Happy Place

• Hayley Andersen, Grade 12
• Short Story
• 2016

It’s been hours since i started climbing, my knees are becoming shaky and the creases in my skin are filling with thermal sweat. My heavy breathing increases with each step, time feels nonexistent. When I start to get lost in the thought of tranquility, I look around and notice nothing. An unfamiliar setting. I start to regret deciding to take this journey on my own. Convinced by the enticing thought of some form of escape from my life, hoping the places she once loved will make me feel like she never left.

The blisters beneath my feet are awfully painful and my cheeks are flaming. Nevertheless i decided to continue my walk of hell, until suddenly I come across a dead end at the top of the mountain. I realise I had made a mistake. I sit down down on a nearby rock and I try to think back to where i could’ve gone wrong. When did my mind get so lost in imagination that reality slipped? I’m so exhausted, my supplies are getting low. The only way out of this predicament is to find a way back down. The mountain is steep, and this is intensified by the view from above. It’s hard to find my grip on the rocks as I maneuvere a way down.

About halfway down the mountain, I come across a familiar path that steers off to the left. I hear the distant sound of trickling water, and after much debate I decide to head down the path. At last, I arrive to the park bench overlooking the stream. Comfort runs through my body, finally in my home away from home - only this time something's missing.

Ella was her name. My beloved daughter with the most beautiful golden locks and a smile that would light up any room. She passed away 3 years ago. She had only just turned six. Leukaemia was the cause of her death, and the last few months of her life were spent by this very park bench. She was the light in my life, and i hadn’t seen that light for 3 years, until today. I feel as if she is here with me. Were both sitting on the park bench talking about our day and Ella tells me what she wants to be when she grows up. I’m finally at peace. The apparent mistake I had made to come on this journey on my own, as well as climb up this ginormous mountain, has only led to something special. I had forgotten the way to our special place, but something led me in all the wrong directions, to only end up in the right place. I look at Ella and I smile. She smiles back and reminds me of the effect that smile has on me. She assures me that she is no longer in pain and that I have to move on with my life. “Think of me here, come visit this place when you miss me” she says. “Don’t worry mummy, I’m in my happy place” With that she vanishes. My quick shake back to reality hits. But this time i allow it to. I look out into the stream, I’m in my happy place.