One holiday, I decided to go and visit this old neighbourhood of mine that was always bringing happy memories to me and I took the bus to go there. When I got out of the bus, I was very anxious and curious for what I was going to meet. I was wondering if I could find all the memories again. As I was walking along, the place was completely different: very few things reminded me of the old neighbourhood. The small, picturesque houses were replaced by huge, endless blocks of flats. There was no green, not even a small garden with one flower.
I could not believe my eyes. I was full of sadness and I started thinking. Few years ago, this neighbourhood used to have many beautiful, old houses with tiles and verandas. They were not rich but all of them had a small garden and a court-yard. The doors had oleanders in front of them and in the summertime the housewives were growing crop and roses for more green. Some mulberry-trees gave us their sweet fruit and their thick shadow. All of them now do not exist any more. I am walking along the street and I see new faces, ordinary people and this make me think that I am a stranger in a strange place.
Moreover, when I reached the corner, where Mr. Chris’s small market used to be, I was wrecked. Here, we closed our childish dreams. We used to see it as a castle of a fairy tale. Sweets, chocolates, colour pencils, different kinds of toys and millions of other things could be found. I can never forget the magazines with the colourful pictures of our favourite heroes inside, and the excitement that we used to feel when we were staring at them, since we could not read the text. Unfortunately, this place, where our dreams and wishes were made has been demolished and a sparkling, new super-market is under construction at his place.
Furthermore, the barber shop had been demolished too. Mr. Thanasis, the barber, the person who knew everything concerning the neighbourhood had retired. The only thing left was the old, traditional tavern. I entered and greeted the tavern keeper, who got happy when he saw me and greeted me warmly. During my conversation with Mr. Nikos the owner, he told me that he had sold the tavern and that sometime next month he would have to leave it since the new owners were planning to demolish the place and built a new block of flats. This news made me realise that the picture of my childhood’s neighbourhood would never appear in my eyes again.
Finally, I went near the place, where my previous house was located. Nothing was the same. You could not find the garden with the lemon and mulberry trees; you could not see the fence that I used to climb in order to be able to reach and cut lemons. The happy face of my previous house has been lost forever. I felt like I had butterflies in my stomach. A big pain in my throat made me realize that by not leaving the place, things were becoming more painful.
Since then, I have never been back there again. The old neighbourhood is only deep in my heart. Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I recall all the memories and I remember my neighbourhood like a dream. Now, I see again in front of me the image of the road with the oleanders and the women sitting at the doors of their houses gossiping. These images can be only seen now with the eyes of my imagination, because they do not exist now in reality.
