The road ends here. Just a few more houses. I feel like stopping. I have to keep moving though. It's always time to go. Somewhere, someplace. When will it end? Out for a walk I can hear the trees. So quiet. When did it get this quiet? I haven't been gone that long. Not much has changed. It sure is quiet though. I guess it wasn't things outside that were so loud. Now I realize it was my life that has been so noisy.

That smell, that smell. I wish I could box it up and take it with me. I forgot how intoxicating the smell is, like a woman's perfume. How could something like that have such a strong effect? Well, whatever it is I don't mind. I've missed it. It's a shame that it will be so long before I can have the same experience again.

Things used to be so much different. I used to be so much different. It's hard to admit, but that's all I can attribute to it. People seem to expect more from me than I can give anymore. I can't imagine keeping up at this pace any longer. I normally only have to take care of myself. I set my own pace. I used to know most of the people that lived in these houses. I don't know where they've gone now. Some of them I lost contact with before I even left. I never meant to. I'm sorry. I wish I had tried harder.

The girl that lived in that house coming up on my left was good looking. She didn't have much of a personality though. She probably didn't even like me. No one really seems to know me. A few remember me. I can hardly believe that. Others just don't recognize me, but again, they probably didn't know me. Is that my fault or theirs? Did I not let them in? I don't think I'm that great of a person.

I used to have family that lived on this street. I had family that were going to live on this street. My cousin tried to buy the house on the corner at the end of the street. Last year after I left I got a call at work from my uncle. He had hung himself in the garage. I don't think things would have been different if he had gotten the house. His bid fell through though.

I remember when these streets were flooded. I was just such a small kid. It was so neat. I mean it was bad for the people that lived in the neighborhood, but I enjoyed myself. I remember walking down the streets, or rather wading. It would have been better if I had a boat. I tried visiting a friend at the time, but I wasn't able to make it to the house. A couple summer's later there was another bad thunderstorm. I out riding bikes with my friends at the time and when the sky turned black we stopped at someone's house. It's this one that I'm coming up on. It's a great big, white house with columns in the front. We sat outside underneath the awning. My buddy knew the girl that lived here. She was gorgeous and very nice. She offered us drinks as we tried to wait out the storm. The power had gone out. If there was someone that I would have liked to known better it would have been her.

There are a lot of things that I would have liked. The desire for more is insatiable. It's how you deal with it that is important. Keeping your emotions under control is key. If you're able to do that, then everything else should be a cinch.

I'll be at my house soon. Well, it's not my house anymore. I told everyone when they asked where I was going that I was going home. That's not really what it is. I'm not sure what it is. There doesn't seem to be a proper word for it. I can say I'm visiting where I came from, but that takes too long to say and doesn't sound very good. It's weird to think about someone else being in the house I had lived my whole life in up until this point. I wonder if I could get them to leave if I told them the things that were done in that house. The things I had done in that house.

The house looks a lot nicer than it ever did when I was living there. Maybe whoever lives there now will be able to make it a happier home than it ever was before. I know that I'm happier not being here anymore. I still get the sense that I should be going back. I can see myself from the outside going in. All I have to do now is play the role of the tourist. I can sit back and relax. Then why am I so tense?