Memories

It is a thing about memories,

every best moment we breathe,

we try to find ways to capture it.

There he is uncle Henry Thomas counting stars on his fingers again sitting in his wheel-chair. There is a thing about night that darkness to feels soothing serene when the chores of the world come to an end. The view from the rooftop feels magical, especially in the time of Christmas.

Everyone knew him as the happy man of his town but all of sudden he shut himself from everyone after his mother’s funeral. Death changes people uncle Henry was an example. Gracy is his daughter did lose her mother first and then her grandmother. She couldn't afford to lose her father, but she felt as if she did after her grandmothers funeral. After that day, she never had real conversations with her dad as she used to have before. Unexpectedly their bonds changed.

This Christmas she hoped for the Santa to bring back her lost father.

At Christmas midnight Uncle Henry was on his rooftop staring at the sky. He had no will to celebrate the day. Meanwhile Gracy was cooking uncle Henrys favourite cookies in her grandmothers signature recipe. As soon as the flavour of the cookies wafted in air Uncle Henry did recognize the smell. He slowly started to drag his wheels to come down to see from where was this fragrance coming. He was shocked to see his daughter wearing her grandmothers favourite dress while she was baking. With silent carols played on stereo Gracy was singing along with the music. She had tears rolling down her eye constantly while baking those cookies. Uncle Henry broke his silence and said, "Bake those cookies quickly, until I arrange the flowers"

Gracy couldn't believe her ears. Did uncle Henry just agreed to do some work? That is when she rushed with the first batch of cookies she made that night. Uncle Henry smiled, staring at Gracy with soft tears in his eyes. Gracy kept that cookie tray on the dining table uncle Henry placed a Rose between those cookies. The way Gracy's mom used to serve her grandmothers cookies to him with love. Suddenly every memory was being cherished.

Perfect night, yet Gracy wasn't much satisfied. She did see a spark in her father's eye but was holding on for that day to come where uncle Henry goes back to his painting world. Gracy wanted her father to go back to his painting world. She re-created the scene in her grandmother’s memory how she used to bake on Christmas nights. Her mother used to decorate and play some hymns. Somewhere she wanted her father to go to the painting room to paint after their reunion. Six days passed, yet there wasn't a sign. She felt as if she failed. Gracy did somewhere get her dad back but, he wasn’t the same.

She finally decided to stop feeling this way to leave the city for next 3days just for change. To get some air and come back with some sort of better plans to heal her dad’s pain. She left a note the next day for her father and left the village.

After three days, when she arrived back to her village in the evening. Gracy, was ambushed to see the whole town lighted up with beautiful golden lights. There she saw her father waiting at the gate of their bungalow in his wheel-chair. Gracy went running to her father and gave him a tight hug. She asked, “Him what was wrong? why was he sitting outside?” to which he replied- “I’m glad you came back, I never wanted you to feel alone even when I was there with you” replied her father.

The note Gracy left for her father he never got it maybe it was mislaid. But when he did not find his daughter for a long time. In search of her, he found her diary.

Before leaving the place Gracy did have a meltdown when she opened her journal to scribble all her feelings. She explained how alone she felt even when she had her dad by her side. She did write in her diary how she wants to escape, her world and come back only when the streets of her place, are filled with colourful Christmas lights.

Her dad not only lighted up the streets of his area but also lighted up fairy lights all over the small town. So that whenever his daughter arrives, she never misses out lights and the way she mentioned that when she arrives, she wishes her father to be present at the gate waiting for her. As, he used to when she used to come back from school. Peter her father’s caretaker told Gracy how her father used to refuse to come inside the house and how he waited these two days outside in the hope to see you back.

Gracy felt ashamed for making her father feel that way. When she came back, her father did feed her with his own hands. He gave him Grandmothers cookie which she had baked three days ago. “While giving him he told her I would never leave you, until I'm alive, I would forever be there by your side”

After dinner, she went to her fathers room to apologize to him. She was astounded to see her painting there. She was wearing her grandmothers favourite dress and there it was the cooking tray with a rose placed between the cookies. She couldn't control her tears. Her father was finally back. Uncle Henry then told her how after their reunion he was touched, and how those memories gave him strength to capture every moment that is why he planned to paint to re-create the memory of her daughter who cooked cookies for him for the first time that day.

That is, when she realized you do impact lives unknowingly sometimes. You never really know how many souls you touch. But one fine day you will know and for that you have to hold a little patience.

It is a thing about memories,

every best moment we breathe,

we should try to capture it, because at the end these memories will be our only strength.