Millie’s Trip

The ancient ruins beckon Millie. For years, a trip to Turkey had been the one item on her bucket list, at least since she learned about the decaying cities in Ancient History during her school years.

She credits her father with a love of history. He was a font of knowledge; always had his head buried in a non-fiction book, encyclopaedia, watching documentaries, or he was researching facts for his own book. Sadly, he died before he could finish writing it. Despite the gushing tide of grief that never seemed to abate, Millie knew what she had to do.

Finish Dad’s book.

And that means there are now two items on her bucket list. No matter; to her they are connected, complementary. Impossible to do one without the other.

Millie is in the final stages of planning her trip to Turkey. Sites such as Ephesus, Troy and Priene are top billing; once there, she will settle into accommodation for a number of weeks to finish her dad’s book. There is nothing in the manuscript to improve—his writing was impeccable—she needs only to write the final two chapters.

Her travel agent is brilliant. They are in contact frequently. As soon as an idea pops into Millie’s head, she emails Jonah and he does all the hard work. Her flights are booked, the itinerary locked in, the final payment transferred from her account to the travel company’s bank. It’s only a matter of time now. The waiting game, watching the weeks tick slowly.

Deep within, she can feel her dad urging her on. Somehow, she knows this is what he wants too. His presence is almost tangible; a gentle breeze, goosebumps on her arms, a whisper across her cheek. It’s Dad, she knows it.

And together, they will see this book finished and published.

Photo by Anton Kosolapov on Unsplash

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