Out of Place

Told by: Sandra
By Illustrator Camila Ferreira Fretes

When I was in 5th grade I lived in Elk Grove Village, Chicago; it was around 1973. My Dad worked for the military at O’Hare. I was an Army brat, so I had flown many times before. This time, it was me and my Grampa flying to Florida to see family. We stayed for a week and had a great time from what I remember. I don’t recall anything weird happening on the flight or the ride home, but when I got home, and I was once in my bedroom, I felt out of place. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t supposed to be there at that time. I was to be somewhere else, but I didn’t know where—I just knew I was not in the right place. I felt odd, scared, and off balance in my body. I had a different sensation in my gut that I could not shake off. Like it wasn’t really all of me at home at that moment. Part of me was in a different place, almost an empty feeling; that’s what made it so scary. I wanted to tell my parents, but I knew they wouldn’t understand or believe me, so I didn’t. The feeling was super strong for about 4 to 5 days, and it took a month for it to really go away. I did tell my Dad about it last year in an email; he made no comment. My son thought it was a cool story. It never happened again, not even in the slightest bit. I have always wondered if anyone else has had this happen to them?


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