Page 29 - Cornice_Grade 10
P. 29
The
The
haunt me. The flashbacks of that day started
Finally, after years of being hesitant, I have made
up my mind to visit my childhood house. I was playing on my mind, despite my efforts to resist
four or maybe three when we shifted from that them. In a few minutes, I was lying on the wooden
house to our home today. I don’t remember much log, sobbing uncontrollably.
more than the fact that it was a Saturday
morning, a gloomy one, and a young me waiting It was a sunny day, and my elder sister and I were
in the car, looking at an empty seat beside me. playing alongside the bridge that connected our
house with our grandma’s house. We used to run to
the bridge every day, after school, just to wet our
Looking back at the whole situation, now, twenty-
year-old me knows much better. This could be an feet in the cool running water. That day, my sister
extremely selfish statement, but I’m thankful for asked me to get a rope from the garage so we could
the fact that I was young when everything build a swing. I hurried to the garage and asked
happened, and that my knowledge hadn’t mum to help me. I remember her face reflecting
advanced to understand the concept of grief, loss the stress she was facing. She looked terrified as if
and the emotions that come along with it. someone had threatened her. She helped me
anyway. As we looked around, two gunshots were
heard. My mum squeezed my hands to comfort me
As I stood in front of my front porch, sitting at
the broken window and shattered glass I could but she was the one whose face had turned pale.
feel a shiver down my spine. The screams began She was as white as a ghost. We rushed towards the
to echo in my mind. Drops of sweat rushed down bridge. The water under the bridge had turned red.
my back making me highly uncomfortable. I The killer had escaped. My sister was lying on the
noticed my senses being sharp, similar to how a ground, unmoving.
soldier grasps their weapons when they detect
danger. I pressed my hands against the wooden railing and
got up. I stood on the top of the bridge, looking
down at the flowing water that was clear this time.
The first step inside the house surprisingly didn’t
make me feel worried or scared as I imagined it to I wiped my tears and attempted to compose myself.
g
y
g
be. I walked around brushing my fingers on the I took out a small bunch of tulips and rested it on
the bridge. I sat down and pulled out a letter. I
dusty wooden board. It was when I stood in front
dusty wooden board. It was when I stood in front the br
began to read.
of the bridge that the piercing feeling began to began
f
e
of the bridge that the piercing feeling began to
f
“Dear Betty,
I brought tulips for you today. Your favourite. I hope you like
it. How are mum and dad? Tell them I said hi. I can’t tell you
how much I miss you. I wish I hadn’t left you alone. I was
young and naive then but now I know so much better. I feel
empty without you. I wish you could be here with me today. I
run a bakery now just like we used to talk about. It’s called
‘Betty and Sarah’s. I wish we could be there and celebrate
your birthday today.
Love,
Sarah”
-Manushi Dangol
