Run to Me

Chapter 2: 1958

It was a hot summer day in mid July. Seven year old Amanda Lancaster sat in the corner of her new England home, sighing softly to herself as she gazed longingly at the floorboards. Her mother was crouched across from her, unpacking some kitchen utensils from one of the millions of cardboard boxes scattered around the hardwood floors. She wiped a bead of sweat away from her brow, as the air conditioning wasn't paid for yet, and reached in, pulling out an ancient looking teakettle. She held it up for a better view.

"Mandi, come take a look at this. This was one of your great grandmother's finest pieces of china. Isn't it just gorgeous?" Mrs. Lancaster sighed dreamily. She turned to face her daughter when she didn't get a response back. The bright smile soon dropped from her face as she stared into Mandi's uninterested eyes. The girl hadn't moved a muscle since she had been asked to help unpack an hour earlier. She had been moping around the house like that since they arrived in Manchester two days before. Mrs. Lancaster sighed in defeat. It had been like this for a month, a month since she had lost her husband. With help and support from friends and family, the woman was doing better and was confident enough to invest in a new life for the both of them. But Mandi wasn't doing any better. She hardly spoke to anyone. She was a shy child to begin with, but now, she was almost mute. The girl and her father had an amazing relationship, and this bellowing loss had made her shut down. All the therapists and psychiatrists she had been sent to had told her mother that losing a parent was devastating, and the child would deal with the grief in their own way. It could take some time, but eventually they would get better. She had seen no signs of improvement. Mandi had drifted away from her friends back home and made no attempt to keep in touch with them after the move. Mrs. Lancaster hoped and prayed that this change would have a positive effect on her. She hoped for her to make some friends that summer, for her to have fun again and enjoy being a kid. She hoped she'd find people who would make her forget the hellish months she'd suffered through before, people that would make her happy again. She just wanted her bright and smiling little girl back.

Mrs. Lancaster placed the antique back in the box and made her way carefully over to her daughter. Mandi sat hugging her knees, her stringy auburn bangs falling over her eyes. She glanced up at her mother who sat before her, taking her small hands in hers.

"Mandi," She started in her poise English accent. "This moping around isn't going to get you anywhere, sweetheart." The girl stared back blankly, not paying attention to a word she was saying. Her mind was off in another world. It had been off in another world for weeks now. She was off in a world that was her idea of perfect. Her father was there, by her side and guiding her every step of the way through miraculous adventures and unexpected twists. The two of them were together and happy, with no worries or sadness, just love. It seemed so real, yet here she was, alone again naturally. Mrs. Lancaster brought herself closer and placed her warm hands on the girl's slightly sticky face. Their identical green eyes met and gazed into each other's.

"Mandi," She tried again. "Everything is going to be okay. We are going to be just fine. We'll need to work together, but I promise you, you will be okay in the end. I'll always be here to help you, okay, please remember that. You're going to need to help me too, because trust me, I'm still feeling sad and stuck myself. But together, we can make it work. One day, you'll wake up, and it just won't hurt as much. You're going to have such an amazing life here, I promise." Mrs. Lancaster didn't expect a response. She had been trying to get through all that depression and loneliness to try and find her sparkling baby girl again for a while, and it just never really happened. But to her surprise, Mandi flung herself onto her mother and wrapped her small arms around her neck. Mrs. Lancaster was shocked, but she placed her hand on the back of the small girl's head and buried her face in her shoulder. She hadn't had a hug from her in so long, a hug that truly showed affection. It felt truly amazing to have that love back again.