Girl Returning Home

    On the way to the grocery store, Clara on witnessing a scene suddenly started feeling home-sick. What she saw was nothing unusual- it was that an old woman’s son who had left her long time back, had made a huge fortune and now had returned to take his mother back with him. The old lady was overjoyed at that, not because her son had made a huge fortune, not even because she would not have to spend cold nights on the park bench, but because her son was back.
    Ever since then Clara has become a person full of nostalgia. She went back to her apartment and for some time she couldn't stop herself from thinking about her childhood days. She recalled all the good times she had with her family, the picnics at their family garden, and her first day at school, her best friends, and the last birthday celebration with her family before she left her home.
   Why had she left her home is not clearly known to us, all we know is circumstances were such that she had to leave her home so as to pursue her dreams.
   It was almost 17 years since she had left her family and was staying in this city, which was quite far from her hometown. Clara’s only friends were her diary- whom she used to call paddy, and the Librarian lady with whom she talked to in her free time.
   There was turmoil in her pale blue eyes, she didn't know- what to do? At last, after long hours of hesitation, she came to the conclusion that she should return home. Next day, Clara left for home. She got to the central station, bought herself a pack of doughnuts, her train ticket and a women’s magazine. She sat on a bench waiting for the train to come. She contemplated while observing the people passing by and then wrote in her diary-
“Isn't it strange how life takes a turn?
One moment it makes you live the life of a somebody…..and in the next moment it leaves you in the middle of nowhere, making you a nobody……..”
  
   She was daydreaming, while looking through the magazine she found herself in the midst of her family. She saw her siblings; all their eyes were filled with tears. It was so sweet a sorrow that I would be a constant weeper. Suddenly, a fear started creeping into her mind. She thought what if her family refuses her, she was not sure that she should go back home, in her heart she wanted to take the chance, anyways if things went wrong she could always return to the life she had been leading for the last 17 years.
   Soon she heard the whistling train coming to the platform. When it stopped, she got in and took a seat.
   Once again she started daydreaming. This time she saw her father in the dream and she asked him– “Now that I’m back, are you happy, papa??” her father nodded his head and gave her a silent smile; it was as silent as the dead of the night.
   She came out of the reverie as soon as she heard the station-master announcing- “Tarry Town Station”, she scurried down the train lest she might reach somewhere else.
   Clara was unaware of the tragedy that had befallen on her life, which she’s soon going to find out, it would prove to be of a shock to her.
   She reached Tarry Town but could hardly recognize it; a lot has changed over the years. Somehow she managed to find the school where she used to study, which made it easier for her to find the way to her house.
    She found her house, it had changed a lot- it had become more like a haunted house as if no one stays over there. Just as she was about to open the gate, when a passer-by lady inquired who was Clara looking for?
    Clara replied- “The Woods family…….”
    The lady told Clara that the Woods family had died in an uneventful accident.
   Clara’s parents had died, on hearing this she collapsed on the ground. She cried and cried and wished that she could turn back the hands of time, but it was a little too late to do so.