Raven & Garfield

4. Reminisce

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~Raven~

Her mother looked particularly exhausted that afternoon. Her eyes were dull and puffy and there was less energy in her usually strong stride.

Raven wondered if it had something to do with Declan.

She decided that she would give her mother some well deserved space. After all, Raven could use some fresh air.

"Mom, I think I might check out that park around the corner." Raven zipped up her blue jacket and pulled the hood over her head.

Her mother was rubbing her fingers against her temples. "Mmm...Yeah, alright."

As Raven wandered down the threshold and into the cool, crisp Winter air, she suddenly wished she had music she could play on her Walkman. She sighed. It's not like it had any batteries anyways.

Raven continued her steady pace down the sidewalk. It had been a while since she made a casual trip to...anywhere really. Back when she lived with Jurius, she spent all of her time learning about culture and meditation and spiritual balance whatnot, as he was part of a band of monks. Her stay with Jurius was really only supposed to last for several days. But then gradually, days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months.

Months without seeing or hearing from her mother. Months without having a real home or family (not that she ever really recalled having any of those things in the first place). It made her feel somewhat...disconnected from the world. Plus, it was really boring at first. But Raven eventually grew to like all the reading, and the early-morning and nightly meditation. If anything, she grew to find comfort in it, and in the presence of the monks.

But still, she was enjoying this freedom.

Finally, Raven turned the corner and arrived at the park.

It wasn't some magical fantasy land, with wide, rich woodlands, a sparkling stream and vibrant blossoms glittery with pixie-dust. In fact, it was quite small and quaint, with a tidy stone path, several graffitied benches carelessly strewn here and there and a couple of trees with black plastic wrapped around them, a weak attempt to preserve them. The actual playground only consisted of a simple swingset and climbing wall, fitted with colourful rubber rocks, that led to a faded mint slide that once would've been a shade of bright, artificial green.

In the end, Raven settled for sitting on the swing, lazily propelling herself back and forth with her left leg that was too long for the tiny swingset.

It all happened too suddenly. The move back. Raven had gone to her old school that day, with her scribbled notes, assessment criterias, packed lunch and all, when her mother had appeared out of nowhere and pulled her out of class. "Pack all your things. You're coming home." She had said. Raven remembered how stunned she felt. After months without contact, her mother finally wanted her back home.

They left that afternoon, and everything felt...ordinary. Like how things used to be. It was nostalgic and strangely unnerving. They had gone straight to her new school to get her enrolled, then stopped at Burger King on the way back to their new house. Raven noticed that her mother kept squeezing her hand. And she decided not to notice the bruises on her mother's wrists.

Just then, a couple of shouts interrupted the once serene atmosphere.

Raven looked over at the worn down basketball court about 50 metres away from her. There were three figures, playing a fast-paced game of basketball. The first figure had dark skin and was very tall, probably about 6 feet tall. He was also very, very big and muscular. He wore a black tank top with blue shorts, and was currently dribbling the ball to the far end of the court. He shot and scored.