THE ROOM

As she impatiently tried to open the door, she caught herself smiling at the all too familiar struggle between the lock and key. Unsure of what to expect behind the translucent glass doors, she slowly turned the knob. A wave of nostalgia engulfed her, drowning her. She stood there, paralyzed, taking in the abandoned room. She was well aware of the lump forming slowly in her throat as she relived every childhood memory of packing up and leaving- the childish need to say goodbye to the empty rooms that harbored her, every three years. Despite the common assumption, leaving doesn't get easier, only more familiar.

She finally forces herself to walk into the empty room, to take it in. The memories she's made here. The friendships, the relationships, the fights, the late nights within these very walls- now nothing more than a dull reminder of what had been. Her eyes caught sight of the comically large key ring, carelessly tossed amongst junk to be later discarded, accepting that she would probably never find out how an infant's toy ever got here in the first place.

Had it really been two years since she walked through that very door, into a bustling room, new faces peering at the notably short girl with the nervous smile, desperately trying to remember names being thrown at her in hasty introductions. It was always busy here, always so much to do and she had effortlessly slipped into the chaos. This had been her sanctuary- the answer to her tearful prayers, an end to her agonizing depression. Despite the obnoxiously late hours she'd worked or the futile attempts to end the trend, she knew she would always be grateful.

Her thoughts shifted back to the present as she suddenly realized she'd reached the end of the room. She couldn't get herself to walk into the kitchen, the memories would be too overwhelming. She turned and watched the room emit an eerie calm. The room was an alarmingly precise portrayal of demise. She struggled to calm her trembling hands, as she photographed this very moment, living it in the present, capturing it for eternity.