Nostalgia

• Rachael Webb, Grade 9, York District High School
• Short Story
• 2017

Excellence Award in the 'Spread The Word 2017' competition

Slowly she made her way to the bookshelf, the mahogany surface placed against the ornamented wall of her bedroom. Bobbing her head to the gentle rhythm of her Iphone, Essie leans forward, the folds of her floral dress grazing the pools of dust gathered on the neglected shelf before her. Gently she began to sway in time with the sweet melody of her music, stepping forward Essie leans in further; extending her arms in order to reach for the book that has evaded her efforts. With a deep sigh she leans in further, finally with a satisfied grin, she retracts her arm with the book intact. Pulling the book close to her chest she begins to sing; her voice as smooth as silk, her tone calming and tranquil.
Nostalgia flooded Essie’s sense, taking her body by surprise. Her mind slipped away from reality as she became a crying mess upon the floor. Unaware of the book cradled to her chest, Essie’s grip slackened on the hardback book encased in green cloth; the very Jules Verne hardcover that her father had given her. On the floor she wept, all the pain and memories taking over her thoughts. Tears fell from her blue tired eyes, her red hair sticking to the sides of her pale face. All this time Essie had held all the pain and suffering in her heart, and now she was finally ready to let it all go. Her breaths became staggered and her voice became hoarse. The very book she held dear slipped from her grip and fell to the floorboards beneath her.
With a strong thud, the book lay on the floor, opened to a page marked with an envelope. The loud crash interrupted Essie’s weeping, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. Steadily she moved across the floor with the book lodged between her arm and side, pulling herself forward towards the soft surface of her bed. The tears still fell from her eyes but this time she felt as if the tears weren’t of grief, rather tears of regret; all the moments she wished she had spent with him, all the words she should have said, all the ways to show she cared and worst of all she regretted all the things she had said. Staring into the deep green on her father’s book, she opened it to the page marked with a simple fold and took out the envelope.
To my dearest Essie,
It will be okay, I know that life is hard and the world seems like it’s against you. Just remember that no matter where I am, no matter how far away I may seem, I will always love and care for you. I will always be ready to hold you in my arms when you feel down or be the one to guide you through thick and thin. Just because I am no longer here, doesn’t mean that I don’t love you.
Love, dad.