The Girl Next Door

Part 1

Canterbury, England. May 1960

            Clara Oswald sadly walked down the steps on the front porch of the home she’d known her entire life. Stopping on the dirt road in front of the house, she looked back at it one last time. Sighing, she turned away and joined her parents as they climbed into their old van.

            “Do we have to go?” Clara asked, her voice cracking as she struggled to hold back tears.

            Her mother turned around and gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, Clara. Hopefully this will all be sorted out soon and we can come back, okay?”

            “Are we definitely coming back?” Clara asked.

            Her mother hesitated, and then shook her head sadly. “I can’t say for sure. But just think, this is a whole new adventure we’re going on. And you’re not alone, Clara. I know you love it here. I do too. But we have to move on. There’s a whole world out there just waiting for us. Wouldn’t you like to see some of it?”

            Clara sighed. “Yes, of course, but in the end, I’ll always want to go home.”

            Clara’s father joined them in the van and started it up. The three of them took one last look at the home they’d known for so many years, then turned away down the dirt road and toward a new life.