It was a peaceful day in the valley. The kind of day where nothing really happens. The sun was shining, a soft breeze was blowing, and the only sounds were that of nature.
On days like this, Autumn likes to drop her feet into her pond (or is it a small lake?) And just think. Her chores were done. Animals were cared for and crops were watered, though she really ought to invest in some sprinklers. So, she sits. And as she lightly swings her legs, she thinks about her life.
She really didn't know what to expect when she hopped on the bus that fateful day. Sure, she knew the valley, she came here nearly every summer as a child. But the world looks different from a child's perspective.
She knew the farm. Grandpa would go exploring with her almost every day. And though they never really found anything to note, as he kept his land nice and clean, Autumn would argue that they had, in fact, found some Very Interesting rocks. On hotter days, she'd swim in this very pond. Sometimes they'd go down to the forest lake to swim instead.
She remembers days on the beach, hoarding as many seashells (and other random items) as her little body could carry. Grandpa always warned her not to get too close to the water, so she'd play with the tide. Running in and out, back and forth, as though she were playing tag with the ocean itself.
She especially knew the house. Grandpa's home was her home, her safe haven. And so, in an effort to hold on to such familiarity, she left it as it was. As she remembered. His chair still sat in its spot by the tv, the dining room had not changed.
And yet it was not the same. It felt hollow, empty. It no longer held the life it once had, of a lively old man and his beloved granddaughter. And though she tries to warm it up, what was once a place of comfort now haunts her. She spends her days outside, though the farm seems so much smaller now. She felt so lonely.
She may not have it in her to rearrange the house, and maybe she should, but simple things like that won't stop her. The emptiness will subside. She will regain her haven.
Autumn is stubborn. She will build a life here. One rock at a time.
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