“But daddy, I want to say bye bye,” she turns back to look at her childhood home with tears streaming down her eyes

“Okay, but we don’t have much time,” her father replies, carrying their remaining luggage to their van.

“We will come back sweetie, this is just a fun road trip,” her mother lies, knowing quite well that they will never return, and time will soon blur the memories… further and further away

Written for Sonya’s Three Line Tales Week 80!

The story was inspired by the nostalgic feel of this photo! The colors were overtly strong and reminded me of childhood memories that often feel so bright, vibrant, and idyllic. So I initially wanted to write something about a road trip, but it ended up becoming a “fake” road trip, where in actuality, the family is leaving behind everything they knew and loved.

Life is full of changes, and we all have moments where we leave a special place, person, situation. There’s this really great line in the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, about how once you leave a childhood home, it changes forever. Upon visiting, it will appear different to you– not necessarily because the place changed, but because you did.