Hers

The tattered hoodie did little to ward off the icy wind blowing across the water from places unseen, but she pulled it tighter around her just the same, remembering when down jackets and logo-emblazoned fleece protected her from the elements. She lifted her face to the wind, drinking in the freedom while at the same time her heart cried for the gentle walls that once were hers. Eyes scanned the horizon, seeking an empty place to park her fears, her anger, her aloneness… heart yearning for a silence that screamed of peace, not emptiness. This was her world since they left, since the smiles faded, since the joy evaporated… since she was alone in this world without boundaries, without arms to be enveloped in, without warm lips to kiss her goodnight or hands to tuck the blankets in close around her in the warm room that was once her castle. Angrily, she shakes her head, dismissing the mourning and turning her mind to one more step, one more night, one more tomorrow. Digging her hands deeper into her pockets, shells and stones bruise her fingertips and she smiles a small smile at these few precious things that are truly hers.