The Last Letter

Emma Turner had spent most of her life avoiding the past.
Her father, Samuel Turner, was a historian who had retreated into his work after her mother’s sudden death when Emma was just a child. The house they lived in—quiet, isolated—became a tomb of memories Emma didn’t want to face. When she was old enough, she moved to the city, eager to escape the shadow of grief that loomed over her childhood.

So when she received the news that her father had passed away suddenly from a heart attack, she felt nothing but the cold, distant finality of it. She returned to their old house, expecting nothing more than to pack up his things and move on with her life.

But there was one thing she hadn’t anticipated: the letters.

It was the morning after the funeral. As Emma sorted through her father’s belongings in the dim, musty study, her hand brushed against an envelope tucked into the back of an old history book. It was addressed simply to Emma, in her father’s familiar scrawl. No greeting, no salutation—just her name.

Inside the envelope, there was a short note:

“I’ve made mistakes, and I am sorry. You will find the answers you need in the letters under the floorboards. It’s not too late to fix it. Please. Dad.”

Her initial reaction was skepticism. The ramblings of a dying man, perhaps. But something in her gut told her to investigate. When she pried up the loose floorboard in the corner of the room, she found what looked like a stack of old letters, each sealed with a faded wax stamp. Most were addressed to someone named L.

The first letter was dated 1985, a year before Emma’s mother’s death.

“L,
I don’t know how much longer I can keep the truth from Emma. But I’m afraid if I tell her, it will destroy her. She is too much like her mother. Too perceptive. Too smart. She will never forgive me when she finds out.
—S”

Emma’s heart pounded as she read the letter. It wasn’t just a message—it was a confession. A secret buried in the past. She sifted through the remaining letters, each one revealing more about her father’s hidden life. There were references to people she didn’t recognize, cryptic phrases about historical events she couldn’t make sense of, and a name that kept recurring: The Society.

As she read, she began to uncover a disturbing truth. Her father had been part of a secret historical society—a group dedicated to protecting a mysterious artifact that had the power to change history. The letters hinted at a dark, unspeakable event involving the artifact, and her father’s role in keeping it hidden from the world.

The more Emma read, the more she realized that her father’s retreat from her had never been about grief.
It was about something much darker. He had kept her in the dark, not to protect her, but because he feared she was the one who would be forced to continue his work. The artifact wasn’t just a historical treasure; it was a weapon, capable of altering reality itself. And now, Emma understood that she was the key.

By the time Emma reached the last letter, her hands were shaking.

“Emma,
I know this will come as a shock, but I’m afraid you’ve always known more than you realize. The artifact is not just an object. It’s a tool, a means to unlock what has been kept hidden for centuries. I tried to protect you from this life, but I failed. I hope, one day, you will understand.
—S”

The final letter felt like a curse. Emma didn’t know what to believe anymore. Her father had been keeping her safe—or had he been keeping her trapped in a web of lies? Had her whole life been leading to this moment? She was the daughter of a historian, but now she felt like a pawn in a game much bigger than herself.

The weight of the letters settled heavily in her chest. She could either walk away, leaving the past buried forever—or embrace her father’s legacy, no matter the cost. The choice was hers.