They were here.

I'm going to tell you the story of how I became me. The me I am today that is. I'm going to tell you how I came to know them. How they entered my life and unravelled it. How they demolished and reshaped my entire existence in the plain world I was born in to. How they took my sleepy life and turned it in to something I couldn't even begin to comprehend. Ravens Cove was a sleepy little fishing town situated on the north coast nestled into the side of a cliff, it was where I resided when they came hurtling into my life like a hurricane and force to be reckoned with. The town wasn't known for anything really. We didnt have the best beach or the best pub or restaurant, hell we barely had the internet. My town was a town where the people that were born there either wised up and got out or died there, if I’m honest I don’t think I can call it my town my father and I moved here when I was 13. There was never much to look forward to in Ravens Cove being that with a total population of 202 and half of which being elderly there wasnt really a need to have anything fun. There was one school in the town I went there and taught there too (it was teaching or working on the fishing boats with my father, never really fancied myself as a fisherman). The people in my town were nothing special, so much so that only one man stands out to me today. I never knew his name, I dont think anyone did. I dont think anyone actually ever stopped to have a conversation with him. We called him The Town Cryer, he shouted his news at anyone passing by going about their day. He wasnt hurting anyone and it always seemed to make him happy. He would shout about the weather or how many boats had docked or even how many fish they had taken in. By far the most exciting person in that town was my dad, but I may have been slightly biased. Let me tell you a little about my parents. My father Luka and my mother Emilia had been childhood sweethearts they married at 18 and had me 3 years later. They loved me more than life itself. They said when I came it was like all the joy and happiness in the world bloomed inside them like flowers so they called me Bloom. They managed to make every single day fun and exciting. Emilia was a beautiful woman standing at 5 foot 2 inches with copper curly hair that came down to her hips. She had eyes like emeralds that sparkled every time my father walked into a room. She was a seamstress there wasn’t a rip or tear she couldn’t fix. Luka was 6 foot 5 inches and built like a wall, he had sweeping black hair and hazel eyes with hints of gold that glowed amber on the sunniest of days. He made everyone feel safe in his presence. His hands were rough and full of calluses from years of work on the boats and my mothers were gentle and soft. My mother passed away when I was 12 years old. When she passed it was like all the colour drained from the world everything was masked behind a grey cloud. The sun didnt shine as bright anymore. The ocean never looked quite as blue. My fathers eyes didnt quite manage to glow the amber that reminded me of fire anymore. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears when he looked at me, i reminded him of mother. I'm 5 foot with curly hair the colour of rusted copper and "eyes like emeralds" my father used to say. He always smiled when he said it, but his smile never quite reached his eyes. There was a sadness in him I couldn't understand. Where I lost a mother, he lost his wife, his first love, his best friend, his soul mate and the mother of his child. It is a loss I couldn't even begin to comprehend. The mother's of the children I taught would say, "you're young and beautiful why dont you leave and see the world." I'd tell them, "why would I leave when I have everything here in this town?" The truth is I did want to experience the world. I wanted to have my first kiss and fall in love and experience things I wouldn't be able to in this town like the hustle and bustle of a city, or the slow serene greenery of a countryside cottage. There was one thing holding me back though. There was my father. I was all the family he had left, I was all of my mother he had left and I could never abandon him.