M – Mother’s Fault

My Theme this April is “My Muse Says…”

The Story Spark for this story was Imagine That…

The writing prompt I took was Imagine yourself as the opposite gender – describe a day in your life.

The following is what my muse said I should write:

This piece begins part 1 of  4 – Clara’s Tale

M – Mother’s Fault

“You never let me go anywhere on my own! Why can’t I, just this once, be allowed to explore?” Clara said.

“Don’t be like your mother. I care for your well-being,” her father said, “I will not let you get lost or hurt.”

“Then why do you let my brother go out on his own? He’s younger than I am. Aren’t you afraid something will happen to him?”

“That’s different,” he replied, “he’s a boy. He’s been around and knows what to expect in this world. You are different. If your mother were here, you would have been raised differently, I’m sure, and maybe become more worldly, but she’s not.”

“That’s not it. You’re just being overprotective. You blame me for whatever mom died of when I was five, and you don’t trust that I won’t make the same mistakes she did. You’ll never know if you don’t give me the chance.”

Her father thought about that for a while. It’s true that he, in some way, blamed his daughter for his wife’s demise. Clara was the focus of his wife’s life. And even after their son was born, she mainly doted on the girl. Maybe he should let her explore and see what the real world was like. 

“Okay then,” he said, “you go out and explore, but be careful. There are many things out there that I can’t explain to you. You will just have to experience them. You better make good choices.”

So Clara left without another word. 

Their home in this new city was somewhat isolated, but with the help of a map and her wits, she made it to the part of the city that was active with people and places to see. She brought some money to spend and supplies, including extra clothes (for some reason she thought she might need them), a pocket knife, two forms of ID, and a notebook to keep track of her travels. She had agreed to be back by the end of the day, little knowing what adventure awaited her as she explored her new surroundings. 

Had Clara known that, she might have prepared herself better.

To be Continued in  N – Not What Was Expected