This is an old work of mine. What do you think of it?
It was a beautiful day of mild winter when the snowflakes started falling silently from the endless sky… and the ground slowly turned from green to white… Somerstale was a peaceful town, with peaceful citizens… Situated in England, close to the Atlantic, it was a seaport from which many ships left to the New World, ships setting off to a better world, a world which promised no pain or suffering… When a ship left the town, all the citizens came to watch its departure… Watching a ship leaving is very painful and sad… You look at it setting off until your eyes full of tears can’t reach it… Many ships left Somerstale, but few came to it. Who would want to live in an isolated town, when one had other options?
But, one day, a ship came to Somerstale. If watching a ship sailing away is sad, seeing it coming to you is wonderful! The arrival of a ship to Somerstale was a blessing to its citizens. That day, all the people came to see the coming of it .They kept peering for the ship floating towards them. The sound of the crashing waves was the sound of happiness… No one remembered when they last saw a ship coming to that land… That was probably a reason for hope, for the city of Somerstale to become a better one. They continued watching the approach of what happened to be their most beautiful experience ever lived. And for many, probably the last…The ship was getting closer and closer… The sound of the crashing waves was close to their ears and their souls…They were happy!
In the end, the ship stopped. Landed. Then, some waiting moments passed. Finally, they all heard the sound of the doors opening and a woman appeared on the deck. She was tall and she was smiling, even she seemed to hide something like pain and suffering… She was about 30 years old and she had a beautiful sparkle in her eyes, a sparkle which you wouldn't see in the eyes of the people from Somerstale. You could easily remark that she was coming from somewhere else… She was dressed in a green long raincoat and she started going down the stairs… When she reached the land, she looked around, as if she was expecting someone to welcome her. Nobody came, so she went straight ahead… Afterwards, many other passengers came out of the ship and the citizens looked at them. The woman's appearance was soon forgotten.… But a man continued watching her… He went towards her, put his hand on her shoulder and said: ‘Do you need some help?’ She turned around and looked right into his eyes and smiled, in the same way she did at the beginning… He was about 40 years old and his hair started to turn grey. He was wearing an old fashioned suit. When she turned, he seemed surprised. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but after that, he closed it, finding himself unable to talk. After several moments, he said:
‘Theresa, is that you?’
‘Yes, Thomas. It’s me.’, she answered.
That moment, he remembered an important part of his life: it was approximately ten years ago, in a warm summer day, in July. That time, he was in Montana, exploring the American flora. He was absolutely surprised by the marvellous nature attractions of the New World and he enjoyed a lot staying there. While he was walking through the forest, which was very close to his friends’ house, he saw someone coming towards him. At the beginning, he couldn’t see who it was. After a few moments, when the figure came closer, he realized that it was a woman about 20 years old. She was wearing a red dress and although she was very relaxed, she also seemed to be a bit confused. When she came nearer, he asked: ‘Do you need some help?’
She smiled to him and said:
‘Yes, actually, I do! I’m looking for the Ludlow ranch and I can’t find it. Can you help me, please?’
‘The Ludlows are my friends and I’m staying at them. I can surely help you find their ranch. It would be a pleasure for me!’
‘You’re an Englishman, aren’t you?’ she said with her native American accent.
‘Yes, I am! Now, I see you’re from around, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, you could say that. I’m living near these woods and yes, I’m from America. And what’s your name?’
‘Oh, excuse me, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Thomas Spencer.’
‘Glad to meet you! My name is Theresa Miles.
And they went to the Ludlow ranch. On their way, they discovered many things about each other: they both liked the woods and enjoyed exploring the wild. Theresa was very fond of nature and liked living in the countryside. She found out that Thomas was from Wessex, England, and that he was sent to Montana, to study the American flora. Talking and joking, they arrived at the ranch. Even though at the beginning she didn’t intend to stay there that night, Theresa remained. And every day, she joined Thomas in his expeditions in the woods and in his free time, they enjoyed the sun in the splendid green field… And time passed… They felt wonderful together, and everybody thought that soon, they would get married. Until one day, when Thomas had to go to England. He left, and, being sure that in a few days, he would return he didn’t tell her because he didn’t want her to be sad. So he left. In England, he had many other things to do, so he stayed there more then he expected. After a few weeks he returned to Montana, but she wasn’t there anymore. He talked to the Ludlows, who said that she had been very sad and had suffered deeply when she realized he had left. Then, she left too. Nobody knew where. Only then did Thomas realize what he had done and he understood that he probably won’t meet her again… He returned to England and never went back to America, which was now for him the place of cruel memories. He started working hard, trying to forget the image of that beautiful young girl… Probably, he forgot her, to the extent of not thinking of her every day, but he never loved someone else… If someone had asked him the word which represented his life the most, obviously, he would have said: Theresa. Now, he was here, on this English land and having in front of him the woman who symbolized his whole life. And after all these thoughts, he just said:
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I came to put my mind in order… Good-bye now, Thomas!’ she said and turned, leaving.
He remained in the same position. He thought she will come back. He was sure she will do so, but she didn’t. She didn’t turn even once. And he didn’t go after her… He stood there while she was walking as silently as she came. His eyes full of tears watched her leaving…until she disappeared…as the ships always do in the town called Somerstale…
Reply With Quote
