finding wanda: a tale of discovery and trust

"You're my family"

For two weeks, I had been stuck in a cycle of despair. Every time I closed my eyes, Wanda's emerald eyes returned to haunt me. My mind was plagued with memories of her, her voice, her smell, her adorable chuckles, and her touch. I replayed the video my mother recorded over and over again in my head, like a broken record that could not be stilled. Our bond, our inside jokes, our laughter..it was all gone.

I sat on the couch, unable to shake the thoughts of Wanda from my mind. My mother's voice suddenly broke through me, jolting me back to reality. She approached with a laundry basket, and her critical gaze met mine.

"Get a move on," she scolded with a hint of sternness in her voice. "Those dishes won't clean themselves."
I stood up, stretching my weary limbs before taking a few steps forward. My mother's gaze shifted towards the basket next to her on the table, and with a directive gesture, she ordered me to take it upstairs.

Not even wanting to talk back, I did what she asked me to do. Wiping the sweat of my head, I folded the laundry in her room, once I came upstairs. Looking around, I felt a mixed feeling of sadness and unease. I never called this place my home, I've never been here before these two weeks. While I looked around her room, hating how she felt so distance,
The sight of the attic stairs captured my attention, and I couldn't help but wonder why I had never noticed them before.

As my eyes lingered on the dark stairs leading up to the attic, a strange sense of curiosity stirred within me. I felt strangely drawn to them, as if something was calling out to me from the shadows above. I found myself standing up and slowly making my way towards the stairs.

Each step creaked under my feet, adding to the eerie atmosphere. With each step, an unease settled over me, yet I couldn't tear my gaze away from the attic.

I pushed the attic window open, hoping to let some fresh air into the stuffy and strange-smelling room. As my flashlight swept over the dusty floor, I initially thought there was nothing of interest up here, until my gaze stopped on a stack of old boxes that had been placed on top of each other.

Walking over, a smile appeared on my face for the first time in a while. I sat down as I saw how many toys took over the sight on the boxes.

I carefully picked up the small, pink pony toy, examining it closely. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as the memories came flooding back. I remembered the countless hours I had spent playing with Lucas and all our shared toys, especially the ones I claimed as my own.

As I cradled the toy in my hands, I was transported back to a time when my imagination ran wild, and I dreamed of being a pony in a magical land, just like my barbies. The memories were bittersweet, but the toy held a special place in my heart.

I placed the box away and I opened the fourth box, although I knew it wouldn't hold anything significant. But I couldn't resist the temptation to look inside. I was captivated by all the memories, and in a way, it was a nice distraction from not thinking of Wanda.

Yet, deep down, I couldn't help but feel a sense of longing. I had always secretly wished that I could have grown up with her, sharing a childhood filled with love and laughter. But those wishes were left unfulfilled, and now I was stuck with boxes of memories instead.

As I opened the next box, However, instead of finding toys, as I assumed u would, my eyes met with a pile of papers. The sight of them seemed ordinary at first glance, appearing as nothing more than old paper items.