Wanderer

The sun was setting. The chirping of birds were fading while some bats could be seen flying freely above the mountain. Higher above, a few stars were already shining. Unconscious of the occurring dusk, the girl sitting by her desk, pen in hand was completely lost in her writing. Suddenly, the door of her room flew open and her mother stormed in. She switched on the light.

''Dear Lord, what are you writing in this darkness? Put on the light at least!''

Unwillingly the girl stopped and raised her head.

Sarah Brown, a twenty three years old lady, wearing nerdy glasses, behind which laid two big blue eyes, shadowed by a cloud of deep melancholy, followed by a straight nose and thin lips which could melt hearts when curved in a smile. Her blonde waist length hair tied in a messy bun on top of her head. When she stood up, she was a medium height not too tall, nor too short. She had a very slim and vulnerable appearance yet coated with a striking beauty.

''What, mom?'' She asked in a soft but annoyed voice.

''Your room is dipped in darkness and you still keep on writing! Wherever and whenever we look at you, you are either reading or writing. Get out of this room! Go outside and breathe the fresh air. Or at least, get yourself a boyfriend...'' Her mom stopped talking when Sarah gave her a look.

''Okay, okay. I’m going. Yeah I know you are a poet, writer and you like your poems and books more than your own mother.'' Throwing up her hands in exasperation, she headed for the door, mumbling to herself, ''I think I will never see my grandchildren, let alone my son in law, no wonder where he is,” and the door closed behind her.

Smilingly, Sarah shook her head and returned back to her writing and continued.

Her life changed completely during that holiday.

Three years ago, Sarah was twenty years old, sweet and innocent as always. It was during a summer, for the first time in her life she was allowed to leave the country and travel abroad. Together with her parents, they went to visit her new-born nephew and her sister who lived in California. It was a completely new experience for her. Usually, girls at Sarah’s age already know what life is about, what does fun mean and how exciting the journey of life is.

However Sarah had experienced these excitements only in books and movies. She lived a very strict and dull life. After all, she was the youngest daughter of a very old minded and patriarchal minded father!

Arriving there, when Sarah reunited with her sister and met her nephew baby; David, she discovered a new enjoyment and happiness, which she thought no one could steal from her. This was what she said to her sister, one week after her arrival.

Finally, the baby was asleep in his crib. Sarah was watching him sleeping so peacefully when Maria turned to her and commented,

''Don’t look at him with these sweet honey eyes of yours. This little devil can really be a thunderstorm when he wakes up at night.''

She started to giggle but dared not to laugh as she knew how Maria would react if David was to wake up.

''You look very happy here. Am I right?'' Maria asked and her younger sister nodded.

''You must be really bored at home. It's been already eight months since your high school courses ended and you were at home all these months. I'm really sorry that no one can convince dad to let you work or continue your studies.”

The sadness in Maria's voice and the sincerity she found there forced Sarah to glance at her sister. Maria and Sarah were the only children and they were always so close to each other and understood each other perfectly although they were four years apart. Holding her elder sister’s hand, Sarah soothed,

“ It’s okay. At least dad has agreed to come here and it’s all because of this cutie pie. You and baby David make me the happiest girl in the world. It’s an eternal happiness that which no thief can steal, no eraser can erase and no storm can ever washed!''

She gave her a biggest smile and Maria returned it, crushing her in one of her big hugs, ''Aw, my baby sister has turned into a poet now!”

Deep inside of her, Sarah felt a happiness which she never had before and she really meant what she said to her sister.

However, happiness is an elusive star. It either grows out of reach or it falls from the sky even as we catch a glimpse of it.

And as usual, fate once again waged sword against Sarah and the next day what she could never imagined to happen, happened.

One of Sarah’s favorite hobby was reading books and writing poems. Yesterday, her brother in law mentioned an ancient library located in the corner of the city and this instantly brightened her as she missed reading her novels. However, today was Sunday and the library was closed. So, her parents decided to do some shopping instead but Sarah absolutely hated shopping. And as expected, before they left with Maria and her husband; James, Sarah caused a lot of dramas, she didn't want to go and they, forcing her to go and she, being more stubborn in return. But finally, her sweet sister convinced them to leave her in her own world at home. Of course, after some hesitations and millions of promises that she would not wander anywhere and that she would stay safe at home, they left Sarah.

However, the latter tried to keep these promises but she was so bored and her curiosity to see this library increased immensely. So one hour after they left, Sarah also left to find this library. Little did she know though, that this simple act of disobedience would bring such a drastic change and damage to her life, her heart and her soul.

And here, she was, walking in an ancient street in the city. The people around her were eyeing her as if they have seen an alien. No wonder why but who cares? Sarah was a tourist there and no one knew her, so she thought their reaction was not unexpected. Without any worry, Sarah started to hum by herself, breathing in the cool afternoon sunshine. This was the perfect scenery for a poem, she thought cheerfully. These people, this peaceful scenery and these buildings were all unfamiliar to her, yet still she felt so free and peaceful here. She felt free just like the red bird flying freely over her head and landed on a branch, in front of a huge abandoned, creepy looking building.

Wait-What?! Sarah immediately stopped dead in her track.

Her heart dropped to the ground. It was then that reality struck her like a lightning and she was electric shocked. Blooded flushed to her cheeks and her body turned to fire. These people were eyeing her not because she looked weird but because she was heading in the wrong direction! Like ink spread in water, tension spread through her veins and she started to panic.

Again, she looked in front of her. There was a two floor huge, ruined building. It looked like an ancient palace, exactly like those in an horror movie. A scary silence prevailed in the atmosphere with only the occasional chirping of birds could be heard along with the swinging of the trees around the building. This silence was too much for her mind and without losing another second, Sarah backed away. She tried to keep her calm but in vain. To the contrary, she increased her pace and took two steps at a time. If this was panic, then she didn’t know what was it when she found three different paths in front of her and she had no idea which one she took earlier. This was when she started to regret disobeying her parents and break her promise. If only she had stayed at home, she would never have been lost in this unknown country. Suddenly, Sarah remembered her phone. Of course, she could contact Maria, how stupid she was to forget about this.

As soon as she picked up her phone, hope rose inside of her, like the sun on a beautiful morning, only to set down the next minute, when she found that there was no connection. Her hope melted in cotton candy in the rain. The next minute, her heart started to drum like crazy and following its lead, her brain turned numb.