The Meadow

The Note

After I woke up the next morning, I began walking home. Though I didn’t want to, I was weak from not eating yesterday. But I needed answers and only three people could provide them. The walk gave me time to think and I despertly tried to make sense of things. But to no avail. The weather was pleasant today though, very unlike yesterday. And there were few signs of the horrendous storm that had ripped though. Only a few broken branches were strewen about on the road.

When I got home it was like a ghost town. No one came when I yelled up the stairs, which confused me. I went to the kitchen looking for a note or any sign of where they may be. Knowing my grandmother there’d be food in the fridge on a plate from breakfast. So at least I’d be able to put something in my now growing stomach.

I opened the fridge and just as I suspected a plate of scrambled eggs and rice with a side of buttered grits and a piece of toast. Underneath the plate there were a couple pieces of papers. They appeared to be a note, written in her immaculate handwriting. Something I’d always envied her of. My handwritting was extremely messy.

As I put the plate in the microwave, I began to read the note.

Darling,

          I know you’d come looking for food so I thought it best to put my not here. Before you read futher I must ask you to eat. My news is hard to take on a full stomach much less an empty one…And know above all else sweetie, we love you very much.

I did as she asked setting the not aside and removing the, now hot plate of food from the microwave. I sat down on a stool at the island and ate. As I ate not wanting to wait any longer to know if she was going to answer all of my questions I picked up the note and began reading.

I should have known you’ve never liked suspense. It is after all why you’re here. Ha. Anyways, I’d do this in person but, well I have a couple of important things to do. Regarding this matter actually. First and formost, I know what you have by now found out.

Your grandfather and I have known for quite some time. You see, actually we’ve known all along. After your uncle took his life your father came to us and told us everything. How they’d spent the night under the willow tree, and how the curse worked. He desperetly wanted to marry your mother, but knew she’d die if he did. So he begged us to help her and gave us some money for a house in town for her. Then he left and we only heard from him when you were born. After that only on your birthday.

Tears started streaming down my face at what I was reading and I had to put the letter down. I felt like I’d been betrayed. All I’d wanted was to have a father. To be like normal children and here they were telling me that I could have continued coming here and even visited my father if all of them had only told my mother the truth. On top of it all I met my father and now I could do nothing but hate him for the pain he’d put my mother through depsite the fact that he’d tried to save her.

I gasped for air through the tears as I felt arms wrap around me. They turned me around and I found myself buring my head in their chest sobbing. How could they know and not tell me all the years? How could they know and not tell me before I went into town? And now I’ve met my father and I don’t now what to do. The sobbs wracked my body making me shake, but still he stayed stedfast and held me tightly.  I vaugely heard him say “Shhh, it’s okay. Let it out. Stop holding it in.” As the sobs begain to subside. I began to struggle to stop the sobs that still kept coming even though my tears were slowly drying.

I pushed myself away and looked up to see the look of concern on Damien’s face. “I’m okay,” I told him through the dry sobs.

He chuckled, “You don’t look okay. You look upset, and you look like you’ve had a long night.”