GPS to Home, or to My Death?
My sense of direction has always been terrible since young. Getting lost is a norm for me.
When I was eight years old, I had to face the worst consequences of getting lost. That time, I almost got kidnapped by human traffickers.
So, my older sister, Aubrey Cochran, gifts me a GPS watch and repeatedly teaches me how to use it.
"As long as you follow the GPS, you can find your way home. Have you remembered it yet?"
I nod heavily. Since then, the watch stays strapped onto my wrist.
But later on, my adoptive mom has found her actual son. That's when the entire family's attitude toward me begins shifting.
They no longer panic even when I don't return for the day.
This year's Thanksgiving holidays are coming soon. Aubrey decides to take me on a trip out of the blue. Our trip lasts for more than a dozen days.
Our last stop is a remote village. There, Aubrey takes my watch from me and fiddles with it for a long time.
At the start of the next day, I can't get in touch with her no matter how hard I try.
As I stare at the unfamiliar GPS coordinates on my watch, I feel realization dawning on me immediately.
When I'm about to leave, a villager looks at me in confusion.
"You're leaving too, eh? Where are you headed to?"
I smile at her. "I'm going home."
Since Aubrey doesn't want me anymore, I shall grant her wish.