The old house sighed softly in the evening air. Another day alone, lonely, with no life save the swallows in the chimney stirring within. The weeds had so overgrown the grounds that all he could see was a mass of green and brown that choked and surrounded the gate. He settled down for the night as the darkness swept across the countryside, hastening to meet him like a familiar friend. He enjoyed the darkness. It had a calming effect and it was easier to call for the memories of days gone by.

He remembered the days when a family had lived within his once beautiful and well cared for walls that were now crumbing beneath the weight of decay. He remembered the children laughing and pattering with their little feet across his rich wood floors. He recalled how they slid down the banisters with giggles that echoed in his large and airy apartments. He remembered the sadness that he had witnessed them experience and the fights between the master and mistress of the home. He had cringed as their shouts had escalated and their anger had rasped. The day came when the mother scraped her suitcase across his beautiful floors and thumped them down the porch steps. He had watched her get into her car and drive away, spitting dirt from behind the tires as she peeled out of the drive.

He remembered the quite, hushed conversations, the tears that had been shed quietly, behind closed doors. They seemed to him something holy and sacred that only he had witnessed. He had ached for the family, and wished for brighter days. But soon, they too packed up and left, leaving little within his walls. A mouse had made its home in the pantry, raising her young and ravaging through the remains of what was once a home. The swallows had taken up residence within the chimney, their fledglings crying for food and flapping away. Yes, families still resided within the structure, but he longed for the human kind. He longed for his own family back.

This prompt came to me and I almost cried writing it. I just love how it turned out and It marks a bit of a milestone! I have now completed 20 writing prompts here on the blog. I love doing them so much! It allows my brain a short, sweet creative flight of fancy without the commitment that a large project requires. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!