A Castle Of Memories, Ellie Bannister

As dusk draped Colchester Castle in a golden glow, Evelyn traced her fingers along the small cracks in it’s ancient stone walls. Each brick she touched triggered a new memory of her childhood.

Her grandparents. 

She recalled the delight of skipping hand in hand with her grandmother on the grass surrounding the walls; she relished in the joyful memory of running over the wooden bridge to the entrance. It seemed like she spent hours within the confines of the castle – constantly chatting and playing with her grandma. Subtly smiling, a laugh crept into her mouth as the soothing voice of her grandad telling her epic tales of medieval knights echoed in her mind – those stories used to fuel her imagination every time they visited the site. Warriors, maidens, kings…

Time had etched its mark on the castle, but somehow her grandparents could make even the most monotonous places exciting. The towers, the windows, the courtyard; every part of it radiated the love her grandparents held for her.

Now, in the structures’s steadfast presence, Evelyn knew to the rest of the world her precious memories were insignificant in comparison to the centuries of history building the castle’s legacy; even though her grandparent’s visits were immortalised in her mind.

However, as she took a final reflection on the warmth of her grandparents' smiles and the comfort of their voices, her eyes focused on the wall’s brickwork - and she could’ve sworn she saw a fracture in the stone repair.