The Homeward Bound

Reuniting Lost Relations~ (Entry 8) {1995}

Dear Diary,

I had drifted off into a deep slumber. It felt as if time stopped for a short duration, and everything surrounding me disappeared into a faint cloud of dust. The cold breeze gently brushed my face as my eyelids slowly opened. I recalled awakening from a nightmare…my soul was trapped in a dark room and there was a mirror hanging from a colorless wall. The mirror gleamed every time I had glanced back at it. The reflection, revealed my own identity…but, the image displayed no face just a shadow outlining my outer appearance. The glass shattered, and an evil creature identical to the face of Nana appeared. The demonic brute began to laugh eccentrically and the room shifted rapidly before me. The dream continued…everything was a blur yet vividly distinct.

Of course, the dream was short-lived…but, it was difficult for me to snap out of the trance I was in. My mind had created a world of its own it seemed (Laughs). The room spun like a cyclone and then I had awaken. Such bizarre imagery I had thought. Yet, today would be a start to something far more enchanting. Well, at least for the meantime I was free of Nana’s bondage. The ground was moist from the rainfall the night before last. My feet and hands were covered in mud and to top it off… my hair was fit to become a robin’s nest. I stood up walking towards the riverbed. The current waves were a bit calmer now. Perhaps, I could take a quick dip to cleanse myself off.

I steadily submerged my feet into the shallow body of water. The chilled water was a bit overwhelming at first…but my body adapted to the temperature fairly quickly. My clothes were soiled and a bit damp too. Again, I had intended to cleanse the filth from my weak body. But, my foot decided to slip from the rock I stood on, and I had completely drenched myself in the river. Thankfully, I had learned to swim with precision. My father had momentarily volunteered to teach me the basics when I was about 4 years of age. He had taught me to never fear anything, because it was my psyche playing tricks on me.  So I took his advice with a “grain of salt”. (Laughs) Nothing my father had said was to be taken seriously. Anyone that had perceived him differently was a fool.

The clouds above me began fluctuating and that was my cue to start back on the road. I was uncertain about which direction the path would lead me to. Regardless, I was a long ways from Nana and that was all that mattered. My stomach felt hollow, perturbed and craved something meaty. Although, I lacked the skills to fish, hunt and prepare my own food for sustainability. I became irritable and just yearned for a hot dish…anything edible would be adequate at this point. The road was isolated…no cars in sight, and I had trodded alongside the curb. My feet were bare as I had runaway without any form of support for my ankles. I had to be cautious of glass or sharp objects nearby.

A few hours had passed by now. Beads of sweat dribbled down from the sun’s beaming light on my face. My body was deficient of nutrition and I wanted to collapse desperately. But, my willpower to carry on throughout this journey surpassed my mental state of mind. It wouldn’t be much further…maybe there was a gas station among here and I would soon be granted an opportunity to steal some resources for my survival. Suddenly, my cry for help became apparent. A shiny vehicle was headed my way and it coincidentally looked familiar. “Kristi”! “Thank heaven’s your okay dear child”. The tall women with the blue badge appeared offering me a tender hug.

“Please don’t take me back to the elderly lady”…I begged. Cecile nodded slightly. I had later on found out, Nana had discovered her karma after all. She had not reported my disappearance and social services had somehow found out about it. She was charged with negligence and false misconduct. I had later conveyed to my social worker all the other forms of mistreatment she had bestowed upon all of us. My social worker was speechless and full of disbelief. “I have a surprise for you…and commend you for being such an awfully courageous little girl. I smiled with wide eyes as I loved unexpected gifts. “Your father has served his time in jail long enough…and will be released this evening”.

My smile was contagious that afternoon…it lit up every face in the room and my heart was most content. The thought of reuniting with my father was a remarkable feeling. It had been a full 6 months, and we had a lot to catch up on. What was it like being held behind bars? Did he experience a hell bound environment similar to mine? It didn’t matter as long as I got to be back home. Cecile had taken me to a restaurant, and I was able to consume the best hot meal that I had ever eaten in a long while. My platter was full of steamed broccoli, homemade mac & cheese, some slices of fresh garlic bread and chicken strips enriched with a glazed honey-mustard sauce. Finally life became joyful and surreal for a brief period again.

When we reached the police station, there was my father boggle-eyed…standing in astonishment of my safe return. I galloped with strong force towards my dad…he wrapped his arms around me; we were both teary eyed and breathless to say the least. His tone was distraught, like he was confound, but confused. “What is wrong daddy”? I had asked calmly. His life had dramatically changed over the 6 month time frame we had been apart. He didn’t view me as joy in his life…but more as a burden now. He had financially sacrificed everything for his drug obsession. Indeed, Kris was still occupying the home, but why did she allow social services to take me into an inhospitable arrangement to begin with? Father grinned down at me. “Let’s go home kiddo”.

Good night Diary.

About inspirehope109

Kristi has told her testimony to over 2,000 foster youth in 2012. She continues to inspire many with her creative writing style and chilling stories depicted by an innocence and horrid journey.

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Tagged with: Astonishment, Conflicting, Descriptive, Distraught, Dramatic, Engaging, Joyful, mystery, Nonfiction, Realistic, Surreal, survival, Suspense
Posted in Diary Entries