Cho Chang clambered upstairs to her spacious attic and breathed deeply. The
musty smell soothed her in a seemingly calm way. She eyed her space.
Several dusty broomsticks lay in the corner, next to her mother's
collection of fine navy blue china from France. Various items were strewn
haphazardly about the room, and among the litter lay a small wooden chest.
Curiously, Cho approached and kneeled before it, opening the top with care.
Inside lay a small pack of Lucky cigarettes, a black lighter and a worn old
photograph. Pushing the other items gently aside, Cho reached out and
brought the photo to her face and examined it. A handsome man with neatly
cut black hair had his arm around a thin gray-skinned girl with wide and
timid eyes. The image looked familiar to Cho, as it brought her back into
an unexplored past.
She stood and ran to the top of staircase. "Mama!" she cried.
A harried looking woman with her hair tied neatly in a bun walked up the
attic stairway and looked at Cho questioningly.
Waving the photo before her mother's face, Cho demanded "The picture! Who
are these people?!"
Cho's mother took the image from her daughter, then her face lit up into a
smile. "Why, that is your lovely Aunt Remi. A fine girl, quiet but very
beautiful."
Cho shook her head. "No, Mama, the man. Who is that man?"
The woman stared at the picture for a long time, peering at it carefully.
She then looked up at her six year old daughter and drew a breath. "That
man...I do not know." Cho nodded and retrieved the picture. Seeing it for a
second time, Cho noticed the comfort and lovely disposition these people
held. Feeling her stomach clench, she too longed for that kind of happiness
in her timid little heart.
