It had been years since she had returned to her childhood home. Years that had seen her through trials and tribulations as she grew into the woman she now was. The ignorance of youth had blown hot in her ear back in those days, whispering its rebellious words of freedom and independence. In accordance, she had packed her bags, blithely bade farewell to friends and family, and skipped off to a little known college hundreds of miles away to begin her life anew. Her hastily made choice hadn't been anything like the life her parents had planned for her and, at the time, that one small fact had been more than enough to carry her happily through the next several years. Only once had she returned and after a weekend of heated discussions and heedlessly hurled hurtful words such as 'ungrateful', 'foolish' and 'headstrong', she had sworn both to her parents and to herself never to return. She had kept that promise and had since initiated no further contact other than the obligatory annual Christmas and birthday cards. She regretted it now. Had she known that her youthful pride and arrogance would mean so little in the wake of their sudden deaths, she might have tried harder to mind her tongue and restrain her almost legendary temper. Had she known that the only mementos of her childhood would be the few small relics stuffed into the cedar chest at the end of her bed, she would have hung on to those moments that she would never again be able to revisit instead of carelessly tossing them aside. And now, as hindsight whispered its silent tales of regret, she found herself sitting alone in front of the fire holding one of the last souvenirs of a childhood long thought lost. And as the memories, both good and bad, flooded her weary mind, she allowed herself to grieve for what might have been.