TALES OF WHOUFFLE

3. Picture

John was 8 when he found the photograph. He was walking through the park, kicking stones when he found it. That picture, of the beautiful little girl, who looked about 7. Her big brown eyes shone like stars, they sparkled with a mischievous look and her eyelashes were long and thick. Her nose was little and cute, her smile was set perfectly. She had long brown hair that just went past her small shoulders. She was beautiful. And he loved her. Deeply.

Time moved on. He never forgot about the girl, he kept the picture stowed safely in his jacket pocket. He was 19 years old when he met Clara Oswald, who was then 18. They were working on a project in University, and he had feelings for her from that point on. But he always remembered that girl. Clara reminded him of her, with her big brown eyes and amazing smile.

Clara and John became an item by the time they were 21. They were such an amazing couple, because they weren't just lovers, they were best friends. He had kept the picture of the young girl in a drawer, keeping it safe. Clara and John had amazing chemistry, and they loved each other greatly. John adored Clara, but he still thought about the girl in the picture and what she might be like now.

Clara was clearing out their bedroom when she found the photo. The picture of the girl that John had kept for 13 years.

"Where did you get this?" Clara asked, showing John the old, crumbling photo.

"I - Uh- Well," he began, scared what Clara would think if he told her the truth. "I found it when I was 8. Walking in park when it happened."

"Why'd you keep it, though?" Clara sat next to him on the sofa.

"Don't kill me or anything, but- she was my first love. I never met her, I never knew her, but I thought she was so beautiful. I looked for her all my life, hoping to find her. But it doesn't matter now, because I have you."

Clara smiled. The smile that was exactly the same as the girl in the picture.

"John, that girl in the picture is me. I lost this picture when I was seven."

That picture now sits on the fireplace of their living room. Next to it, is a picture of their child, and the other side is a photo from their wedding.

That precious photograph.