Family

• Sophie Lindsay, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2017

I sat in a soft, comfortable, moving seat. The leather seat belt felt as if it were squeezing me.
I saw the kind face of my adopted mother turn around to look at me. Her blue eyes glimmered in the warm sun. Her orange hair was up in a messy bun, with stray curls falling aside her face. Her lovely smile made her look like someone I had known for years.
I smiled, she smiled back.
She reached towards me with something in her hands. A soft, cuddly toy.
“Koala,” she said, pointing.
I nodded, even though I could hardly understand her.
The car stopped. I looked out the window and all the world had stopped moving too. I carefully climbed down from the car and stumbled to a big brown door. I turned the door knob and could barely believe how big inside was and how many things were in it.
My mother started pointing to strange objects I had never seen before.
“Lounge,” she said, in a soft, kind voice.
I nodded, still unsure. She showed me to my room. It was bigger than the house I used to live in. On the blue-painted wall lay a map of India, with all types of Indian things scattered around the room to comfort me. But still, I couldn’t think of anything better than to be back with my family.