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"Grandma, Grandma! Look, I found something in the sand!" Tony yelled to her grandma Juliet who was sitting by the front porch knitting underneath the golden glow of the evening sun. He was holding up an old, rusted locket in his hands, its chain was broken but its charm was still intact.
Juliet looked up to see what Tony, her eight year old grandson who was brought by his parents to spend the summer holidays with her was talking about.
"Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed with surprise and admiration. Her eyes lit up. "Where did you find this, honey?" She asked, taking the locket in her hands.
Just by the root of the big oak tree" Tony said pointing to the biggest tree standing guard in the middle of their farm.
Juliet traced her fingers around it. Admiring every curve and familiar pattern of the tiny locket. It had belonged to her mother and was once a gift to her from her mother right before her demise. Somehow she had lost it a long time ago. She opened the locker to see the picture inside still intact, although worn out by now.
"Anything the matter, Grandma?" Tony asked, his face etched with concern as he stood there looking at his grandma who was filled with emotions.
"Nothing's the matter sweetheart. Here sit beside me let me tell you a story about the good old days" Juliet said, pointing to the tiny steps on the front porch.
"Good old days?" Tony replied as if he wasn't sure of what that meant
"Many years ago sweetheart, this was a lovely farm. A very different one from what we have today. It prospered only by manual labour. There were no tractors or fancy gadgets so we did everything with our hands"
"Eww. That must be a hard life grandma " Tony said, making an irritated face.
"It was. But it was also lovely. Every evening we would gather at the big table in the garden and have dinner of meals my mother made from the vegetables we grew and the chickens we raised. We would also tell stories. Oh, you needed to perceive the aroma of her freshly baked bread." Juliet continued.
"Were you able to have fun too?"
"Of course we did sweetheart." She paused, and stared into the air, a smile on her face as she reminisced on old times. "There were no video games then but we played hide and seek in the cornfields and barn. Swim in the lake, and sometimes climb trees. Oh, in summer we would catch the evening fireflies and put them in a glass jar. Then we pretend it was our lantern." She looked down at Tony. "It was fun "
"Now I wish we could do some of those things Grandma," Tony said, his face lit with excitement.
"Of course we can. The lake hasn't dried up. We can swim in the lake. Thank God it's summer, In the evening we can catch fireflies. Then maybe together we can bake some fresh bread. I learnt how to do that from my mother" Juliet promised. She smiled, she wished she could be a little girl one more day.
Just as she promised. The next day she took Tony swimming by the lake and in the evening they hunted for fireflies and put them in a jar. It was just like the good old days.
And when they were finally done and resting with the aroma of fresh bread emanating from the kitchen. They sat at the kitchen table and relived the adventure of the day.
Grandma," Toby said softly, "I think I understand what you actually meant by 'the good old days' now. It's not just about what you had or didn't have. It's about the memories you made and the people you shared them with."
Juliet smiled. "I'm glad you're finally able to grasp the idea. You know, one day, you'll tell stories about this day to your own grandkids as your own good old days. One day you'll remember the memories you made today with so much nostalgia. That's just how life is."
"Today will someday become my good old days, " Tony said, thinking through what he just said.
"Exactly sweetheart, " Juliet replied, smiling.
Just then the timer on the oven chimed to signal the bread was ready. "Now who wants some fresh bread?" Juliet asked with a smile as she made for the oven
"Me!" Tony yelled with his hands raised high and happiness etched on his face.
