Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

FEARLESS: 26. The Best Day

26. The Best Day (11/9/20)

The country house came into view as Savannah and her brother Sawyer drove down the driveway. It felt like just yesterday that they were chasing each other in the yard, or brushing the horses in the stables. If Savannah squinted, she could see the posters she had taped to the window in her room. It was on the second floor, right next to Sawyer's room.

Sawyer parked the truck, and the two of them climbed out. Savannah made sure to grab the bouquets of flowers, while her brother carried the folded cardboard boxes down the gravel path. She paused, watching her brother walk to the front of the house. Her eyes were brimming with tears as they soaked up the house. It had been untouched for two weeks, ever since her mom fell asleep and didn't wake up.

Savannah ran the sleeve of her shirt across her eyes, smearing her mascara. Then she followed Sawyer into the house. Their father had asked them to clean out the house, since he couldn't stay in town for much longer. He had been estranged from his wife and kids for some time, but had made an appearance at the funeral. A part of Savannah wished that her father would help them pack everything up.

She joined Sawyer on the porch. The front door was unlocked, but neither one was brave enough to walk inside. Sawyer made the first move, pushing on the door until it cracked open. Inside, the house seemed to greet them as if it was living. It painted images of the two of them working on homework at the table and blowing out candles on their birthday. Everything was still in its place: the shoes in the mud room, the spices and produce neatly labeled and organized, and the pillows fluffed. When Savannah entered the house, she noticed a thin layer of dust coating everything, but that didn't stop the house from shining like a Christmas tree.

"I'm gonna look upstairs," Savannah whispered to her brother, who decided to tackle the kitchen first. She gently placed the colorful bouquet of flowers on the counter before climbing the steps one at a time.

If she thought hard enough, she could see their childhood dog, Rufus, running down the steps when she and Sawyer got home from school each day. He died when Savannah was twelve, and they had buried him in the backyard. At the top of the steps, she could look down at the backyard and see the makeshift marker her and Sawyer had made for the dog. Under the window was a set of chairs, and to her right was a couple of bedrooms. Savannah concentrated on taking slow steps, so as not to let the house creak.

When she found her bedroom, she almost broke into tears. Her mom had refused to touch it after she left for college. The figurines and dolls still sat lined up on the shelves and dressers, and stuffed animals were piled on her bed. Her closet was empty, since most of her clothes had either been donated or handed off to her cousins. Then there was her desk, which had a cork board hanging over it. Savannah leaned over and examined each item on the board. Concert and movie tickets, and photos of her and her friends.

She raised a single eyebrow when she noticed another picture peeking out from behind the one of her friends. At that moment, she decided to pull the board off the wall and take everything off. When all the pictures and tickets were removed, Savannah could see the remaining photo of her and her mom. It was from the day they drove down to Disney World.

On Friday, Savannah had gone to middle school, only to find that none of her friends liked her. There wasn't anything about her they didn't like, even though she wore pigtails and pink dresses nearly every day. Instead, they decided that they didn't want to be friends with Savannah anymore, out of sheer lack of interest. Savannah had been shocked; four years of friendship flushed away. She left school early, only to find her mom at the kitchen table, reading a magazine and drinking a cup of coffee. All she had to do was grab the car keys, and Savannah was on board.

She lifted the picture into the air, and light streaming through the window made the picture look washed-out. It was of her and her mom in front of Cinderella's castle. They had driven most of the day, and decided to spend the weekend exploring Magic Kingdom. Savannah was sure there were other pictures of them meeting the princesses and going on the different rides, but for some reason, she liked this one the best. Her and her mom had bought matching Mickey ears, and a nice family of four had decided to take their picture. They were inches apart, and smiles spread across their faces.

Savannah sniffled before stuffing the picture into her back pocket. Frankly, she didn't care about the other collectables in her room; she would come back for them later. Instead, she walked back down the hallway and found her way to the attic, which hadn't been cleaned out in years. Most of her father's memorabilia was gone, but there were still boxes lying about in disarray. Savannah was looking for something in particular, however, and knew exactly where to look.

The box was right next to the old television. Inside was rows upon rows of home videos and VHS tapes. Savannah dug through the box until she came up for air with a tape titled "Savannah, age three." She leaned over and placed it in the television, hitting the sides a few times for extra measure.

The television screen flickered on, and Savannah could see a younger version of herself standing in front of the art table they used to keep in the living room. She wore a smock and pigtails, and her hands were covered in green paint. Then, almost like an angel, Savannah heard her mother's voice.

"What're you painting?" The voice in the video asked. Small Savannah looked up at the lens, giggling. Wispy, brown strands of hair stuck out around her face.

"What color is that, Savannah?" As her mother continued to ask questions in the video, Savannah tucked her knees under her chin and watched the video. Tears fell down her face until her vision blurred, and she could see no more.

The story continues in Never Grow Up and Soon You'll Get Better.