A New Beginning

Harry Steinway

You're such an asshole. Your family will never forgive you. They blame you for everything. You'll never belong anywhere ever again.

It's all your fault.

***

I remember holding my hands on Mitch's back forever, tears streaming down my face, sobbing. I wanted to scream, to cry out for help, but I knew no one would hear me. I decide to yell anyway.

"HELP!" I yell in between deep sobs, my nose running and my ears popping.

I continue trying to yell as loud as I can until my throat becomes raw. I finally decide to try to get out of the car, maybe my aunt had something I could use to help Mitch in the trunk.

You idiot. The trunk is smashed in.

I reside to holding my hands tightly over Mitch's back, never letting go. My hands are soaking wet with his sticky blood and I try not to freak out. My breathing is harsh and my back feels like it popped out of place in every direction. The hot tears continue running down my face and my emotions are running free.

It was an hour until they finally came, and by that time I was very dizzy and I couldn't keep my eyes open. All I remember is that they were an older couple, and they knew my name.

***

It had been days since Mitch had been knocked out from all the medications and I had been sitting in there every day waiting for him to wake up. I had lots of nightmares and often didn't get any sleep, so I found a notebook under Mitch's bed, apparently belonging to another patient that presumably had passed away. The first entries were dated 1945 by a man named Harry Steinway. I had read them all, but some of them intrigued me to what kind of a man he really was. He wrote to a woman named Mary.

Dearest Mary,

I offer my greatest condolences this evening as I am writing to you. They will not let my mail through, so I have no idea if you're responding. I really hope you are well, and that you understand my place in this war. I will be better in no time, and then I shall sneak out of this place and to Steven. He will surely give these letters to you. I can only hope that you will forgive me for what I've done, it was not my fault, I hope someday that you will believe that. Please, wait only two more weeks, I promise you.

Forever,
Harry

I have stared at this man's scribbly handwriting for many hours and still couldn't make heads or tails of it. Throughout the notebook, the letters get more intimate and personal, like his character is unfolding before me. I look up at a still sleeping Mitch and back down at the yellow paged notebook, wondering where it had come from and whether it really had been left here all these years.

Mary,

I understand that you do not want to see me, and that is alright. Waiting is rude of me to ask, the thought should have never crossed my mind in the first place. I believe that someone is following me. He should be here in no time, and I must escape now. My wounds are still fresh, but I must get to Steven and I am sure that he will have medicine for me. I have greedily stolen some from the nurses cabinet and left some coins in hope that they cover my disrespect and devilish actions. If not, I will be sure to come back here to pay back in full. I mustn't take the trolley or train because I will surely be traced, so I will go by foot. I may take a horse, and leave money there in the stable as well. I hope my actions can be forgiven.

-Harry

At the moment that I found his notebook, I had looked his name up in the phone book that they had in the hospital that dated 1994 and sure enough, Harry Steinway was in Arlington. His address was near my grandma's house, so I decided to go there the next day. The next day, it was raining heavily but I decided to check it out anyway and got in my car to head to the place. Upon my arrival, there was an old house, boarded up and condemned. This freaked me out, and I didn't stay to investigate. I went back to the hospital and Mitch was still sleeping. I sat down, leaning against the wall again to resume reading the notebook.

Mary,

I'm sorry. This has not been easy. I have been trying to find Steven but I think they found him first. I wish I had left earlier, so maybe he might still be alive. I am off to find you. My house was boarded up, the officers said it was asbestos. I am growing quite ill, the rain will never stop. It is cold.

-Harry

The more I read, the stranger the notes got. I began to wonder if Harry has any living relatives that I can give this to. Maybe it was never meant to be found.

All I can think about is the fortune telling machine in Tokyo and everything that it took from me. It said someone of my blood would die.

Landon.

It also said that someone would get hurt and that my family needed me.

Mitch.

I can only hope that Harry isn't a sign of anything worse coming. Maybe I should just forget that I found it in the first place. But I needed to know the truth.

I need to find out what happened to Harry.