The soft melody of a love song playing on the car radio slowly floated all around me. It was a classic and one of my personal favorites. A smile formed on my face and I glanced down at a small picture of my brother and I when we were children. He was laughing while the picture was being taken and so was I. My legs and arms were both wrapped around him and he was trying his best to stay upright while holding my legs. I laughed at the memory, but my smile slowly faded as other memories began to fill my mind. The bad memories. The ones I didn't want to remember. Those days when my parents would shout at each other to no end, throw things, and put us down, I remembered them all. There were so many bad memories, but the worst was when they tore my brother and I apart. We screamed, kicked, and cried, reaching for the other and begging our parents not to make me leave. Tears streamed down my brother's face, which scared me because he never cried. Not once. Except for that one time. I cried and pleaded, but it was no use, my mother still made me leave. I grabbed my brother's hand one last time and then I was torn away. My mother started the car and I turned around to watch my brother get smaller and smaller the farther we drove.

I shook the thoughts away. Those thoughts always made tears spring to my eyes. Every time they came to mind, I would feel the same feelings again. Once I turned nineteen, I had decided to leave my mother's house and move back to Santa Carla. That's where I was headed, Santa Carla. I desperately hoped that my brother was still there. He most likely didn't live with my father, anymore. That is, if he hated him as much as I did and wanted to spread his wings. My mother and I never had a good relationship, and it didn't get any better over the years. I was glad to get away. The song that had been playing stopped and another 50's song came on to take it's place. I smiled to myself and turned the volume up. The sun was setting and a big sign with the words "Santa Carla" stood tall. I chuckled as I passed it. "Home, sweet home." I said to myself.

As it got darker, I could see bright lights appear. They were emanating from the boardwalk. The one I used to take walks on with my brother or one of the Emerson boys. Sometimes, we'd stop by the comic store to hang out with the boys that worked there. Edgar and Alan Frog, those were their names. I drove to the video store and parked in front of the door. "Here goes nothin', Jas. You're back home." I smiled and got out of the car. My eyes roamed around to take in everything around me. The boardwalk was beautiful at night. I put my hands in my pockets and walked around aimlessly. My eyes landed on a carousel. It looked more beautiful than it ever had before. Just seeing it again made it increase in beauty. It held so many memories, wonderful memories. I ran to it like a little child. The man running the carousel laughed and told me to get on before he started it up. I jumped onto a horse and for the first time in years, felt true happiness.