I Remember

• Maddison Roberton, Grade 12
• Short Story
• 2019

I remember the way that she used to hold my hand, it was soft, like the petals of a buttercup. I was always an independent child, pulling away, sneaking off and getting lost. There was this one moment- in a place called South Park. I can still taste the salt from the air on my tongue, feel the heat from a fire dancer twirling his batons. It was like magic. Well, for me it was.

I remember being pressed up against my mother in amongst thousands of people. There were lights and there were these little paths that wove in and out of tiny rainforests. My brothers were dashing in and out of the sea of bodies and there are so many things to look at.

The world looks so much bigger from the height of a child. It’s like looking at everything through a giant magnifying glass- only without the lens glare.

I’m swimming through the people- trying to get closer to the wooden barricades- a climbing frame to scale. A sky of fireworks, my mother’s hand is clenched tightly- a lifeline, a safety net to catch me in case I get swept away.

In the corner of my eye, I can see it- a carriage into the clouds, a ferris-wheel. Each carriage is lit up with enchanting rainbow fairy lights, oh how I want to ride it.

I clamber up on to the wood, not noticing my mum beginning to panic behind me. William’s missing, he’s disappeared. Had he been dragged off by a current made of legs and sweat?

Mum catches me as I leap off the railing into her arms, I’m flying- I’m like a shooting star. My hand is pressed into her friend’s- Cathy’s?

Sam is worrying next to me, I don’t understand- where’d mum go?

Cathy pulls us out of the ocean, back into a little cafe. We’ll be safe here she says- tells us not to worry. Mum comes back, she's crying. I wonder where William is?

Next thing we’re moving, Mum at the front- Cathy at the back, a little boat pushing through the passersby. There’s a police officer- he’s talking to mum. Mum’s smiling, that’s good, she looks nicer when she smiles.

We pass back through a little rainforest, back along the boardwalk- gotta jump over those cracks! There’s a ship coming past- down the river, it’s huge with little glass windows.

Oh, there’s Will! He’s got a cola- I’m jealous… where’s my cola? Mum’s scolding him for something- she’s upset, but laughing. Cathy looks happier too. That’s good. I think Sam’s just as confused as I am.

I remember going home, arms encircling me, putting me to bed. Warmth and comfort kissing me upon my brow. An angel, my mother.

I remember drifting off, tired.

I remember my childhood like that- A childhood full of dreams and adventure, and I remember my mother, who put me to bed and read to me, always.

Those are my memories; Memories of Love.