Where We Belong

1. Homecoming

Ashley stared out the car window at the familiar sights of her hometown, Willow Creek. Old, rusty yet a upbeat town, that can't be erased from memories no matter how old it gets. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white. It had been 15 years since she drove down these streets, yet it felt like yesterday. So many memories flooded back as she passed the old playground where she used to spend countless carefree summer days playing with her best friends - Brian, Cole, Dia, and Ella. Renowned for their mischievous escapades, they were the bane of the locals' existence, yet paradoxically, they also held a special place in their hearts.

Ashley sighed, realizing how long it had been since she spoke to any of them. She thought back to the last summer before college when everything changed. During the final summer they shared, reveling in the fleeting embrace of togetherness before their inevitable parting, she, perhaps swayed by her own youthful misunderstandings, began to distance herself from the group, until the day arrived when she vanished from their lives entirely, a specter of her former self.

Looking back, she wished she had handled it differently. Maybe they could have salvaged their friendship before they all went their separate ways. Though it was too late for regrets now. Upon a gentle maneuver, veering closer to the heart of the town, she brought her pristine Honda Accord to rest alongside the street curb. Stepping out, she sought a moment of respite, yearning for the embrace of the open air, before she drives up to her home for reuniting with her parents.

The first leaves of autumn crunched under Ashley's boots as she walked across the cracked parking lot, each step saturated with nostalgia. Willow Creek Elementary stood before her as a relic of her youth, the old playground now a haunting shell of rusty swings and faded hopscotches.

Memories hung in the air as thick as the mist drifting over the mountains that hemmed in this sleepy town. Laughter echoed through the hollows of Ashley's mind, the distant sounds of five carefree children playing tag and sharing dreams, untainted by reality's cynicism. Ashley yearned for the simplicity of those golden summers, before the gnarling complications of adolescent drama and heartache corrupted the Willow Creek Five. Now here she was, summoned back to the origin of friendship so intertwined with pain.

Pushing aside her melancholy musings, Ashley stepped into the driver's seat after a quarter hour had passed. She was going to see her mother and father, who lived just a few miles down the road. Though she tried to focus on the visit ahead, her mind kept returning to the worries that plagued her. The deep creases in her forehead belied the spiraling doubts within. With a heavy sigh, she turned the key in the ignition and began the short drive, hoping the familiar streets would distract her from her troubles, if only for a little while.

The grandfather clock at the entrance chimed five times, its resonant gongs marking the hour. After two pleasant hours catching of up with her parents over tea and biscuits, Ashley came out to head for the pre- festival reunion dinner. She had accepted an invitation to a gathering hosted by Willow Creek's newly-minted mayor on the eve of the village's annual harvest festival. While her temperament tended towards solitude and quiet reflection, on this occasion her curiosity overcame any misgivings, drawing her back to her hometown as if by the irresistible pull of gravity. She sensed within her core that some significant change was afoot in Willow Creek, and she felt an obligation to bear witness.

The Black Bear Inn creaked with antiquity, its amber lights casting a cozy glow across the varnished timber walls. Ashley braced herself before opening the door, unsure what awaited her inside. Would the passage of fifteen years heal old wounds between once inseparable souls?

She hesitated in the entryway, nerves rising like the autumn mist. Then she saw him, Brian, vestige of their innocence. His familiar crinkled smile and sparkly eyes behind his glasses, stirred an avalanche of memories. Before Ashley could move, Ella burst forth and pulled her into a fierce embrace.

"Oh my gosh, look at you!" - Ella exclaimed, holding Ashley at arm's length, eyes glistening with nostalgic tears. The Willow Creek Five together once more, though no longer children...could they find their way back to friendship? The first step lay ahead................