Secret Letters, Broken Memories

May 12, 2010

Secret Letters, Broken Memories
Written by:
Vina

October, 1980s
Chapter 1: The box

Everyone has a past that sometimes comes back to reality.
“Hey there Casey how was school?” her mother asked. “School was great mom and Savanna is over.” Her mother said “ok” and went back to the kitchen to cook. The girls went up stairs to go look for some stuff to use for their history project. “Hey mom,” Casey yelled from the top of the stairs, “do you have any stuff we can use for our history project?” “Check my bedroom or the basement.” So the girls checked her mother’s room and nothing, so they checked the basement. As they were looking Savanna came across a box. “Casey, does your mom own a jewelry box?” “Just the one in her room, why?” “Come look at this.” Casey ran over to where Savanna was and looked at the box. It was really old and it was rusted a little. “Wow! This is old, what’s inside?” They tried to pry it open but it wouldn’t come open. Wait, Casey said, and she found the key. Let’s try opening it with this. So they tried the key and it opened. They found a lot of old stuff but then Savanna came across some letters. She read some and said Casey, “did your mom get married twice?” Not that I know of Casey replied…why? “Come look at these letters I found in the box. They are dated back in the 1800s and they are signed “yours truly, Robert.” Casey was shocked and went down to drill her mother.
Casey was kind of upset and threw the letters on the kitchen table. Her mother looked up and said “what’s wrong?” And then she saw…the letters. “Where did you find these?” in the basement while we were looking for stuff to use for our history project. Her mother’s face got really red and she got really angry. “Put them back!” Her mother yelled. Why Casey asked? Because they are my private business; not yours. Casey was so upset that she put them in her bag and left with savanna to go to her house. “I wonder why your mom got so upset,” Savanna said. Ya me too; lets find out. So they went to the library and tried to find some things about this Robert character. They looked everywhere and gathered information. Savanna said Casey look, it looks like this Robert guy…was your grandmother’s husband; they knew each other since 1869. They got married in 1873, and they were married for a year. Really? What else does it say? Well, it says that they got married when they were 17, they were really happy, but then they just stopped seeing each other. What? They stopped talking? Ya, like they stopped writing letters after 1874, nothing after that year. “Oh wow. I have to get my mom to talk about this,” Casey said. They walked back over to the house and saw her mom in the living room with the letters in her hand.
Chapter 2: The Shadow
“Hey mom, I’m sorry…I should have asked before I got those letters”…Casey apologized. “Casey there is something I need to tell you”…her mother replied with tears streaming down her face. So Casey and Savanna sat down and listened. “Those letters that you found were real, but they are long gone and forgotten and hurtful memories.” Mom, who’s Robert? “Robert was a man your grandmother (my mother) married before I knew your father. She met him in 1873. He was a craftsman and she was just a young girl helping her mother around the house, just like my father asked me to and your father asks of you. She was only 17 when she met him and he was really nice. See back then, women, girls, listened to their fathers. What their father said, that’s what would happen. she was the oldest out of my siblings, and she had to set a good example…but then she found Robert and he changed her life.”
“So what was he like?” Savanna asked. “He was kind, sweet, understood her, but the total opposite of what her parents wanted. He didn’t make a lot of money, and that’s what her parents didn’t like. They wanted her to marry a guy who was a lawyer or a doctor. But she loved him because he wasn’t all of those professions. They spent countless time together. Going for walks in the woods, making out at this old cabin about a mile or two from his place; she loved him. He was everything she could hope for in a guy.” Casey’s mother looked at the time and said… “Well it’s time for bed.” “Mom, come on tell us more.” “I can’t…tomorrow after school;” Casey’s mother smiled. “Ok, goodnight mom.” “Good night Mrs. O Connor.” “Goodnight girls.”
Wow…I didn’t know any of this. Casey said. Yeah me neither. “Did you know your grandmother? Not well…my mother never spoke of her and now I see why.”1) Do you still have some letters in your bag? Casey asked “Yeah.” They turned on the light and got them out and read some of them.
Monday, 1869
Dear my sweet Karrie,
How I long to see you again. I had so much fun last night at the cabin. I just love kissing you and feeling all your skin. I love tasting your body and going in places no man could ever go. I loved sneaking out of your house and stealing you from your parents and then returning at like 3am. Hope to see you tomorrow.
Yours truly,
Robert.

Wednesday, 1869
Dear my Robert,
Oh I loved spending time with you too. The other day was so romantic. That night in the cabin was so sweet. I loved kissing you and you feeling every of my body. Please don’t ever leave me.
Love always,
Your Karrie.
Look at this one…Casey went over to the bed and read the one in Savanna’s hand….
Friday, 1869
Dear my sweet Karrie,
How you are very sweet, but there is this lingering shadow or longing that I need to tell you. Meet me by the lake in an hr.
Yours truly
Robert
“Wait? What’s the secret? What does he mean by lingering shadow or longing?” “I don’t know” Savanna said….it doesn’t say anything else about it. The next letter starts in the yr of 1870.

* I need help from here, where do I go, what do I say? Can anyone help and tell me what you think of it so far?