A Reminiscence of the Past

A woman, more than a century old, is sitting in her rocking chair. Her skin, made of leather, sags and wrinkles, creating intricate patterns all over her face and hands. The frazzled hair on her head protrudes from her large hat, the zigzags of grey ending just below her chin. Despite her harsh looks, she is kind. In her hand she possesses a cigarette, the smoke billowing and dancing up towards the sky in swirls of white. It reminds her of her past. As she watches from her chair, her two young granddaughters frolic on the front lawn. A fleeting thought of puppies that’ve just learned to walk, that have fully realized the freedom of movement, passes through her mind. She thinks back to when she was young, when walking and breathing were simple tasks. She reminisces about the times when she used to frolic with her sisters, full of energy and life. Although fully aware that her time is coming to an end, she does not take the life that she has for granted as she used to. As she reapplies her fading pink lipstick with a feeble hand, her granddaughter calls to her. For the penultimate time, she sets down her cigarette, and her hard expression relaxes into a smile.