The Journey Home

Willamina needed to stop and rest for a little while; she had been travelling for days by foot to the home she left many years ago. She sat on the rocks and looked out at the land before her. The odd shaped rocks were the only ones in the area and the large sky spread across the green pastures in front of her. The contrasting green bushes bounced in her vision as she scanned the area.

Maybe I should set up camp for the night, Willamina pondered as she watched the clouds floating across the sky. The clouds looked light, but she could feel the humidity in the air getting thicker. She did not know if the storm would come when she slept or if she would be stuck there for a few days if she decided to stay.

In the distance, Willamina spotted something moving. She squinted her eyes to try and see better; it got a little closer and the outline of a man on a horse could be made out. Willamina moved quick to hide behind the rocks, no woman would want to be caught alone wandering the lands. She peered of the rocks to try and make out the mans face.

Is it him? she wondered. She had finally managed to slip away without her husband noticing just 2 nights ago. Stopping seemed to have been the wrong choice or maybe it was the right one because she was able to see him coming and hide. With her heart racing and eyes locked on the man, she slowly moved more into the crevasse between the rocks.

This place had a peace and quite that she hadn't experienced since her parents married her off when she was 15, 20 years ago. She could hear her own heart beating and the sound of a bee buzzing off in the distance. Finally, the mans face came into view, his nose was much narrower than her husbands and his beard was a darker shade.

Phew, Willamina stayed hidden as it may be one of his men searching, even at that, a lady should never be out in the wilderness alone, and night was falling in.

The man was now out of sight, Willamina stood up. Her long coppery hair fell in curls down to her waste and her cotton skirts weighed a heavy sum. She would not be caught dead without them though, even running away, she couldn't bear to feel naked in anything less then the layered dress. This one was her favorite; the green hues brought out the color in her mossy eyes.

Willamina managed to find a cave nearby and set up her things to rest for the night.

The storm thundered through, and rains soaked the earth while she rests in blissful peace.

~

The next few days were long and hard for Willamina as she made her way north. She only wanted to see her family and home again; she would go back after that if that was what she must do.

~

7 days of journey and the smell in the air brought Willamina to a familiar feeling. Excitement filled her chest as she ran up the way to see her home.

But instead, she came upon rubble, that had trees growing out of strange places. Her joy collapsed and a deep sadness overwhelmed her.

Where did her family go, what happened to her precious home. Defeated, she sat down and imagined in her head the entrance to the house, she closed her eyes and thought about each corridor and the way the fire warmed the stone on cold nights. She thought about how when her parents would call for her down the hallway, there was an echo so slight that it seemed imaginary.

A smile settled on her tear-filled face as the memories flooded in. Even though it was all gone, she had still made it the last place where she felt safe. But where would Willamina go from here? She remembered the temple that they would travel to every other week, would it still be standing?

The only way to find out more, was to venture further and hope she could remember her way to the temple. So, off she went on a new quest, determined to find the answers she now sought.

*

• On This Street [an unofficial challenge] by Belle

I don't write much fiction, as poetry is my favorite place to dream, but this challenge was inspiring.

Thank you for reading!