Rushing up to her bedroom and slamming the door shut as hard as she could, seven year old Clara Oswald threw herself onto her bed and rested her head on her pillow, one hand reaching out for her brown teddy bear, Ossy, her mum made for her when she was born, the other trying hard to dry the tears pouring down her cheeks. But, as much as Clara attempted to stop crying, she found she simply couldn't.
Clara had come home from school that day to find her parents, Ellie and Dave, sat hand in hand in the living room. She knew something had happened as her dad was biting his bottom lip and her mum was twirling a strand of her brunette hair round and round her finger, which was what they did when they were nervous. Her mum's eyes were also red rimmed, as though she had been crying. They both had brave smiles on their faces in front of their daughter. But their facade began to slip when Clara sat in between them and looked at them questionally, wondering what was going on.
"Mum? Dad? What's the matter? Why do you look so sad?"
Pulling Clara onto his lap, a finger tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear affectionately, Dave turned to face his wife who took Clara's small right hand in her own, her thumb gently running in comforting circles.
"Clara, do you remember me telling you about Nanna Ravenwood? How a monster was growing inside of her and she had to go to the hospital in order to get rid of it?"
Clara nodded, showing her understanding of what her mother was saying.
"Is she all right, Mum? Did they manage to get rid of the monster? When is she coming home? I can't wait to see her!"
Clara realised this was the wrong thing to say when her mum's eyes filled with fresh tears and she could hear her dad sniffing slightly behind her.
Shaking her head, Ellie pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before continuing.
"No, sweetheart. Nanna Ravenwood isn't coming home."
Clara frowned in confusion, tugging her hand out of her mum's grip.
"What do you mean she isn't coming home? She can't live in the hospital forever. I'm not sure the doctors would like it."
Ellie looked up at her husband for help, but Dave looked lost for words. Instead, Ellie took her daughter from his lap and set her on hers, while preparing herself for what she was going to say next.
"Darling, your Nanna Ravenwood has passed away."
Clara's eyes widened in shock as her mum's news sank in. Her nanna couldn't have gone. Not without saying goodbye. She wouldn't!
Sliding out of her mum's embrace, Clara had ran out of the room and up the stairs, her parent's shouting for her to come back. Clara couldn't hear them. All she could hear was the sound of her heart breaking into a million pieces and the sadness that was about to take over her body.
So that was how Clara came to be alone in her bedroom, hugging her teddy bear to her chest in order to try and cheer herself up. But, not even Ossy could stop her world from crumbling down right in front of her.
Clara had loved her Nanna Ravenwood. She was one of her favourite relatives, apart from her mum and dad, of course. She remembered how they used to make fairy cakes and Nanna Ravenwood would always let her lick the remains of the cake mix out of the bowl. She remembered how her nanna would brush her hair and decorate it with several brightly covered ribbons, never once tugging or pulling. And she remembered the wonderful lullabies her nanna used to sing to her to make her fall asleep. Tales of magic, adventure and love, all told in the most soothing voice that Clara had ever known.
She couldn't believe her Nanna Ravenwood had gone. She didn't want to believe it because then it would become much too real.
A sudden knock at the door distracted Clara from her thoughts. Sitting up, Ossy still clutched under her arm, she tried to stop sobbing once more.
"Clara? Clara, sweetie? It's me. Can I come in?"
Dabbing at the tears on her cheeks with the sleeve of her school cardigan, Clara slowly made her way to her door and opened it to come face to face with her mum. In her hands was one of her mum's chocolate soufflés, which Clara could never resist. When she was younger, she had tried to make one herself. She had hoped it would be as brilliant as her mum's, well risen and smelling of dark chocolate. Instead it ended up deflated and burnt to a crisp.
When Clara showed Ellie her attempt at living up to her mum's cooking standards, Ellie simply declared the soufflé was too beautiful to live and told her to never give up. And she never did. After all, practise makes perfect.
Sitting down on the end of Clara's bed after placing the soufflé on the bedside table for later, Ellie wrapped both of her arms around her daughter as she wept, softly stroking her dark brown hair to get her to calm down.
Clara leaned into her mother's touch as best as she could, nuzzling her nose into the crook of her neck.
"Nanna Ravenwood can't be gone, Mum. I didn't even get to say goodbye," Clara whispered, still sobbing slightly but not as much as before.
"I miss her so much. Do you think she'll miss me, wherever she is?"
Ellie turned Clara around so that she was facing her and held her head in her hands, her thumbs gently caressing her damp cheeks.
"Oh, sweetheart. Of course your nanna will miss you. You were the light of her life. She was so proud of you, Clara. She always will be."
Bopping her carefully on the nose, which made her wrinkle it slightly in response, Ellie swung her legs off the bed onto the floor, pulling Clara with her.
Putting an arm around her, Ellie lead her daughter over to the window. Clara realised she must have been crying in her room for hours as the sky now twinkled with a dozen shining stars.
"Darling, I know you're getting a little old for my stories now. But would you like to hear one? I think it's one you definately need to know."
Clara looked as though her mother had gone insane.
"Mum, you're silly. I will never be too old for your stories. I love them."
Clara gestured for her mum to lean down so she could kiss her on the cheek, before gazing out at the star covered sky.
"What is this story about?"
Ellie patted Clara on the shoulder in thanks before joining her daughter in staring out at the darkness.
"Well, when people close to you pass away, Clara, they never just fade from your life, not really. All you have to do is look up at the night sky and find the brightest star that catches your eye. Except it isn't really a star."
Clara gazed up at her mum, who gave her a small smile and squeezed her shoulder.
"If it isn't a star, then what is it?" she frowned, not understanding what Ellie was saying.
"Oh, my little Clara Oswald. The brightest star in the sky is the person who you miss the most. Up there safe in the heavens, where they can watch over you, forever."
Clara stared in wonder at the sky as she contemplated what her mum had said.
"So, the brightest star that I can see is Nanna Ravenwood? She's that star, over there?"
Clara pointed at a star that seemed to outshine all the rest, it's glow determindly more broader than the others.
Ellie nodded, picking Clara up and walking closer to the window so she could see the star her daughter had chosen.
"Yes, sweetheart. That brilliant star is your Nanna Ravenwood. She will always be there for you, though you can't see her. Even though human bodies never last forever, a star will never lose it's glow as long as there is someone to believe in them and keep them alive."
Ellie set Clara back onto the floor, kissing her lightly on the nose.
"Will you always believe in them, Clara?"
Gazing at the brightest star once again, Clara smiled before turning to her mother and nodding firmly.
"Yes, Mum. I will always believe them to the Universe and back."
Her daughter sounded so serious Ellie couldn't help but laugh a little. After giving her a quick hug, she turned to go back downstairs. But before she did, Clara had another question.
"Mum? Do you think we'll become stars when we pass away?"
Ellie gave the question some thought before she gave her answer.
"No, sweetheart. I don't think we'll become stars."
Clara frowned in confusion as she walked towards her mother, who was hovering near the door.
"Why not?"
Ellie leaned down so she was her height and gestured for her to come closer. Swiping a curl of hair away from Clara's face, Ellie gently whispered in her ear as though she was sharing a secret no one could know but them.
"Because we are stars already."
Hello I'm back! I hope this drabble is OK. This is sort of based on a true story about me. My nan died when I was 15 and I remember my mum telling my younger brother that she was a star in the sky. So I thought I would base the story on that.
Please review and tell me what you think :)
Amy x