by Lucy Ludlow

Created on: September 17, 2008

The Journal

Darlene loves yard sales and flea markets! She often found treasures among the discarded boxes of past dreams and broken fantasies. She sometimes discovered little surprises hidden inside the pockets of clothes or the inside flaps of jackets, purses or hats. Sometimes, it's just a note, or a few pieces of change, maybe a picture of someone. She wonders what these little treasures might have meant to those who owned them. These little surprises make her smile, and she doesn't feel so alone, because she can't be with the man she loves and share his life.

Today was no different. A very pleasant older woman showed Darlene a new arrival in their store, a hand carved wooden hinged box, about the size of a large dictionary. It looked as if for many years, it remained unopened, sealed tight with age and varnish. She found the carvings beautiful, but what intrigued her more, was the fact that she felt drawn to it. The sales clerk seemed adamant that Darlene alone must have this. So she just had to buy it!
After running a few more errands, Darlene drove home, placed the box on the coffee table in front of her and stared at it for a long time. It was as if she should somehow know what was inside, or at the very least, she felt she would be unleashing whatever was inside, either literally or figuratively...maybe both.
She took a thin metal file and tried opening the box. She didn't want to damage it. However, she found that with very little prying, the top of the box suddenly loosened and opened. The hinges were rusty and creaked a little, and the outside was dirty and dusty, but inside was dry, clean, and-not empty!
There was a small paper bound journal tucked away in the box. It was a yellow-green in color with little images of apples and cherries on the front. It had to be a woman's journal of some kind. Maybe it was a cookbook! Maybe it was the diary of someone famous! How intriguing! Or, maybe it was the journal of a struggling love affair! Darlene was so excited her hands were shaking! She couldn't wait to open it up and read.
When Darlene first picked up the journal, she felt something. It seemed she could feel love just by touching the book.
"That's impossible!" she said aloud. She opened the book and read these words on the inside cover: "Letters that may never be read. For a man I love with all my heart. I love you, Charlie Brown! Always, Lucy".
Darlene almost fainted. Someone named Lucy had written it! Amazed was nowhere near a strong enough word for what

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