November Writing Challenge

Day 10 Choose a memory and write a short story about it

Why had she ever agreed to this wild and reckless plan?

Well, perhaps not really reckless… more… on the spur of the moment. A whim.

It made her slightly nervous. Who in their right mind would go visit a friend she’d only met some weeks prior that lived two thousand miles away and you’d need to cross two international borders for to reach? And in a country she didn’t even speak the language of.

Talk about stupidity.

But she needed at least one spontaneous act in her life. One act of independence.  She needed to prove she could take care of herself.

So she had packed her bags, bought a bus ticket and taken a deep breath.

There was no going back now.

The landscape flashed by as the bus took the highway towards the border. Twenty four hours of driving were enough to go over her decision again and again.

Still, even if she doubted her choice, some good may come of it. She would see something of the world other than her every day back and forth between school and home. Something more than the backyard and the next town over.

Something new.

Something exciting.

Something daring.

Hadn’t she always wanted an adventure?

Her hand reached for the time table again in the side pocket of her bag. They’d been driving all night and then there’d be five more stops before the final destination. She grimaced at her own expression. Like she was driving towards her doom. Trips should be fun, right? Even if they scared the hell out of you.

She bit her lip and looked outside. The landscape truly was beautiful. Very different than what she was used to.

With every stop, she shifted in her seat and watched the passengers gather their belongings and continue their journey to whatever destination they had in mind. Work, vacation, home.

Until finally she was the only one left in the entire bus.

Nerves threatened to choke her as she gave a suspicious glance towards the driver. He wouldn’t forget she was still here, would he? He’d remember his last passenger, right?

She checked her watch again. One more hour and she should be at her stop. He would still take her there, right? He wouldn’t leave her on her own in a foreign country. Of course he wouldn’t. But she couldn’t help worrying. She had no way of asking. Why hadn’t she at least tried to learn the basics of the language? Why had she relied on her new friend to translate for her during her stay? She should have realized that she’s have to speak for herself at one point in time.

Talk about stupidity.

She took a deep breath and checked the time. They were late. They should have arrived by now.  She watched the names of every town they crossed, but hers wasn’t among them.

The nerves became heavier, threatened to drown her. Why? Why had she deiced she needed an adventure? She’d give anything to be home again. Safe in her own little world. Mayhap a boring world, but at least one she knew. Not so far from home.

The bus took a left turn and crossed a steep hill. And when they reached the top and started on the descend, she held her breath.

Down in the vale, was the most beautiful city she had ever seen. She had always loved ancient cities. She loved the architecture and the history that came with it. She had seen them before. In books. In movies. On pictures. But this one. This one was the most beautiful.

It was the strangest feeling she had ever had. Never in her life, had she felt so strongly that this was where she belonged. This place. This city. A city she had never been before, in a country she did not speak the language of.

It was like it had been waiting for her. It felt like coming home. Could this be the place? Could this really be the city she had been desperate to get to? The ‘Welcome to’ sign flashed by and she let her breath escape.

This was it.

This was where she would spend the next few weeks. It made her want to cry. She had been so reluctant to leave home, so certain it would end in disappointment. But this, this was more than she could have dreamt.

A grin spread across her face.

Perhaps she should be reckless more often.