Baby Steps

• Jessica Oorburg, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2021

I looked at the sky; at the beautiful clouds and the gentle sun, poking its head across the mountainside and engulfing the land in its dawn. The landscape seemed duller than I ever could have imagined, the colour draining from the leaves with every drip of the morning dew. The town was quiet, and I was alone as I prowled the cobblestone streets. The shopfronts, filled with their pastries and goods, compelled me with their sweet smells and bright colours, although after all that had happened, they seemed to have lost their beauty. All I seemed to have left was this small town, a big dream and a broken heart.

I held a basket in my hand and walked down the street, cradling the package and sheltering it from the gentle rain cascading down from the clouds. I quickened my pace, and just as the clocktower struck seven, I heard the little doorbell ring and my body filled with warmth as I stepped through the wooden door of my destination.

The thrift shop was filled with every item imaginable. It was painted a merry yellow, and sat at the front desk, was a kindly old lady. As I walked up to the desk, she stared at what I held in my arms. I was carrying a bundle of tiny clothes, covered in pink and woven with flowers, bright and happy as if I could see her smiling at them. Towards the bottom, there were small little shoes, and I imagined them bouncing with her energy. At the top of the pile, I held a cotton blanket, as yellow as the sun itself and warm with a mother's love, but never used.

As the lady at desk looked at my items, her usual happy glow was replaced with a small smile. Word gets around quickly in this town.

"Are you sure you're ready?" she asked sympathetically.

I stood still for a moment and listened to the rain, hitting the tin roof. Splash! I saw her, her face glowing with warmth and youth, covered in my blanket as I lovely cradled her in my arms, watching the sunlight hit her cheeks as we left the hospital for the first time. Splash! I saw her take her first steps in our garden, her shoes wet with morning dew and her smiling face speckled with mud, Splash! I saw her warm in bed, her clothes soft against her gentle skin, and I imagined myself sitting next to her, laughing as I sung her gently to sleep. Splash! A single tear rolled down my cheek as I imagined the endless possibilities of what could have been.

I looked down at the clothes, the shoes, the blanket. I noticed that the rain subsided, and the sun had come to bring security and shelter from the cold. So, as I looked back at the desk and the lady waiting expectantly, I let out a small little smile and whispered,

"Yes".