3

The ride seemed so long that I wasn't sure if we were going in circles until I finally caught a small light far away from us in the darkness.

Excitedly, I shift in my seat and clutch my backpack tightly to my chest. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Rudi appeared to be watching me, but I kept my gaze fixed on the light, afraid it might just go away again, leaving nothing but the black of my dreams.

"So almost done." Rudi said and drove over a small illuminated wooden bridge under which a stream flowed and then turned right.

I was amazed when I saw the many people on the narrow streets, all of whom looked curiously into the car and then whispered behind their hands.

"We hardly ever see new faces here." Rudi turned to me briefly and then looked back at the street in front of him. It all seemed really strange to me, but what else did I expect from a place at the end of the world.

Instead of continuing to stare at the faces of the men and women, I took a closer look at the area and where we were surrounded only by trees on one side, there were several pubs and houses on my left. The narrow streets were well lit by the lanterns, but my eyes fell on the house that seemed to be the brightest.

WialtramaThis sign shone in bright colors above the black double doors and whatever the shop was, it seemed to be doing very well and being popular, even at 2am.

After we turned a corner again, we drove into a cul-de-sac in which there were several small cozy houses. One of them was definitely that of my grandmother, and as if I had guessed it, she was already standing in front of the house at the back, waving her arms excitedly.

Before the car stopped properly, I threw my backpack on the ground in front of me and jumped out of the car to run straight into the arms of this beautiful woman.

"Oh my little Chiara." She spread her arms smiling and hugged me tightly. She smelled so sweet of vanilla that I took in the smell deeply and never wanted to breathe it out again.

"Let me have a look.", she broke away from me and held me by the shoulders to take a good look at me and beam happily.

I used the moment to examine them more closely. Dyed brown hair that hung in waves below her ears, a really nice white blouse and black dress pants. She hadn't changed at all, as if she had barely aged, and even her green eyes sparkled with energy.

"Well, since I'm apparently no longer needed, I'm on my way home.", Rudi's voice suddenly sounded behind me and when I turned around he held my backpack out to me. "Thanks!", I gave him back briefly, took my backpack and turned back to Lili, who put her arm around my shoulders and walked with me the short way between the meadows to her house.

"How was the drive?" she asked as she held the front door open for me and let me in first.

"Unforgettable." I replied with a grin and then looked around the large hallway.

Walls painted white, a dresser with a tall mirror, and several beautiful plants adorned it. It looked really nice. You immediately felt welcome. A door on the left, a door on the right and in front of me a staircase led up, next to which was another small door.

"Your room and my bedroom are upstairs," she pointed to the stairs with a smile and then took my hand to lead me into the right room that served as the living room. I took off my jacket, handed it to her and took a closer look around in my red sweater.

It wasn't big but beautifully decorated and furnished. A black living area adorned with golden cushions, a wall unit directly in front of it, on which the TV, pictures and small plants found space and a small area at the back by the window with a dining table and several chairs.

"I hope you can feel comfortable here," she said as she sat down on the couch and looked me in the face curiously about my reaction. "It's really nice here," I replied with a smile and walked over to a small shelf on which all sorts of records were stacked.

"These belonged to your grandfather," she suddenly stood next to me and put her hand on the record player while staring through the window in front of us and looking like she was just remembering a nice moment. I didn't want to disturb her and turned my gaze away from her to concentrate on the records.

"Would you like something to drink? You must be half thirsty.", she wiped away a few tears and disappeared into the hallway. I looked after her for a moment and then sat down at the dining table. I was incredibly sorry to see her cry and I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one after spending a lifetime together.

"Such a lemonade for my little one and something stronger for grandma." She laughed and sat down opposite me. Her tears had disappeared and what remained was a loving smile. "I really appreciate you being here to support me." She put her hand on mine and looked deep into my eyes.

"It goes without saying." I replied with a wink and drank my lemonade in one gulp. She was right. I hadn't even noticed my thirst because of all the excitement and suddenly I felt like I was drying up inside. "I'll get you something else. Preferably the whole bottle.", she giggled and disappeared from the room again.

While waiting for her, my gaze fell on the window behind the dining table and something inside me wanted to move closer to it and look out. I got up and stood close to the window through which you could only see the forest, but something inside me felt different. I felt frozen and unable to take my eyes off the forest until Lili unexpectedly put her hand on my shoulder and I winced violently.

"You should stay away from this forest, Chiara.", she whispered and stared into the darkness while I clutched my chest and watched her. She didn't look like she was staring at nothing, lost in thought. She looked more like she was having a silent conversation, which gave me goosebumps on my arms, but then she turned back to me and we sat down at the table to chat about all sorts of things, but I was fine with this one I couldn't get the strange situation out of my head all night, until at some point, tired, I dragged myself up the stairs and fell into the soft bed without looking around.