Home.

"Hello?" The boy waited. No reply. He knocked on the door again. "Hello?” He stood on tiptoes and looked into the peephole. No movement of a human body. Then he suddenly remembered he had his house keys with him all along. He unlocked the door and entered the living room. His parents were sitting on the couch watching some loud TV programme about cars, facing away from the entrance. They heard the door close and they turned and looked at their son. "Hey, Danny. You're back. Sorry, we didn't hear you come in. How was skating practice?" "Fine," answered the boy briefly, and it's skateboarding, not skating, dad." "Whatever you say," the old man laughed. "Dinner's ready," said his mom, and they all seated themselves at the dining table. Nobody spoke a word during the very common family time. Only the sounds of munching, chewing, crunching and slurping were heard. Finally, the boy broke the silence. "Mum, is Grandma home?" The mother put her wine glass down and looked at her only child. She thought for a while, unsure how to answer. Her husband merely looked at her with an "I-don't--know" look. "Finish your dinner first. Then I'll tell you. "Where has she gone?" the boy asked again. "I don't know." The mother looked down at her food. "Somewhere far away." "Is she gonna come back?" "Alright, son. That's enough questions. Finish your food, wash your dishes, take a shower, then you can join us for movie night," his father ushered him. The boy did as he was told. He rushed and sat down on the couch excitedly as his parents put on his favourite Disney movie, one that he never got tired of watching. He almost forgot about his grandmother as the story moved along. Then came the scene where the Weeping Willow was advising the protagonist in a gentle, motherly voice and immediately the boy was reminded of his loved one. The boy waited until his movie finished. Then he removed the DVD, turned off the TV, and ran upstairs. He went into his parents' bedroom, where they were both already preparing for bed. "Mom, dad, is Grandma home yet? The guy in black at the hotel told us she'll come back to us any minute now." The boy's parents looked at each other and sighed. Then they smiled. They said a few words to each other and the father went to remove something from the chest of drawers next to the bed. The mother went over to the boy and picked him up. "Mom? Where are you taking me?" "Over here," she said kindly. The mother seated her son on a chair by the working desk. The father put a small box on the desk in front of him. He opened the box and removed a small glass jar with complex designs on it. He told his son to open the jar. The boy had never seen anything like it. It was grey, sandy, and had the strong smell of Grandma's perfume in it. He looked up at his parents, expecting an explanation from them. "Yes, my child," the mother said gently. "She has come home to us. Grandma is home. Now go to bed."