The Barn of memories

Emin had slipped away from the procession of grieving family members to finally see his great grandfather's barn. Emin and him would always sit in the senior home while Amar would recount his hundred years of life. Many of those stories included this old run down barn. It was a disappointing sight to Emin, phase he had built it up in his head. The barn was smaller than the other barns in the area, parts of the roof were caved in and it looked as though something wild had made its home way towards the back of the barn. ‘Could his great grandfather have agadrated all those tales?’ Emin wondered. He sighed and turned to leave when the wind picked up and his head began to spin, then everything went dark.

“Amar! GET UP YOU LAZY BOY!” shouted a familiar voice but Emin couldn't place where. Emin sat up slowly rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he noticed his hands were smaller and more child-like. Emin wanted to look at his appearance better but his actions were not his own, as though he were watching a movie. “Amar! IT'S ALMOST DAYLIGHT GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE!” the voice came again even more ferrous than before. “PA I’m up, quit your gripping!” Amar retorted and Emin could feel every bit of his vocal cords as he spoke. “YOU BETTER OR YOU WILL HAVE TO CHOOSE TREE BRANCH!” At those words Amar was out of bed and at the drawer choosing his outfit for the day and went downstairs for breakfast.

Amar headed down stairs, at the table was great aunt Laura helping Lucy with her homework. ‘A lucky woman, she didn’t have to do a lick of work’ Amar thought. “There he is!” chirped ma from the stove on the other side of the room. She was hugely pregnant, had a one year old held in one arm and a spatula in the other. “Go outside your pa has a surprise for you.” ordered Laura who barely looked up. “What about breakfast?” gripped Amar. Ma swung around her cheerful mask gone. “Don’t argue, just go! You can eat after you have done your chores!” Ma said waving her spatula at Amar.

Outside pa was standing staring at an empty space in the yard. Amar crept next to him afraid of this ‘surprise’ pa had for him. “Son today we are going to build your very own barn” pa announced without looking up. “It's time to learn some responsibility. You are six years old and slowly becoming a man.” Amar felt the excitement and the honor it was to build a barn when they already had a big barn. “Where do I start?” Amar asked and with a smirk from pa the two began to build Amar’s very own Barn. days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months. The spring became summer then to fall all the while Amar worked on his barn sometimes alone sometimes with his pa, uncles and grandfather who all lived in the area. Amar looked at his finished barn with pride, it was a bright red with white accents. He moved his cow and goat into his barn, the barn cat that had attached to Amar even started to stay in the barn. You couldn’t meet a boy that was prouder of his work.

One night Amar went to bed and time seemed to shift for Emin suddenly it was two years later. America was entering world war II and Amar’s father was being drafted. All the children stood on the porch waiting for their turn to say goodbye to Pa. Amar being the oldest of two sons was first to say goodbye. “Son you got to be the man of the house while I am gone you hear.” Pa said getting down to Amar’s level and looking him in the eye. “Take care of your sisters and baby brother.” Amar could only nod to keep from crying. Pa stood up and Amar sprinted for his safe haven to safely cry.

Amar did as he was told and tried to be a man but he was still a boy, which means his four older sisters didn’t listen. Two of his sisters began working in a bomb factory with Ma and the other two acted as head of the house, which Amar tried to fight against as he was the man. Amar offted retreated to his barn to pout, till someone showed up to make sure he ate.

It was that one fateful day when he met Amber. His younger sister who was only a year younger had intruded on his sanuwary. “Amar?” Abby called. Amar jumped from the rafters scaring Abby which was exactly what Amar wanted. “What do you want?” He asked, trying to make it clear she was not welcome. “I was going to ask if you had seen mama but obviously all you can see is those silly comics' ' Addy retored pointing at the comic book that had fallen to the ground. “They are not silly! And if you must know ma is at work! What do you want with ma anyway? ” Amar protested. Abby crossed her arms “well if you must know I was going to introduce my new friend Amber to mama” Amar then looked at the doorway to the barn and saw an angle of red curls. He suddenly felt embarrassed by his actions. “She should be home soon. I would help Cally with lunch.” he murmured, feeling his blush creep up his neck. “Thanks bye Fat-head” Abby said, sticking out her tongue then turning around and out of the barn.

Lunch came and Amber had stayed for it, Amar was mesmerised by her but he must have stuck a frog in his throat as he was speechless. Amber was even staying the night because everyone, even his three year old brother, liked her. Amar decided the house was too cramped so he went to his barn to spend the night in. in the rafters he made himself comfortable on some hay. Read his comic book hoping to forget that pretty face but he wasn’t going to forget for long. “What are you reading?” Amar practically jumped out of his skin when she suddenly appeared asking questions. Amber laughed the cutest laugh in the world. “Sorry didn’t I mean to scare you” once Amar’s heart had calmed down he got to see her up close, then the confusion set in “What are you doing here?” Amar asked and Amber shrugged her shoulders. “we didn’t talk at lunch and I want to know the family” He accepted the company and the two talked till morning. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Amber soon made her way into the family as her mom was a single parent who needed the extra hand. Amber and her mom moved into the already cramped house. Amber was Amar’s new best friend, she was fun to be around and she was there for Amar in the hard times. Amar’s father died at war and a year later Amar’s mother died of a broken heart one year later, leaving Amber’s mother to take a mother’s role.

The war ended and Amar was thirteen ready to take on the world like a man. He studied hard and went out with his friends leaving his youth behind. The years went by and Amar didn’t tend to his barn as much any more. One day Amar spotted Amber in the doorway of the barn looking radiant as ever. It was his time to ask her to be his. “Amber, what are you doing?” Amar asked and she looked at him with nostalgic eyes. “Remembering where we first met .” she answered sheepishly. He smiled at the memory “I thought you were an angel when I first met you” he confessed and without even asking him she laid a kiss on him. From that day on they were together for 60 wonderful years.

Time was on the fast forward, Amar took better care of the bar after he and Amer got together, they married in that barn, his three kids played in that barn and he collapsed in that barn. He was eighty-eight and spending time with his five year old great grandson when he fell and was put in a nursing home. He was worried that his great grandchild would stop spending time with him but Emin never stopped coming even when others did. All the way to his final days he cherished his time with his grandson. A light flashed before their eyes and Emin woke up on the ground. “Emin? What are you doing over there?” called Eliza and there she stood where Amber had stood looking just as lovely. Emin got up and walked over to her “sorry i was just living in old memories” Eliza simply shook her head at her boyfriend's imagination. “Come on, let's go

Amar

Lunch

Amber

Time