by Rae Anna Blake

Created on: November 11, 2008   Last Updated: November 13, 2008

Kassidy never understood why she feared the wooded area near her home or why such a feeling of sadness came over her every time she passed the bridge and looked beyond the creek into the tree laden landscape that lined the edge of the stream. She had asked her Grandmother many times about the wooded area and every time her Grandmother would change the subject. On many occassions Kassidy would catch a glimpse of her Grandmother gazing out the window looking towards the wooded area with such a sad expression on her face. Kassidy never pushed the issue because she knew how hard her Grandmother tried to protect her from whatever secret that may lie beyond the trees, but now that she was heading off to college in a just a few short days she felt she needed to know the truth, what was the mystery? Why was that area so taboo, and why did it seem to hold an eerie sadness over her Grandmother?

Kassidy was busy packing up some of her belongings and tidying up her room, getting ready to head off to college. Underneath her bed she found a dusty old momento box. It was covered in a floral pattern and lacey trim and it had a musty smell to it. Kassidy blew the dust off the box and wiped the remaining dust off, she vaguely recognized the box and she had practically forgotten about it. Inside the box were several photos of a young woman and a young man who beared some resemblance to Kassidy, they were her parents. Kassidy barely remembered them, they died when she was very young and Kassidy had been raised by her Grandmother and Grandfather since she was a baby.

Kassidy had often wondered why her Grandmother never kept photos of her mother and father on the wall and why she never spoke of Kassidy's parents. Kassidy would ask occassionally, but her Grandmother always avoided the questions and diverted Kassidy into another direction. This was all that Kassidy had known growing up, so she never felt the need to press on. Kassidy felt as if there must have been a good reason for her Grandmother to avoid talking about her parents. Yet now that she was about to venture on her own into the adult world she felt as if she had more questions than answers about her parents and about herself. She realized she needed some closure and she knew that she needed to get to the root of her past. She needed to speak with her Grandmother today.

"Grandmother, Grandmother" Kassidy called, but she could not find her Grandmother anywhere. She looked in the house, around the house, and in all the usual

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