and there it sat, a chest of her childhood, all alone in the hard, wooden floor. it was as if it were begging her no to go, to just climb in and go back through the years and never leave, she stared at the chest in discomfort and with an empty, painful feeling. part of her longed to just step inside and stay forever, never leave the place she had always known. but she know she must leave. she stared a moment longer, longing to freeze time and keep this moment in that chest with everything she was and everything she had. she knelt down, her knees hitting the wooden floor almost silently. she laid her hand on the chest as a tear fell down her cheek. she knew this wasn't goodbye, but it sure felt like a bittersweet ending.