Flash Fiction February 2026 Day Eight: Home At Last (Valan)

I was torn between making this either a fun little return journey or making it really sad but decided to save the emotional damage for another day.

 Flash Fiction February 2026 Prompt: Home (someone who has been missing for a long time returns)

It’s astonishing how much and how little things change over time. Depending on the situation one can return to a place that feels as if it has been stuck in stasis for years, with nothing changed, or find the place they once knew has changed dramatically. Sometimes we find that what we knew all those years ago no longer even exists. Setting eyes on Sadrith Mora for the first time in over twenty years brings up conflicting feelings as the bargeman expertly navigates the waters moving us slowly towards the docks. In many ways it is still the same blurry, wet, mushroom tower dotted island I remember watching from where I sit as more of the island comes into slightly clearer view. It’s smaller than I remember it being, though, that said I was very young when I was last here. Taking a breath I find the sea air is still the same. Rain clouds move overhead signaling an oncoming storm. The trees are beginning to blossom with the first signs of spring, and lanterns dot the small island with a soft glowing light. Night begins to fall with the sun setting in the west, come morning it will once again rise here in the east and begin its journey across the sky just as it does every day. Stepping off the boat onto the old wooden dock I thank the bargeman for the ride, paying him what little I have, and bid him farewell. Turning towards the small gatehouse I find an old man looking at me, face as white as snow, like he’d seen a ghost. “You’re home.” he whispers to himself while still staring at me, shocked, and quickly scurries away, whispering those words seriously trying to make sense of the situation over and over again. He rushes towards the large tower in the center of the town, the heavy wooden door to the building so loud I can hear it creak and slam all the way from where I stand looking at the gate. Yes, old man, you’re correct. I am home, at long last.