£100 prize…
After being made redundant, Harrie is hoping for a new beginning. Could a house swap help her rediscover her dreams?
For your story, like reader Lisa Allen!
Harrie’s eyes flicked up towards the black velvet sky as her retro camper van trundled along the road, its headlamps blinking through the darkness. A handful of midnight stars winked back in welcome, clouds sleepily drifting off into the distance. Harrie’s gaze momentarily caught in the round dreamcatcher hanging from the rear view mirror, before she focused back on the road ahead. Her life had travelled full circle.
A runaway teardrop fell silently from Harrie’s cheek. She remembered unravelling the ribbon from the pretty paper that scrunched open in her hands, gently lifting out the birthday gift from her best friend, Jen. Harrie held it aloft with the tips of her fingers, mesmerised, pausing to admire its beauty. Even then, the dreamcatcher had a calming effect.
Her eyes followed the intricate pattern of the entwined string web, the grounding organic curved frame and the soft, light feathers, which swayed hypnotically in the breeze.
‘I thought it might help with those restless nights you said you’ve been having lately,’ Jen said with a sympathetic smile. ‘I know things have been stressful, especially with you being made redundant from work. It’s just a bit of fun, really.’ Jen added, ‘Some people believe it can give you good dreams and a peaceful night’s sleep; I hope you’re not allergic to feathers!’
Harrie laughed, tickled by the notion. ‘I love it,’ she said simply,
hugging Jen. ‘Thanks for being a good friend.’
Jen smiled. ‘Have you decided what you want to do next?’ Harrie took a deep breath and exhaled the beginnings of a long-held dream to her friend.
****************************
Harrie opened the front door. Her former work colleagues Isabelle and Tim stood flanked either side by moving boxes on her doorstep, excited grins parcel-taped to their faces.
Tim jangled a set of keys. ‘House swap!’
Harrie grinned back, exchanging her keys for their set.
Her eyes slid towards the cream and orange camper van parked on the road.
Tim glanced back at the van. ‘You’ve got a full tank of petrol, and Izzy’s even made you up a hamper of food and drink to keep you going for a few days.’
Izzy blushed, ‘It’s the least I could do – we get to live in your lovely house for three months, and you get to live in Tim’s old rust-bucket van. I just hope you don’t break down.’
Tim puffed out his cheeks. ‘That “rust bucket” as you call it is a shining example of mechanical engineering of the 1960s. And it is completely roadworthy!’
****************************
Harrie may have been a solo traveller as she ambled along sun-drenched Mediterranean roads in the camper,
but she never once felt lonely. She felt free and inspired.
Her days were spent exploring the tranquil local villages, experiencing the serenity of artisan crafting, welcomed by people she would never have met in her previous life.
Harrie learned about new cultures and had her taste buds tickled by different cuisines. She gained not only new recipes, but new friends and, most of all, a newly rediscovered self-confidence. Her happiness shone through her skin, her smile, her eyes; she wanted to share her journey with others, so some of the photographs she’d taken of incredible scenic views (a creative hobby she had long forgotten she loved) were posted online. She hoped they might one day inspire others to follow their dreams, too.
In the evenings, she would meet new friends for dinner or curl up in the camper with a volcanic mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows, a blanket around her shoulders as she read a book by the light of the stars. And, as she drifted into a lazy slumber, the day for her to journey back home to her normal life returned in the blink of an eye.
The van creaked to a stop outside Harrie’s house. She stepped down on to the pavement, slung her rucksack over her honey-tanned shoulder and walked slowly to her front door. Tim and Isabelle were due to have moved into their new home last week and, as Harrie stepped back into the empty house, a rush of familiar noises and smells flooded her senses. The ticking hall clock, the musty smell from unopened windows.
Reality set in. Harrie couldn’t believe the dream had been caught and was over so quickly. She filled a glass with water from the tap, charged her phone, not bothered that she had been out of reach for the past week, and slumped into an armchair. She felt tired and dejected but, through the darkness, a flash of light captured her attention. An email winked at Harrie from her phone. A travel company had spotted her landscape photographs online and was asking if she would be interested in working for them, though it would mean extensive travel.
Harrie smiled. Maybe the journey wasn’t over, after all.