We had to describe the photo above in class. My description turned into a cute little story :3
Behind my apartment building, hidden from the world, is my favorite spot. Many never notice it since they're too busy on their phones, staring at backgrounds of fake life than the real life around them. I let my gaze wander towards my favorite spot from time to time. My hands would stop working as my brain that was once filled with thoughts becomes silent. That spot always brings up memories that I always want to remember.
The soft crackling of leaves as my feet crushed them with every step. A thin layer of mist still hung in the air after a shower of rain moved towards the small town. Two logs were laid on the ground like invitation to the main event. My growing brain never comprehended the logs and always trip over them. The wet leaves clung to my face when I fell. My grandmother was always there to comfort her hurt and on the verge of tears granddaughter. She always picked me back onto my feet and pull off the stuck leaves, a smile glued on her face. Together, my grandmother's weary hand and my jovial hand scraped across the waterlogged wooden bench. My grandmother and I sat on that bench for hours. My grandmother always told stories about how a robin will chirp when the trees surrounding us becomes silent. She rose a wrinkled hand up in the air and we both waited in silence. The world seemed to become stilled as we waited. Soon the quiet chirp of a robin shattered the silence around me.
Now it was my time to be a grandmother. I have two grand kids of my own. My granddaughter was as clumsy as me when I was a child. She runs through the fallen wet leaves, stumbling over hidden roots or small rabbit roles. My grandson, though, was like everyone else. Eyes glued onto a device, saying two to three words while their fingers type out a million. We would sit on the bench together, my eyes on my granddaughter while his eyes on the phone. "There's nothing to do out here. I don't know why I come," he grumpily mumbled from time to time, not thinking that I could hear him. His agile fingers tapped the smudged screen as he sent his 36th text. I glanced down at my fingers. I wasn't as spry as I used to be. My hands shook as I waited for thoughts to come into my mind. My long brown tuffs of hair magically turned white before it was all gone. I changed as each year passed by like the rain. Too fast to notice until the next time.
They say that when you get older, the days grow longer. To me, the days are becoming faster. Before I knew it, I was here. In my favorite spot, reminiscing. My grand kids never come by anymore. I figure they had college and their life to figure out. My children must be thinking about what they're going to do with their lives now, too. No more kids to care for because they all grew up. Maybe they'll swing by and visit. Get some advice for what to do next. What about me?
I run a short nail across the dew kissed metal. The small puddles form on the bench from the recent rainfall soak into my gray skirt. Golden leaves fall from their red canopies. The two logs were slowly deteriorating, the inside being eaten by multiple organisms. They still sat there like the Queen's guard, never leaving their post. I raise my head to a sight I will never see. A million drops of water shimmering in the autumn sun. I raise my hand, shaking as bad as my grandmothers. I held my breath and waited. Silence. The world comes to a halt just like when I was a child. My eyes behind my glasses glance from one branch to another. Nothing. Not a sound. I begin to lower my hand, my heart sinking in my chest.
Chirp! My eyes lift to the trees. I see the small figure up on a branch. The tiny legs push up its tiny body to dance on the tree. The beady black eyes stare at mine. A robin. My wrinkled lips form a smile. I know what to do next.
My hands, as tremulous as they are, quickly followed the words in my brain. The clean open document begins to fill with words.
Behind my apartment building, hidden from the world, is my favorite spot.
