THE PRODIGAL SON OF ZADES

CHAPTER ONE.

Mike sighed quietly, looking at the house before him. He did not remember the last time he was here, neither did he remember how the house was as of before.

The exterior of the modern house took the natural environment as sacred. Though it was modern to every small detail, it was built around the trees, protecting them.

It could have even been beamed there from the starship Enterprise. It was a home, yet one could have been walking into a computer, becoming an artificial intelligence. It's beauty was in concrete. It is clean straightness and white. It is big windows that promise bold light.

Stairs rise to the entrance of the modern house, at the lightest of commands they could become an escalator, yet the pleasure of walking to the door might seem to bring a serenity that a soul craves each day.

But not for Mike.

Instead, it brings a wave of immense nervousness.

Things had changed since he had last been here in Zades. The little city he once had grown up in was now freshly rejuvenated and it looked surprisingly astonishing. Everywhere was bustling with life and numerous commercial activities.

The version he remembered of Ben's house was barely a quarter of what he saw then. He wondered how much it took for the house to be renovated.

He came out of his car with an uncertain expression. His feet seemed stuck to the ground and he could not seem to move any further. He felt nervous of seeing his brother again.

He shifts his weight from one foot to the other and swayed slightly. He fidgets with his navy green sweater as he tries to keep himself in check.

It's not that bad. The highest he will do is throw me out. You can do this Mike. You got this.

Mike sighed yet again as he tried to take control of his own feet. It felt heavy but he managed to reluctantly walked to the door.

He closed his eyes and opened them again, trying to get rid of his nervousness. Was his brother going to forgive him after all these years?

Was he going to accept him once again?

Pushing the rising thoughts aside, he manned up and raised his hands, wanting to knock on the door, but his hands felt frozen. He dropped his hands and clenched his fists, doing a mental count down from five to one.

And then Mike knocked. He gulped as he waited for someone to open up the door. It felt like a decade standing in front of his brother's door but it was barely a minute. He bit his lips as the door opened.

"Mike?"

A shaky soft voice was heard halting, yet disbelieving. The woman who had opened the door said in utter surprise as her eyes became even more widened.

She could not believe who she was seeing.

"Mike?" She said again.

"Y..yes?" Mike answered this time, his hands shakingly finding its way to his pockets.

"Mi.ike, is that really you?"

"Yeah I guess"

" Where have you been?"

The woman could still not believe that Mike was here, in her doorstep. After all futile hope of ever finding him, the shock of seeing him again in flesh was quite shocking.

She realised he had grown into a very handsome man, although not much had changed in his appearance. His shoulders became broader and he was taller. His voice was deeply baritone.

"I have been in a lot of places so I can't tell you where I have been specifically Sarah"

His brother's wife could be a handful sometimes. She had not changed one bit. At least something had not changed.

"Is my brother home?" He asked.

"Yes yes he is. Do come in" Sarah said and opened the door wider for Mike to come in.

"I will go call him now" She told him and then disappeared into the house, leaving Mike who had made himself quite comfortable on the long sofa.

And then he took in on the appearance of the house.

A mixture of endearingly vibrant colours, makes this modern, multi functional living room come to life in an instant. The colours of choice used impose a delightful air of trendy sophistication. Cotton white walls and dark wood floors acts as a blank canvas allowing colour to be introduced by its furnishings and accessories. Stripped back and neutral tones dominate the walls and floor surfaces. Apart from the Ultra Marin lightweight curtains which covers the full length of the window, from ceiling to floor and a striking feature wall. Different sized mirrors arranged in an abstract manner, creates a funky and trendy vibe highlighting just how much character this design possess.

It 's sleek and compact design, married with 2 jazzy scatterer cushions inject vibrant bursts of colour into this trendy living room. A variety of high impact tones are featured on a smaller scale on each cushion and humble accessories help to balance these colours throughout the space. An exciting zest of yellow on a geometric cushion reflects on a two tone vase whilst a single pink flower is the flower of choice relating to the largest piece of furniture in the room. The shape of its petals can be found on the cushions design contributing to the even proportion of pink.

It was all the same as seven years before but the decorations given to it made it looked like it was a new house. All the pictures that hung just above the plasma television were that of his brother and his wife.

Looking at all the photos, it seemed his brother and his wife had still not gotten a child. Susanna was unable to give birth but Ben still stood by her and still took her as his wife.

A trait he always loved to admire.

There was one picture that caught his attention. The picture of himself and his brother when they were just little boys. He remembered the day they had taken that picture.

It was the day they had lost their father.

The day that their mother took on the responsibility of two parents. She struggled to make sure the both of them got a good education.

He remembered always being the old scum bag and always getting into trouble, going for night parties, always getting into jail, making his mother and brother struggle to always bail him out.

Thinking of all these made him feel so bad. He had been a very bad son and brother.