Lala stood quietly at the edge of the garden, her small eyes filled with emotion as she looked at Kien’s newly rebuilt house. Everything looked so clean, so perfect—but to Lala, something felt missing. The wooden porch where she used to nap under the warm sun had been replaced by shiny tiles. The old tree she once climbed to peek into Kien’s window was no longer there.
As she slowly walked through the new yard, Lala’s memories came flooding back. She remembered how she and Kien used to sit together under the broken roof during the rainy season, sharing fruit and laughing even when water dripped through the ceiling. The cracks in the walls had once held stories—each mark, each faded spot, a memory of times they had shared.
Now the walls were smooth and white. The warmth of the old house, with its imperfections and quirks, had been replaced by something unfamiliar. Lala wasn’t ungrateful—she knew the rebuild was necessary. The house had been falling apart. Kien had worked so hard to make it safe again. But deep inside, Lala couldn’t help feeling that the soul of the old home had been lost in the renovation.
She sat quietly on the new front step, her tail curled around her. As Kien came out to call her inside, she turned and gave him a soft look. He knelt down beside her and gently rubbed her head. “You miss the old house, don’t you?” he asked with a smile that carried a trace of sadness too.
Lala nuzzled against him. She knew it was okay to feel sad. The memories would always live inside her heart—even if the walls around her had changed. And slowly, day by day, they would fill this new house with new memories, too. Because as long as they were together, home would always be wherever Kien was.
