Old Memories

Dark Manor

I remember there was this house that was filled up with many scents, we felt the smell become stronger and stronger when walking towards it. The narrow pathway that lead to the house, surrounded with trees and bushes, birds chirping up in their nests, a bunny or two peaking from the bushes. A grey brick house with a black brick roof. It certainly felt as if we had escaped reality of the busy city life and entered an entirely different world. The aroma of freshly cooked dishes enveloping us and pulling us further towards the manor, knowing that grandma had prepared special treats for each of us.
I still remember her famous devil's cake, it was my personal favourite. As we neared the manor, we could see grandpa mowing the lawn and grandma busy in her garden. Vrmmmm, vrmmmmm!!! The sound of the lawn mower, breaking me out of my trance as I rush towards them and startle them. Watching their faces lighten up like the Christmas day lights, beaming with joy.
"good, Lord! When did you guys arrive!?", they exclaimed. "Just now...we know we were supposed to arrive an hour later but we got here as fast as we could!" As our parents met them next, we hurried towards our favourite part of the manor, the backyard - no, not exactly the backyard, it was what the backyard had which held our most prized possessions and was one of our most precious things as well - the treehouse. A burly looking oak tree which was a 100 years old, with its long winding branches and thick trunk, the tree stood a good 50 ft tall. It tree held so many of our memories alone, from the first time I broke my hand to the endless nights spent under its shade, camping, stargazing, having a bonfire, you name it! Just as we began our climb up the tree -"Woof! Woof!"- I was toppled over by a fluffy and hairy creature! Whiiiich, happens to be my grandparents adorable Komodor, Jackie. "Hey, there big fella! Did you miss me??", the only words I managed to get out as he licked my face continuously. Just then grandma called us in to eat something before we head inside our sanctuary. Upon entering the house, the first thing one would see was our childhood pictures

hanging against the walls. Not just that, pictures of every occasion and every family member as a reminder of the beautiful memories spent together. We sat down at the table as grandma had already arranged the table for us. The cutlery laid down nicely on the top of the wooden shiny surface with beautiful ceramic plates in front of everyone's seat. We all had a special position at the table, grandpa's was at the very end of the table while grandma's was beside him. My parents sat at the other end of the table and we were seated in the middle. My seat was right underneath the chandelier because it was the prettiest one I had ever seen. It was made up of tiny crystals, giving the illusion of shimmering stars as the golden light bounced off it.

Dinner time was always exciting as we spoke about how our day went and what we were up to those days. My sister would always start off the conversation. I recall her telling our grandparents our first bike ride experience. "Sooo....we went biking last week and guess who rode into a tree and fell into a bush full of thorns??" she began. "No way! You fell into a thorn bush??", my grandpa's question directed at me as my grandma could only gasp at what she heard. "She didn't even say a name! How'd you know it was me?? It could be anyone...", I argued. "Oh, we know our granddaughter alright. There's a reason we call you 'accident prone' yenno." Grandpa said and everyone erupted into a fit of laughter. "Oh, hush everyone! Are you okay now, sweetie??" my loving grandma inquired but my sister was quick to answer for me. "Yeah, but it's good she hit her leg rather than her head otherwise she might've ended up crazier than she already is." And the whole room roared with laughter once more.

There was a time when Dark Manor used to be such a lively place. It used to be our second home. Now, it is just a lifeless house, grey and lonely, the trees and bushes have turned into a jungle, creating a barrier between the house and the outside world. The tree house, our most prized possession, was cut down some years ago.

Our grandpa moved in with us after our grandma passed away and what once a plethora of memories, has now been reduced to nothing. Her passing away brought us closer as a family and made us appreciate the relationships we develop over the journey of life. I know that nothing is everlasting, but the memories which we gather stick with us forever and these memories make life worth living.