Aunt Marian stood in the doorway, frail but proud, as if her illness hadn't touched her spirit. Her once red hair, shiny, glowy, silky, and long, had now turned into ash grey.
"You're taller than I remember" , she said with a weak smile.
Rose hesitated, unsure whether to hug her or simply nod. The space between them held years of silence.
"I didn't think I'd see this house again," Rose murmured, her eyes drifting to similar wallpaper. "Not after everything."
Aunt Marian's smile faded. "I never should've let you leave with all that inside you but...
You were just a child. What else could I do?"
They exchange no more words. Marian gestured towards the stairs.
"Your old room is just the same. I kept it that way, in case...
Rose didn't ask in case what..
The stairs creaked beneath her feet. Each step pull her deeper into a memory she had spent years to erase.
She stopped at her door.
The same white paint, now chipped.
She pushed it open slowly.
The room was untouched, as of time had paused here. Her bed, a little bookshelf, and a desk in the corner - all frozen. But her eyes went straight to the window.
That window.
Drawn by something unspoken, she walked over, brushed the curtains aside, and looked out.
And there - in a split - second flash - her breath caught.
She saw it again.
A shadowy figure.
Bent. Dragging something heavy.
A body.....
A chill crept up her spine. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears -- the past crashed into her like a wave.