Adoring Her, the Moon

Hiraeth

Hiraeth

(N. heer-ay-thuh) - deep longing for something, especially one's home.

August 2nd, 2002

The first rain of the season was today, and I spent it inside. I haven't spent the first rain inside for six years. Instead of going outside, I spent hours inside packing my bags for Scotland. Why my friends and I decided to go to Scotland after university, I don't know. Well, I do, they mostly went with me. I'm going for an architecture internship, they all just decided to come along. It's going to be awesome, imagine it, all four of us living in the same apartment. Never mind, don't imagine it. But it'll still be amazing. Before heading downstairs for dinner I double-check my list. Once I'm sure I have everything in my bag, I follow my nose to the table.

"If it isn't the runaway," my dad laughs, pouring water into everyone's cups.

"I can't believe you spent the day inside, we were supposed to go to the park today," my little brother, Eric, pouts. Even though he's 11 he still acts like he's 6. But I suppose that's my parents' fault for keeping him so sheltered.

"Now, now, let's not pester poor Adara for leaving us all behind. Let's just enjoy a nice final family dinner," mom jokes, bringing around the pasta.

"Stop acting like I'm gone forever, it's just for a year so I can get through my internship. Then I'll hopefully get a full-time job back here in London."

"But it's not like you'll be moving back in, you're just going to leave me here with mom and dad. I'll drown in their sea of rules without you helping me find the loopholes," Eric's eyes shrink as he glares at our parents.

"I'm not dying, just moving out. You literally just need to call me and explain the problem."

"Really?" Eric bounces in his seat, hands together as his face lights up.

"Of course, but it'll cost you," I wink in his direction and he deflates. My parents laugh and I snatch the bowl of garlic bread from my brother.

August 3rd, 2002

The awful smell of the train station fills my nose and I cringe. God, I hate it here. My friends all grab onto me as I push against the crowd. Why did we choose a train as our form of transportation?

I count the platform numbers as they pass. Four, seven, nine, ten. Something catches my eye as we walk past platform nine. There, standing directly in between the platforms are three people. A man with short white hair, or is it blond?  Whatever, beside him, seems to be his wife, and beside them is a small boy, presumably their kid. He seems like an ordinary child, it's his cart that's weird. Sitting on the cart in a cage is an owl. A real moving, screaming owl, and my friends don't even seem to notice.

"Do you guys not see that?" I say when they notice me staring in between the platforms.

"See what?" Alina turns her head to where my eyes are.

"That boy, with the owl," they look at me as if trying to decipher some ancient script on my forehead.

"Over there," I point, the man with blonde hair looks up and quickly says something to his family. They start walking in the direction of the wall. Then they disappear. "Are you kidding, did none of you see that? They just walked into the wall! And then disappeared!"

"You're losing your mind," Faye's accent cuts through my mind and clears it, bringing me back to reality.

"Nevermind, we're going to be late," I smile and laugh it off. We continue to the train, but the blonde man keeps somehow reappearing in my thoughts. I must be going insane.