Page 29 - Digital 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
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