16 May 2019, 02:40
I Grew Up Here
Camille stepped outside with a quiet sigh. The sunset threw streaks of color into the sky. A splash of orange there... a speckle of purple here... If only I hadn't been stupid enough to forget my camera, she thought sourly. If there was one thing the girl despised about her personality, it was how often she forgot simple things. She'd never say it out loud, but she was surprised she was born a brunette and not a blonde. Her mother would always tease her knowingly with little remarks here and there. "Camille, I think your lighter roots are showing," was her favorite.
A small breeze was enough to send chills down the young witch's spine. She wrapped her green-and-silver scarf tighter around her neck as to block out the cool air. The sun going down didn't help the temperatures, which were fading quickly. Camille exhaled softly and wandered through the streets of London, admiring the smallest details in the big city. She utterly adored everything about London, and she certainly didn't see how anyone couldn't.
As time wore on, she began to see the sky's hues darken a bit more. Camille hummed a faint song under her breath. Camille hugged her coat tighter around herself and stood still for a moment, watching the clouds blow slowly across the sky. The cobblestones in front of her offered her several different ways to go, all of which she considered for varying amounts of time. Finally, she set off towards the Leaky Cauldron. Maybe she could warm up for a bit before she went home. Her mother wasn't expecting her back, and if Camille needed to, she could borrow a pinch of Floo Powder.
Even from outside the Cauldron, Camille could feel the warmth flood her cheeks and the smells of strong drinks. She shook her head and waited outside for another moment. The sun was finally disappearing beyond the horizon. When just a sliver of it was left, Camile opened her lips and began to sing faintly into the night.
"Here I stand alone,
with this weight upon my heart.
And it will not go away.
In my head I keep on looking back,
right back to the start,
wondering what it was that made you change.
Well I tried,
but I had to draw the line.
And still this question keeps on spinning in my mind:
What if I had never let you go?
Would you be the man I used to know?
If I'd stayed;
If you'd tried;
If we could only turn back time.
But I guess we'll never know."
Camille paused for the briefest of moments, letting herself listen to the echo of her last note clinging to the sides of the buildings. She hadn't sung in public in a while. Well, was this even public? No one was listening, right? She licked her lips hummed a bit of the musical part, and dove right back into the words.
"Many roads to take:
Some to joy,
some to heart-ache.
Anyone can lose their way.
And if I said that we could turn it back -
right back to the start -
would you take the chance and make the change?
Do you think how it would have been sometimes?
Do you pray that I'd never left your side?
What if I had never let you go?
Would you be the man I used to know?
If I'd stayed;
If you'd tried;
If we could only turn back time.
But I guess we'll never know."
Here, Camille paused again. The sun had sunk completely beneath the horizon now. The lamplight cast a hazy glow across her face. Soft shadows painted her features in a way that made them stand out rather strangely than they would have in the daylight. Her thoughts drifted back to her song, and she picked up where she left off.
"If only we could turn the hands of time.
If I could take you back, would you still be mine?
'Cause I tried,
but I had to draw the line.
And still this question keep on spinning in my mind..."
A breathy silence clung to the air when she stopped. It was a short break, and dramatically appropriate for the song. Here goes nothing, the rather shy brunette thought, launching into the last verse with a hidden understanding of the words.
"What if I had never let you go?
Would you be the man I used to know?
What if I had never walked away?
'Cause I still love you more than I can say!
If I'd stayed;
If you'd tried;
If we could only turn back time...
But I guess we'll never know.
We'll never know."
The nighttime air grasped at her last words, turning them to a whisper once they passed her lips. She let her shoulders drop, not realizing how tense she'd been during the song. "No, stop it. Don't cry," she instructed herself harshly. Even so, a fragile tear trickled down her cheek. She wiped it away aggressively and turned her back to the Leaky Cauldron so no one inside could look out by chance and see her crying over a stupid song. "My voice isn't even that good," she insisted, trying to put the song out of her mind for the time being. Impossible. "Lovely, just lovely," she muttered, shaking her head.
A small breeze was enough to send chills down the young witch's spine. She wrapped her green-and-silver scarf tighter around her neck as to block out the cool air. The sun going down didn't help the temperatures, which were fading quickly. Camille exhaled softly and wandered through the streets of London, admiring the smallest details in the big city. She utterly adored everything about London, and she certainly didn't see how anyone couldn't.
As time wore on, she began to see the sky's hues darken a bit more. Camille hummed a faint song under her breath. Camille hugged her coat tighter around herself and stood still for a moment, watching the clouds blow slowly across the sky. The cobblestones in front of her offered her several different ways to go, all of which she considered for varying amounts of time. Finally, she set off towards the Leaky Cauldron. Maybe she could warm up for a bit before she went home. Her mother wasn't expecting her back, and if Camille needed to, she could borrow a pinch of Floo Powder.
Even from outside the Cauldron, Camille could feel the warmth flood her cheeks and the smells of strong drinks. She shook her head and waited outside for another moment. The sun was finally disappearing beyond the horizon. When just a sliver of it was left, Camile opened her lips and began to sing faintly into the night.
"Here I stand alone,
with this weight upon my heart.
And it will not go away.
In my head I keep on looking back,
right back to the start,
wondering what it was that made you change.
Well I tried,
but I had to draw the line.
And still this question keeps on spinning in my mind:
What if I had never let you go?
Would you be the man I used to know?
If I'd stayed;
If you'd tried;
If we could only turn back time.
But I guess we'll never know."
Camille paused for the briefest of moments, letting herself listen to the echo of her last note clinging to the sides of the buildings. She hadn't sung in public in a while. Well, was this even public? No one was listening, right? She licked her lips hummed a bit of the musical part, and dove right back into the words.
"Many roads to take:
Some to joy,
some to heart-ache.
Anyone can lose their way.
And if I said that we could turn it back -
right back to the start -
would you take the chance and make the change?
Do you think how it would have been sometimes?
Do you pray that I'd never left your side?
What if I had never let you go?
Would you be the man I used to know?
If I'd stayed;
If you'd tried;
If we could only turn back time.
But I guess we'll never know."
Here, Camille paused again. The sun had sunk completely beneath the horizon now. The lamplight cast a hazy glow across her face. Soft shadows painted her features in a way that made them stand out rather strangely than they would have in the daylight. Her thoughts drifted back to her song, and she picked up where she left off.
"If only we could turn the hands of time.
If I could take you back, would you still be mine?
'Cause I tried,
but I had to draw the line.
And still this question keep on spinning in my mind..."
A breathy silence clung to the air when she stopped. It was a short break, and dramatically appropriate for the song. Here goes nothing, the rather shy brunette thought, launching into the last verse with a hidden understanding of the words.
"What if I had never let you go?
Would you be the man I used to know?
What if I had never walked away?
'Cause I still love you more than I can say!
If I'd stayed;
If you'd tried;
If we could only turn back time...
But I guess we'll never know.
We'll never know."
The nighttime air grasped at her last words, turning them to a whisper once they passed her lips. She let her shoulders drop, not realizing how tense she'd been during the song. "No, stop it. Don't cry," she instructed herself harshly. Even so, a fragile tear trickled down her cheek. She wiped it away aggressively and turned her back to the Leaky Cauldron so no one inside could look out by chance and see her crying over a stupid song. "My voice isn't even that good," she insisted, trying to put the song out of her mind for the time being. Impossible. "Lovely, just lovely," she muttered, shaking her head.