Return
Walking the dimly lit path took longer than she'd expected. It was quite early in the morning, and all she could hear was the echoing crunch of the snow beneath her feet, and her own breathing. This all culminated in an eerie feeling, almost as if the small town had been abandoned. After many minutes that felt like hours, days, weeks, Octavia finally arrived at her destination.
The old house looked more decrepit than in her memory, despite the fact it had hardly been months since she last saw it. Its peeling red paint and creaky old steps felt welcoming, yet sorrowful. As she stepped up them, she was met with a wave of bittersweet memory. Walking upstairs was not something she would usually take note of, but they were so subconsciously familiar after years of entering and exiting the building. She found it much more welcoming that the firm newly-built stairs at her new home, which didn't slightly sink when she stepped on them.
Coming back to reality, she finally noticed how truly cold it was. Her breath was visible in the frigid winter air. She continued up the small set of steps, before unlocking the creaky old door. Stepping in, it wasn't much warmer than outside. The dark empty space felt alien to her, the bright drapes and carpet missing, all the furniture was gone. She hadn't realized how much she missed junk cluttering her floors. No matter how many times she told vinyl to clean up her mess, she never did.
Vinyl... she held back a tear and continued her somber exploration. Opening what was once her room, she was surprised to find it still smelled of her sweet perfume. Even though this room was empty, she could still remember where everything had been. Practically able to see her writing desk, bed, music stand, and cello resting on its stand in the corner. As she imagined she began to hear its deep tones filling the room like it had so many times before. The sad concerto struck her heart and she couldn't control the tears that came flooding from her eyes. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing in a heap as she struggled to block out the haunting melody. Plugging her ears did no good, the melody seemed to be coming from all around her and inside her ears all at once.
She must have laid there sobbing for hours before managing to pick herself up off the floor. She walked back to the living room, eyes red and swollen from tears. Walking up to Vinyl's door, even now it still reeked of alcohol and smoke. She opted not to open the door. She pulled out a short rose, crumpled and beginning to wilt from being in her pocket so long. She placed it gently on in front of the door, as a stream of silent tears once again forced their way through her usual composure. "Goodbye Vinyl... I love you." she whispered, before making her exit, locking the door behind her.