Ecuador
Global Classroom Creative Writing Anthology 2015
Lower Secondary
HIGHLY
COMMENDED
House of Memories
‘The writer’s comparison between the past and present weaves a powerful sense of nostalgia. This is further enhanced with wonderfully crafted
descriptions that successfully hint at textured past history. The writing sweeps to the final line, which is both powerful and poignant, perfectly
encapsulating the tone of this moving story.’
What started as a normal visit to my grandfather’s house turned out to be a life lesson. As soon as I entered the old house I could smell a peculiar scent, one that
screamed nostalgia, and by the face my mother made I could tell she smelled it too. His house was as old as him; every corner was full of dust with little white ornaments
as gifts from some eight footed friends, the only company he had for the past years.
I couldn’t remember this place very well, it was all blurry memories from when I was younger, although I didn’t remember it as damaged and forgotten as it was now. It
felt as if something was missing. The walls were dirty, full of dust and mould. But perfectly decorated with little wooden squares showing black and white faces trapped
in time. The wooden floor was missing bits just as if it was an eaten home baked cake. Considering he often lived in his own world and didn’t have clear vision anymore,
the state of the house was justified. The house wasn’t big but neither too small. To the right near the front door there was a small bathroom with the constant highpitched sound of water drops falling after each other creating echo, waiting their turn to go into that rusty old pipeline.
To the left there was an ancient but still elegant red couch, which was gently embracing a small rounded table, with circled marks of the several glasses of wine and cups
of coffee placed in those lonely nights where all he could do was sit in silence and wait until sleep caught him. A very glamorous shiny table captivated the attention of
anyone who passes near this piece of art, decorated with a Chinese style, as if it was a window to a beautiful flowered garden, surrounded by tall darkened chairs, which
stared at it giving the impression as if they were admiring it.
Behind a door at the back of that room there is a small kitchen; in the sink there still were dirty dishes, and an opened bottle of red wine, next to it bread with poorly
spread butter, halfway eaten. To the right extreme of the first floor of the house there were the stairs, which were antique, neglected and sounded like a broken piano,
creating a melancholic song as you go up.
“The mountain is unforgettable because it reminds me of Ecuador, where my mum is from. I used acrylic paint and found it hard to show the
textures. I tried to make the colours look as realistic as possible.”
Illustration by Harry Tsepisis, Year 7, St. Andrews International School Bangkok
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Just in front of the stairs there was his bedroom, old sheets and a little window; a bookshelf was full of read books all read and aged, they seemed
abandoned.The house was empty. We searched but no one was there. Three days later on Christmas day, every thing got colder, and the bad news
dropped as heavy words into my heart. He passed away in his way to the market. Hit by a car. His abandoned book in his nightstand was marked
at the last page, and as if it was a casualty it said “Unexpected Changes”.
Written by Leticia Garcia Santiago, Year 9, Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil
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