Excerpt: Ghost of a Chance

She sat on the familiar window seat staring out at the street. It had changed so much throughout the years, yet so many things still stayed the same. Looking down her pale delicate hands, she thought of her garden. So many hours she had spent caring for her precious flowers, but now those days were gone. Her family was also gone and in their place was the overwhelming sadness. She stood with a floating grace and began to roam the empty rooms of her childhood home, the movements somehow reflecting her own emptiness. Yes, there had been happy times here, but those distant memories were beginning to slowly fade from her now. Sometimes, she could still envision the chubby toddler in her sunny yellow dress with her pigtails dancing happily or the newlywed couple quietly sipping wine by the fire. Everyone had come and gone, but she remained. Time for others seemed to always move happily on, but she was forever trapped within herself. At first, she had been so angry with her circumstance and those near her had definitely felt her rage. As time marched on, the anger mellowed to this unbearable despair. When would this sorrow ever end? There must be some escape.

With slipper soft steps, she made her way up to the attic. This was one thing she had made sure had stayed the same through the years. Growing up, this small sunny alcove had been her refuge. She came here to read, paint and most of all to dream. She dreamed of a life without restraint and expectation. She dreamed of happiness and of endless possibilities. With a light whisper, she rested on her grandmother’s rosewood armchair. Her eyes breezed over the faded family photos and the knick knacks that had once meant to so much. This was the only place she felt somewhat at peace. In this room, she felt a tiny fraction of what her true self used to be. As her fingers gazed over a basket of unfinished knitting, a sound from outside caught her attention. Strange, so many things these days went beyond her notice. She peered out the small arched window to the street below. A man climbed out of a strange carriage and was heading up the walk. With that, she closed her eyes and faded into the background.