They Forgot

• Elizabeth Thao Tran, Grade 9, Sefton High School
• Short Story
• 2011

Finalist in the 'Timeless Tales 2011' competition

You’d never guess that she was ill. For one thing, she always seemed to be smiling and for another, she seemed perfectly healthy for an 86 year old. All she had was her thin wooden walking stick which was engraved with the words ‘Angela Himilton’.

Every day you would see her hobbling towards the park wearing her oversized knitted poncho, floral dress and black buckle-up leather shoes. She didn’t really think much of what people thought of her, all she wanted was to feed the pigeons every day.

She didn’t have many friends to talk to anymore. Her husband had passed on and she was left all alone. When her husband had died, she began to visit the park where they first met. Slowly over time, it had become a habit of hers to bring bread as well. And thus her habit of feeding the pigeons began. She was a darling old woman and always seemed to smile in a grandmother-like way. Everyone adored her, but no one talked to her much.

Sunday 16th 2011
It was a rainy day. Mothers and fathers, children, workers, were all hurrying along the footpath to try and avoid the rain. The pigeons stood waiting in the trees; waiting for the sight of a small woman in grey hair and oversized poncho to appear. As the day passed and the rain eased, there was no sight of the small old woman. No one said anything; no one remembered her. They were all too caught up in their lifestyles to notice. She was gone.