walked upstairs to his work room. Everything was left the way it was before his departure. Then, he saw the labeled box. "The Happiness Machine." Inside, there were two rings labeled 'There' and two labeled 'Back'. The rings would transport its wearer to a different world, their own little fantasy happy world. Each person would go wherever they wanted and once filled with joy, they could simply take out the 'Back' ring and go back home. Dad had especially created two pairs so his son and him could take a journey, possibly even together!

But now, Nick was gone. Gone for good. Enraged, Dad took hold of the box and threw it violently at the wall, yelling, "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! MY SON WOULDN'T BE GONE IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU!" Then, something shocked Dad so much he fell back. Out sprang three rings...one 'There' and two 'Back'.