Memories

1

Staring at the white walls that had been abandoned  by their previous owner, Kelly sighs, stringing up the pictures that remind her of the carefree days of her childhood. The familiar sense of homesickness pangs in her heart as she gazes affectionally at the pictures.

For instance, the picture hanging on the far left is a picture of Kelly and her best friend on the Fourth of July. The girls were only 13 at the time, but were still burning with anticipation to see the firework show the town annually put on. Kelly's father had brought sparklers for the two to wave around in the dark, the sparks resembling stars against the dark night sky. The picture was captured at just the right time, Kelly and her friend making odd shapes in the night air, their smiling faces barely seen by the yellow reflection from the sparks.

Or maybe the one next to it, holding a memory that would be forever engraved in her mind. Kelly holds her younger brother, Damion, in the standard blue blanket that showed he was, indeed, a boy. His skin all red and splotchy, contrasting greatly to Kelly's own tanned skin, showing off how she spent the summer. Barely only a few hours old, Damion's eyes are already open as he gazed at his older sister who smiled down at him. Little did they know that in the future they would be thick as thieves. 

Tears spring to Kelly's eyes as her gaze lands in the next picture, bringing back a bittersweet memory. Kelly couldn't have been more than 7 at the time, but she remembers it like yesterday. Kelly and her grandfather beam into the camera, Kelly holding up the first fish she ever caught. Her grandfather's eyes show nothing but love and admiration for his granddaughter, who had been scared to reel in the fish at first, fretting that the fish's mom would worry about him not returning home on time. After promising to let the fish go after, they took a quick picture. Kelly's grandfather grew to the ripe old age of 87, and never forgot the first time his Kelly caught a fish.

Or perhaps it was the next picture of Kelly and her cousin that cures her homesickness. The picture had been taken the summer Kelly and her cousin Carrie turned 15, both girls deciding they wouldn't want to spend their birthday without their other half. They decided to take a late night swim in the lake adjacent to the house their families were renting. The memory of the cool night air nipping at the skin, and the fish nibbling at their toes as they dug them deeper into the mud. Kelly can still feel the shock of the cold water that soaked her from her head to her toes. Unfortunately, the girls were caught, but the fun time was well worth the punishment that followed.

Whichever one it was, Kelly's homesickness is cured as she relives the memories that hang on her wall.