Long, Long Ago

(A/N: before reading this, I strongly recommend you to turn the audio on from the youtube link below).

 

Tell me the tales that to me were so dear

Long, long ago, long, long ago

Sing me the songs I delighted to hear

Long, long ago, long ago

The storm raged outside as fire crackled inside the hearth, spreading warmth throughout the dimly lit room. The night had fallen long ago, casting shadows of two figures: one laying her head atop another's lap. As the older person caressed the younger's hair, she hummed a tune filled with a tinge of nostalgia.

Strange—years had passed since the last time the girl went away, yet she still remembered every nook and cranny of her house: the cracks on the wall, the slight earthy smell, or the subtle damp patches on the ceiling. Even more so, the melodious voice of her mother, for she never missed a single night without a lullaby or bedtime stories to send her little girl to sleep.

That little girl was now twenty-three, and she was more than willing to give anything to listen to her mother's soothing voice once again. Twice, or forevermore.

Just like it was once, long, long ago.

Now you are come all my grief is removed

Let me forget for how long you have roved

Let me believe that you love as you loved

Long, long ago, long ago

Fate had worked wonders, it seemed, for its threads had mended the broken pieces of hearts left by their owners. For years, they had roamed the earth, carrying whatever was left with them: the guilt and the pain, the sorrows and the harrowing nights. Only time could tell how they finally came to terms. Until they learned to forgive. Until they learned to forget, to start anew. No more tears to shed except for the tears of happiness, for they have learned to love each other again.

As they did once, long, long ago.

Do you remember the path where we met

Long, long ago, long, long ago

Ah yes, you told me you ne'er forget

Long, long ago, long ago

My, oh, my—how could she ever forgotten about her? She was her bundle of joy. A prize worth fighting her life for. Her first cry was a triumphant moment for her; a moment worth every second and every minute to remember. When her little one came into the world, right there and then she became the happiest woman ever. Whatever pain left on her was washed away by the ray of sunshine in her embrace.

'Twas what her mother told the girl, long, long ago.

Then, to all others, my smile you preferred

Love, when you spoke, gave a charm to each word

Still my heart treasures the praises I heard

Long, long ago, long ago

Mother, the girl said at last. You will be the one I cherish the most. 

Just like how you've cherished me long, long ago until now. 

---

"Long, Long Ago" is a song dealing with nostalgia, written in 1833 by English composer Thomas Haynes Bayly. Originally called "The Long Ago", its name was apparently changed by the editor Rufus Wilmot Griswold when it was first published, posthumously, in a Philadelphia magazine, along with a collection of other songs and poems by Bayly. The song was well received, and became one of the most popular songs in the United States in 1844. (source: Wikipedia - Long, long Ago)

This writing was inspired by the song.