So I wrote this short story that I have finally decided to share with the rest of the world. I will be publishing it in parts and this is the first part:
NORA
Nora was relatively happy. In fact she had never thought of happiness as a fleeting emotion. Sure sometimes she would get sad or angry, but it was always temporary. Sooner or later she would be happy again, content. It was her state of being. Even as a child she was bubbly. Despite her abusive step father, she somehow found a way to stay grounded. She had this one memory that she held on to. One summer night when she was 12 her mother decided the night sky was too beautiful not to watch. So she took an old rug and set it outside. There was a cold breeze quenching the night of it's humid heat. All her four younger sisters and her mother slept on that old rug that night. Just looking up at the stars making up theories of how they got there. She had never felt so peaceful. That was Nora's happiest moment. Over the years she had grown to question the events of that night. After all she had only been 12, and the more you revisited a memory, the more distorted it became. Something she had read once. She wondered whether she had actually been that happy or she had distorted the memory only to use it as a coping mechanism. Nevertheless, whenever things seemed bleak she would just close her eyes and go back to that serene moment, when the whole world seemed to stand still and the stars illuminated the sky.
That wasn't her only secret weapon though, she also had her books. For as long as she could remember, she had always had her nose buried in a book. According to her mother who was a teacher by profession, Nora had been reading since she was a mere four years old. Books were her escape. They took her to a whole different world. Her reading list was diverse. From detective novels, to love stories, to teen fiction, to tragedies, she didn't discriminate. Reading taught her about different cultures, music, crime, basically everything. One time she read the entire collection of fiction books her school library owned. By the time she was 13, her literature teacher named her the library monitor, only because she spent so much time there. And since we wasn't too popular at school, it fit quite well into her schedule. For the first couple of her schooling years, her classmates virtually ignored her. It was only when they needed help with homework or anything school related that they acknowledged her existence. But she was okay with it. When all her girl friends blossomed in their early teen years, she was still a scrawny little girl. It was only when she turned 18 that everything changed. All of a sudden she needed a whole new wardrobe, her clothes couldn't fit anymore. All the boys that used to hang out with her started treating her differently, like she had now morphed into a 'girl'.
Being so well read as she was, it was no surprise to Nora's mother when her little pumpkin performed exceptionally well in school. What started out as an innocent prize giving ceremony at 6 years old turned into a family tradition. Every year Ms Summers proudly made her way to the school auditorium to watch her daughter well deservedly scoop numerous prizes for being the best in her class. Her regular trophies included being the best in English, Mathematics and Science. It sometimes made Ms Summers wonder how she had given birth to such an intelligent daughter. At 18 years old, Nora received her first academic scholarship. It was from a local mining company sending her to one of the best A level colleges in the country. The mining company was so impressed with her grades that they extended their agreement to university level. And on the 15th of September, Nora's family bid her farewell as she boarded the plane to start her new life as a uni student in UK. "When will you be back again?" Teresa, Nora's younger sister asked for the hundredth time that day. She was just about to go through the security gate. "Very soon," she knelt down to kiss her sweet sister's forehead. Teresa was only eight years old and Nora couldn't picture going a day without seeing her adorable face. Maybe this England thing was a bad idea, she thought. When she stood up to face her mother, the tears came streaming down her cheeks. Her mother, the strong woman who had raised her was actually crying, real tears. "Mom, don't cry," Nora managed to say. "I am not," Ms Summers fought back the tears, giving her first born daughter a tight hug. "Call us when you land," she finally let Nora go. Nora nodded, picked up her carry on and proceeded through the gate but not before she waved one last goodbye to her family.
When she arrived at the waiting lounge she was greeted by James' smiling face and it made her feel just a little bit better. "Are you okay?" James asked sympathetically bringing her in for a hug. She gave a slight nod before burying her face in his chest. At least she wouldn't have to face a whole new country all by herself.
NORA
Nora was relatively happy. In fact she had never thought of happiness as a fleeting emotion. Sure sometimes she would get sad or angry, but it was always temporary. Sooner or later she would be happy again, content. It was her state of being. Even as a child she was bubbly. Despite her abusive step father, she somehow found a way to stay grounded. She had this one memory that she held on to. One summer night when she was 12 her mother decided the night sky was too beautiful not to watch. So she took an old rug and set it outside. There was a cold breeze quenching the night of it's humid heat. All her four younger sisters and her mother slept on that old rug that night. Just looking up at the stars making up theories of how they got there. She had never felt so peaceful. That was Nora's happiest moment. Over the years she had grown to question the events of that night. After all she had only been 12, and the more you revisited a memory, the more distorted it became. Something she had read once. She wondered whether she had actually been that happy or she had distorted the memory only to use it as a coping mechanism. Nevertheless, whenever things seemed bleak she would just close her eyes and go back to that serene moment, when the whole world seemed to stand still and the stars illuminated the sky.
That wasn't her only secret weapon though, she also had her books. For as long as she could remember, she had always had her nose buried in a book. According to her mother who was a teacher by profession, Nora had been reading since she was a mere four years old. Books were her escape. They took her to a whole different world. Her reading list was diverse. From detective novels, to love stories, to teen fiction, to tragedies, she didn't discriminate. Reading taught her about different cultures, music, crime, basically everything. One time she read the entire collection of fiction books her school library owned. By the time she was 13, her literature teacher named her the library monitor, only because she spent so much time there. And since we wasn't too popular at school, it fit quite well into her schedule. For the first couple of her schooling years, her classmates virtually ignored her. It was only when they needed help with homework or anything school related that they acknowledged her existence. But she was okay with it. When all her girl friends blossomed in their early teen years, she was still a scrawny little girl. It was only when she turned 18 that everything changed. All of a sudden she needed a whole new wardrobe, her clothes couldn't fit anymore. All the boys that used to hang out with her started treating her differently, like she had now morphed into a 'girl'.
Being so well read as she was, it was no surprise to Nora's mother when her little pumpkin performed exceptionally well in school. What started out as an innocent prize giving ceremony at 6 years old turned into a family tradition. Every year Ms Summers proudly made her way to the school auditorium to watch her daughter well deservedly scoop numerous prizes for being the best in her class. Her regular trophies included being the best in English, Mathematics and Science. It sometimes made Ms Summers wonder how she had given birth to such an intelligent daughter. At 18 years old, Nora received her first academic scholarship. It was from a local mining company sending her to one of the best A level colleges in the country. The mining company was so impressed with her grades that they extended their agreement to university level. And on the 15th of September, Nora's family bid her farewell as she boarded the plane to start her new life as a uni student in UK. "When will you be back again?" Teresa, Nora's younger sister asked for the hundredth time that day. She was just about to go through the security gate. "Very soon," she knelt down to kiss her sweet sister's forehead. Teresa was only eight years old and Nora couldn't picture going a day without seeing her adorable face. Maybe this England thing was a bad idea, she thought. When she stood up to face her mother, the tears came streaming down her cheeks. Her mother, the strong woman who had raised her was actually crying, real tears. "Mom, don't cry," Nora managed to say. "I am not," Ms Summers fought back the tears, giving her first born daughter a tight hug. "Call us when you land," she finally let Nora go. Nora nodded, picked up her carry on and proceeded through the gate but not before she waved one last goodbye to her family.
When she arrived at the waiting lounge she was greeted by James' smiling face and it made her feel just a little bit better. "Are you okay?" James asked sympathetically bringing her in for a hug. She gave a slight nod before burying her face in his chest. At least she wouldn't have to face a whole new country all by herself.
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