THE LONG ROAD TO THE BEACH

by Olivia Bartram

I ran into the house to find the place deserted. It was spooky like on halloween when you get lost and can’t find your parents. Nothing had changed except one tiny thing on the kitchen table there was a note and suddenly my insides lurched.
*
I was on my way to my friend sussan. We’ve been best friends ever since kindergarten and promised to never keep secrets from each other. I haven’t introduced myself properly, I’m lilian, I’m a lawyer at the age of 28 and have a boyfriend leo but he won't come up in this story at all. I live fifteen minutes away from sussans and today I’m going to her house for lunch. I am eager to tell her about my promotion which I got last week, oh and invite her to come to the beach that Sunday. I can remember all of the fun, exciting Summers we had on that beach. Like when I dropped my ice cream on the sand and Sussan was laughing so much she dropped hers, it was so fun. The best part was running away from the noisy, angry and agitated sea gulls as they were not happy about us cleaning up the mess.
I arrived but the lights weren’t on and suddenly I felt uneasy.  I ran into the house to find the place deserted. It was spooky like on halloween when you get lost and can’t find your parents. Nothing had changed though except one tiny thing on the kitchen table, there was a note and suddenly my insides lurched. 
*
Quarantine, the worst news in my life.Sussan is now suffering in quarantine because of a terrible cold, when I read the note over and over again, I felt like ice had spread through my veins and the happiness that had been pumped continuously through my cheerful body had been drained a would never come back. Like I had offended it and that the news was deliberate like this was part of the evil plan to shrivel up my heart and through it in the bin.     Guilt spread through my body, If only I could have been there to comfort her when the news came out, I could have brought a card or some cupcakes but I ended up there empty handed. The car drive had been miserable as I reflected on what I was feeling right at that moment. My heart was full of cold water and my soul had been sucked to my stomach as I made my way to the large enclosed building where I knew sussan would be waiting. But when I arrived she happened to be smiling which made me feel a little better.
Sussan told me everything and at the end of the story I was crying but sussan comforted me and said that she was only going to be in the ward for a few weeks. I decided not to bring up the subject of the beach she may of got sad
*
Susan is ok but I am still worried about her, right now I have offered to look after her two children titi and ben whilst she is in quarantine. I go to visit her every day and when I am there she tells me everything about quarantine and it doesn’t sound that bad, this is what it sounds like in her words…
Everyday I wake up to see nurses crowded around me and when I wake up a lot of them sigh and walk away but usually one or two stay. The nurse that always stays is called nurse talap but she told me on my first day to call her Lucy. Lucy is very Kind to me and always allows me to have a nice warm mug of tea in the morning and hot chocolate in the evening with my milk and cookies. However outside the ward it is a different matter. Because no one but my closest friends and family can come into the building it is so quiet when I get out of my ward. So I can get some fresh air, Lucy allows me to go out into the garden every other day. The manager of this large prison-like building is much like a dementor. The man is a happiness - Sucker and takes all the fun out of everything. He occasionally comes into my ward and asks rude rhetorical questions like ‘you still here’ or something. As he is such a bag of grumpy dog droppings we have to address him as sir or Mr Gout. I hate him, here it is nothing but……
Oh make it stop every time susan tells me a story like that about her life I end up in tears I see that Mr Gout everytime I go there and when I hear him talking about his patients in such a foul way I feel like my ears would drop off and sometimes the things he says are so bad I feel like I’ve just diver into a pool of anger, sorrow, gloom and deceleration. It’s very close to Easter so sometimes I bring some home - made hot cross buns fresh from the oven. On Easter I plan on surprising Susan with chocolate eggs, now that would make her happy.
*
It’s Easter and I’m on my way to surprise Susan with her easter eggs. Luckily her disease is not contagious so I  can give her food. At that time I was a jolly - ball of happiness and a love -  sharer. When I arrived I was shocked why she was so happy but why? When I got in susans ward she told me the best news I had heard in months. Susan was cured and was due to leave in the next few days. Suddenly my soul that had been sitting at the pit of my stomach rose as I jumped for joy and now I live with my heart pumping happiness again through my body and we are due to go to the beach that sunday. Happiness runs through me again.