House

She stood looking at the one house that she had ever truly thought of as home. HER home. But now it stood empty, blank windows staring out forlonely. Gone were the old cloth shades, various chairs littering the front of the house, and the basketball hoop she had rarely used. With tears welling up she slowly walked up the driveway and stood on tiptoe to see in what was once her kitchen/dining room. It looked shocking empty, and yet she could very easily picture it as it once was. The old round table, extra cabinets, and pictures all in place in her mind's eye. Slowly she made her way to the side of the house, flashing back to when she used to live there. There was where the hose was, and where the shed used to be. With fingers trailing along the side of the house she turned the corner and looked at the backyard. The old swing-set was gone. She expected that, it had been rotting away. But even so, she could see her 6 year old nephew and his friend running about and the dogs bounding here and there. Turning to her right, she looked into the first window. That had been her mothers room. It was of course bare of anything, and extremely clean. It looked harsh, not at all welcoming anymore. Continuing on, she came upon the sliding glass doors that had led into her brothers room. Smiling, she could easily see her brother and his best friend goofing off, being dorks as they always were. Now the room stood empty, happy memories in the past. Moving on she came to the window that had been her room. She stood still, trying to get the nerve to look in. Steeling herself, she peered in. It was of course empty, but what she saw was her best friend and her watching t.v, laughing, and being young. Shaking her head, she came back to the present and saw the empty room. She saw how her house was no longer her home. With a heavy heart and tears threatening to spill over, she spun around and began running. She had to get away. She kept running, trying to outrun what was threatening to consume her.