Settling In
297 Words
Morning in Willowridge felt different.
Not the soft, lazy warmth of city mornings. No cars honking, no buses screeching, no neighbors arguing two floors down. Instead, the town woke in a slow, eerie calm — like the world held its breath until the sun fully rose.
I stood at my window, looking over the quiet street. Pale mist curled around mailboxes and fences, dissolving as the early sun pushed through. Birds called softly from the pines, and somewhere far off, I swore I heard a howl.
A dog, I told myself.
Probably.
I grabbed a hoodie, pulled on my jeans, and padded downstairs. Boxes still cluttered the hallway — my life in cardboard stacks — but at least the place smelled like home after last night’s candles.
Mom was already dressed, hair neatly tied back, coffee in hand.
“You’re up early,” she said, smiling. There was a glow about her lately. Hope. Maybe even excitement. It made me want to be strong for her.
“Just exploring,” I said, reaching for the cereal.
She hesitated before speaking again. “I know this move was sudden for you. But… this place could be good for us, Amara. New start. New people.”
New people.
Like her new boyfriend — the charming, polite man she met on that business trip.
The one she insisted was “different.”
The one I still wasn’t sure about.
I loved Mom. I wanted her happy. Losing Dad broke something in both of us, but in different places.
“I’ll be fine,” I told her — and mostly meant it.
Mom squeezed my hand, grabbed her work bag, and headed out the door.
Silence filled the house again.
I sighed.
Okay.
It's time to explore this mysterious little town.
- Writer
