Childhood Memories (AU)

Prologue

Friday: June 25, 1999.

It was a warm summer day in Upstate, New York. A small and happy family was visiting the country side of their city for their 5 year old, one and only daughter, Claire.

A brunette young-matured looking woman with a pixie haircut was fixing their belongings next to a river, asked her daughter "What about it, Claire? Aren't you glad you came on the trip?" She smiled with her gray eyes, sparkled focusing on the river's waves.

A blonde middle-aged man with a slim and tall figure was carrying a huge ice box next to Claire's mother "I'm glad for the vacation too! Hey Claire, wanna go fishing in the river?" He invited her daughter

"Claire?" Her grandmother called her, but she had no response at all. Her mother ran inside the car and realized that Claire was missing.

"Dear! I can't find Claire!" Claire's mother exclaimed sounding really worried.

"What?" Claire's father yelled.

Hey!

Aye!

Oi!

A young boy yelled and gently shook Claire's small shoulders on the ground, He was tall for his age and stuck out like a black smudge on a white shirt, His eyes were in the color of mint green, His ears stuck out on either side of the baseball cap he was using to hide his newly shaved hair, by the looks of it, the hat was doing its job very well.

"You're awake! You were so quite, I thought you were dead!" He held his chest and sighed in relief

Claire stayed laying on the cool and moist soil, "I'm sorry." She apologized.

"Why are you apologizing? You're not a bad person right?" He asked, Claire sat on the ground and shook her head meaning no, while the summer breeze was blowing her long brown hair.

"This is perfect! I was looking for someone to play together. I guess you'll do." He gave him a dimpled smile, she continued to sit on the field and looked down.

"It's no fun if you just sit there and say nothing!" He stated, crossing his arms with a frown on his face. Claire's hazel eyes started to water, The boy's eyes widen, shocked with her reaction.

"Wh-What are you crying for!?" He stuttered, knelt down and started to rub her back, up and down.

"I don't know, this place" She admitted

"You're lost!? See! I saw you here and you were just sleeping here in the fields, I knew something was fishy!" He said "Why don't you tell me about yourself? And I'll show you to Grandpa Higgeins" He continued.

Claire told everything about the trip her name and her family. In exchange, the boy also told something about his family about migrating to New York from London and their automotive business, His name was Harry and has a happy family, with his dad, mother and older sister.

On their way to Grandpa Higgeins' farm, Harry insisted on holding Claire's pale hands, to make sure that she will not wander around and get lost like before.

After walking a few minutes behind a group of Birch trees, stands a large well-kept farm, surrounded with white picket fences. Spring crops, like cabbages, potatoes, turnips and a lot of more were sown on a fertile soil.

"Grandpa!" Harry yelled and held onto Claire's hand tighter and ran off to an old man who had a fringe of grey-white hair around his balding, mottled scalp. He had a wizened face and a back slightly hunched. With each movement there was the creak of old bones, but still had the power to do hard labor work, like farming.

Claire started to cry and Higgeins comforted her like the way Harry did.

"Hey, young lady, Why are you crying? Did you got lost?" He asked in a calm way making Claire gave her a nod and felt a little bit relaxed. He saw a tag that was attached from Claire's Yellow Winnie the Pooh, back pack. A contact number, home address and a lot more was written on the tag.

"What's this? Is that a phone number on your bag? Let's call your parents." He smiled, Claire stopped crying and the three of them held hands and entered inside a large white farm house.

"Thank you so much for helping us find our daughter!" Claire's mother bowed her head, showing great respect to the old farmer. Claire and Harry were standing next to Claire's father.

Her grandmother said, "We live in the city, but we wanted to show my grand-daughter the country side on this trip." Claire's grandmother was peculiarly striking, with full dark eyes, high Roman nose, mouth of great beauty and firmness of expression, and teeth whose splendor I have never seen equaled, although she was then past her fiftieth year. Add to this a tall, well-proportioned figure, and a certain air of authority

"Is that so? In that case, why not come spend a few days on my farm?" Higgeins insisted and the whole family was surprised by his offer.

"You really mean it?" Claire's father asked once more, making sure that Heggeins was fine with it.

"Sure! I live alone, so you wouldn't bother anybody. Harry and I sure love to have a company for awhile" He answered with a broad smile on his face as he looked at Harry.

"Isn't that great, Claire? Now you'll have a whole farm to play on with your friend!" Her grandmother stroked her hair and Claire gave her a nod.

Saturday: July 3, 1999.

A day before the fourth of July, the weather was still warm and the air was perfectly right for tomorrow's event.

Claire's mother and grand-mother are already inside the boat while Claire's father is back at the farm waiting for Claire to say good bye to Mr. Heggeins

They walked around the farm along with Mr. Heggein's Golden Retriever, "Did you have fun? I sure had fun with you. I don't have any grandkids of my own, you know. So I am glad to have Harry and you, Claire, around." He looked at Claire and smiled.

"I will miss you, Grandpa" Claire hugged Mr. Heggeins tightly making his eyes filled up with water, overwhelmed with the feeling of having a child around him.

"I will miss you too, Claire, but you have to go now, your family is waiting for you" He said with a croaky voice and forced himself with a smile to block his tears from falling down "Is there any chance of you writing an old man a letter once in a while?" He continued

"Yes! I will! Every single day!"

"Really!? Here's my address, then" He instantly took a piece of paper from the back of his pocket with his address written on it and gave it to Claire.

Before Claire went to her father, Harry sprinted his way to the farm, He held on his knees and hunched his back trying to catch some air.

"You're leaving already?" He said while trying to breathe as his sweat continuously drops from his forehead "If you go, I'll be bored and lonely again" he added sounding a little whiney"

"I'm sorry" She looked down and apologized

Harry wiped his sweat off "Stop apologizing! You have to come back, ok? Promise me" He said raising his right pinky finger to Claire.

"I promise" She smiled and locked each other's pinkies.

"A promise is a promise" Harry reminded her and kissed her in the cheek. Making Mr. Heggeins and Claire's father chuckle from a distance

"Looks like you've made a friend! Just one more reason to return, I guess." He walked closer and smiled at the both of them, Claire gave them a nod and ran towards her father

"Good bye Grandpa! Good bye Harry!" She waved her hands and Her and Her father went inside the car.

"I'll be waiting for your letter" Mr. Heggeins mumbled to himself.