When I got off the bus, it was darker than I had expected. Standing under the street lamp and looking around, an unexplainable unease filled me. My mother was supposed to pick me up from the bus terminal, but there was no one around. I took my phone out of my pocket, only to realize there was no signal. The wind brushed against my face, and the shadows of the trees formed strange shapes on the ground. My suitcase wasn’t heavy, yet it felt as if it were pulling my arm down.
The place was completely silent; the only sound was the barking of a dog far away. It was the first time I had been alone so late at night. I usually considered myself brave, but at that moment my heart began to beat rapidly. The street lamp flickered for a moment, and although I didn’t want to, I turned to look. I had the unsettling feeling that someone was watching me.
Taking a deep breath, I told myself to calm down. My mother would surely come. I took a few steps into the darkness. With each step, my fear faded slightly, but the uneasiness never fully disappeared. I looked in the direction the bus had gone, but its lights were already gone. I knew the way home, yet everything looked unfamiliar at night. Holding the strap of my bag tightly, I realized that I had grown up in that moment. Even though I was scared, I had no choice but to wait for my mum.