The Secret
by Lesley BurtonCatherine sat cross legged on the floor, surrounded by boxes, filled with memories of both her mother and father..... their lives before they had even met each other....
These boxes had been stored away in her father's basement. This was the first time Catherine had seen them or even known of their existence........ At the top of the first box, lay a college diary, which on opening, Catherine could see had been her mother's. Turning the pages revealed the normal events, similar to her own college days....... a mixture of fun and romance, college work and the odd anxieties about exams or a problem romantic encounter....
Catherine felt the familiar pang of sadness that still on occasion invaded her waking and sleeping moments, when her thoughts would turn to the loss of her mother and more recently her father... A tear rolled steadily down her cheek, but she brushed it away and read on, suddenly coming to a strange entry on one of the pages......
" Tonight a very strange thing happened..... something that I feel will change my life forever...... I cannot write this in my journal for fear of anyone discovering my secret, so I have written
everything in a letter that I have placed safely away in the basement, with the special things I have from my childhood, that will remain here until a time when perhaps one day, my own child will come upon it and share in my secret......That was the only entry regarding that event...... It seemed to have some significance and had captured Catherine's curiosity. Catherine knew exactly where to find the box that held the items from her mothers childhood and soon found it, along with a blank envelope safely tucked in a little treasure chest right at the very bottom.......
Opening the envelope very carefully, Catherine read on in amazement........
" I was walking in the park early this morning, reflecting on an exam I will be taking in a few days...... Ahead of me was a woman leaning on a walking stick, who seemed to be having trouble walking and looked a little distressed. As I approached her I could see she was on the verge of collapsing, so I offered her help to sit on a nearby bench and sat with her as she caught her breath.... She began talking to me, telling me her name was Emily and she had once lived here in the park, at a time when she had had problems in her life. her time here had been the happiest and she wanted to return to end her days with those who she considered family........ Time had passed though and she could no longer remember where to go....... She asked if I could keep a secret and help her find her home. There was something sincere in Emily's eyes, that had me immediately answering "yes of course"
The letter continued, explaining how Catherine's mother had helped the woman find an entrance in one of the drainage tunnels that had led into a maze that had her a little afraid, but she walked on and was suddenly met by a softly English speaking man, dressed in very strange clothes, but none the less she could tell he was a gentleman.. he took one look at Emily and enveloped her in a Hug, telling her how wonderful it was to see her again. The man said his name was Jacob and told Catherine's mother she was welcome in their home......
Catherine paused in her reading, suddenly realizing that this was Vincent's world that she was reading about...... Her mother had known about the tunnels and Father and maybe even Vincent as a baby too.......... Catherine needed to share this with Vincent....To ask Father whether he remembered her mother and Emily...
Catherine read no further... Carefully folding the letter she made haste to the tunnels to tell Vincent of her discovery and share the memories with him and the other tunnel dwellers....... Catherine felt a warm feeling in her heart as she walked through the tunnels that day, knowing her mother had probably walked that same path and was maybe looking down at her now, knowing that she and Vincent were always destined to be together.........