The Suncatcher Room

I wish I knew where to start, but I hope in the years to come i'll be able to come back to this entry and have all the answers I was looking for, or at least some to make sense of my adventures growing up......

I guess i'll start out with the most easiest: I love my grandparents, Grandpa Silas and Grandma Elise. Whether it was during school break, or during the holidays, my parents would go visit them in their two-story Victorian house in the mountains. Most times when we show up, one or both of them would be sitting outside on the porch swing, awaiting our arrival, or one would be inside: Grandpa in his study, or Grandma in the kitchen brewing up one of favorite teas, her orange-blackberry tea was a particular favorite of mine, besides the taste, I think I loved how the aroma seemed to engulf their house, from kitchen to living room. Even though being 5yrs old at the time and drinking tea at that age might have not been a wise thing to have, it was an unspoken secret between me and Grandma.

I was seven when Grandpa Silas "disappeared". He was going on a plane trip to meet some old buddies of his from what Grandma told me, when his plane crashed somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Rescue and emergency crews searched about two weeks straight before they found the plane wreckage, but no bodies. Figuring the passengers tried hiking to any nearby town, search crews spent another two weeks searching, finding all the of the passengers but one, my Grandpa. When any of the passengers were interviewed about where he went, they say he just grabbed his hiking bag, and told them, "I'll be back, help is coming." I'm ten now, and Grandpa has yet to return, and his study room has been locked since.

I spent my summer break from school that year with Grandma, a little ten year old trying to be the grown up helper in the house, whether it was dusting, or anything Grandma needed, I didn't want her to feel alone. Walking upstairs before going into the room I stayed in while I was there, I'd always glance at the Suncatcher Room, my Grandpa's study, just to see if it was unlocked, which it wasn't. I called it the Suncatcher Room because of the stain glass window, a picture of the sun and moon joined, sharing the sky together, and when the sun from outside hit it just right, it seemed to glow and reflect halfway down the hallway.

One day during breakfast, I asked Grandma Elise about Grandpa's study room.

"Grandma, why do you keep Grandpa's room locked, does it make you a little sad he's not here with us?"

At first Grandma Elise took in a big breath, turned to me, and in a half smile said, "There are things in that room that your Grandpa has that's not needing to be explored into by little boys. besides, i'm keeping it preserved until he comes back."

I wanted to tell Grandma that I didn't think he was coming back, that maybe somehow after that plane crash, he went for help, but fell off a cliff or got eaten by a mountain lion, but there was that other part of me that didn't want to upset her or think that my Grandpa had died, so I agreed with her, but she had gotten my curious nature up about what could be in the Suncatcher Room, and I was determined to find out. To my fortune and surprise, one Sunday afternoon, I would get my chance.

Sunday morning I got up shortly after Grandma Elise did, and we had our morning tea before breakfast. The tea this time was a banana-cinnamon with honey tea, a new one she never tried making before, and i never thought that you could make a tea from bananas, go fig. the aroma smelled calmly enough, but the cinnamon had a kick, good thing she added the honey.

"How's the tea dearie?" Grandma said.

Clearing my throat, "Fine, but you may have overdid it on the cinnamon just a little bit, lol."

Grandma took another sip, judging the mixture in her mouth, then a light cough, "You know, you might be right, lol."

After our drink, Grandma made me waffles with fresh blueberries. As I sat down at table, I noticed a key rack hanging by the entryway of the kitchen. But it wasn't just the random keys that caught my attention, but one key in particular.

One key hanging on the rack, double the size of normal keys, was a copper colored key. It reminded me of one of those old pirate movie keys, the ones that supposed to lead you to buried treasure, but at its head looked like pieces of colored glass. I thought to myself that had to be to key to the Suncatcher Room for sure! Quickly I turned away and back to my waffles before Grandma caught me looking. After me and Grandma ate, we drove into town, grocery shopping for a little bit, but mostly just enjoying the day just the two of us.

"Well kiddo, i'm about due for a little nap, so watch a little tv, or go outside but not far."

"OK Grandma," I said as she headed off to her room. Yeah, I know, you shouldn't disobey your elders, but this was my only chance to see if I was right about the key, and open Grandpa's study. As I think about it now, I think I really did it was try and feel some trace of my Grandpa, however faint.

So, now that I was determined to find out, I waited outside about fifteen minutes to make sure Grandma Elise was asleep enough, then came back in and grabbed the big pirate key! I was right about the color, it was copper-looking, though I may have been mistaken about the head of the key having glass-colored beads of some kind inside it, I still thought it was kool looking all the same.

Up the stairs I went to the Suncatcher Room, trying to be as quiet as a cat as slowly walked up the stairs and down the hall, only stopping just once thinking I heard Grandma moving around before moving again. I passed my room ever so quietly, and Grandpa's study almost felt farther than it should be as I continued to tiptoe and tiptoe until I reached the room's doorway.

I pulled the key out of my pocket and caught it before it fell out of my hands on the floor. This was the moment of truth, I looked behind me just in case Grandma caught me as I stepped to the Suncatcher room door. With key in hand, I placed it into the keyhole, turned the key and doorknob and opened the door........

When I stepped inside, his room reminded me of a small library. Dark wood desk and shelves, filled with various books and knickknacks, a couple of small end tables with various pictures. Some of the pictures were from family outings, holidays, even a picture of Grandma and Grandpa holding me as a baby. For the room being locked up, it was well cared for; no dust or cobwebs to be seen. One picture on Grandpa's desk caught my attention, a picture of a young couple with big smiles, there's a banner behind them reading: "Happy New Year..., I couldn't tell what year they were celebrating, but not doubt this had to have been Grandpa Silas and Grandma Elise. Must have been a costume theme in the picture, because they were wearing robes, like something out of a magic show.

I walked over to the window and was able to sit down and put my feet up on the window ledge and take it all in. I wondered what Grandpa did while he was in this room, did he just read all day, draw, or was this just his "quiet place" just to do whatever he wanted. Faintly all of a sudden, i could hear music playing, and i'm oh crap, Grandma's awake. Foolishly I left the door open, but the music wasn't coming from downstairs, it was coming from the room itself!

Off and on the music played and faded, as I tried looking for the source of where exactly it was coming from, but seemed to be coming everywhere and not at the same time. The sun at its regular time began to illuminate the stain glass window, allowing it glow with its various colors, and at that moment, the doorway to the Suncatcher Room closed and locked itself.

"Oh crap, oh crap, ohhhh crap!" I found myself locked in a room I was told not to go messing with, and even though I had the key and tried unlocking myself, it wouldn't work. Suddenly a small gust of wind began to build up in the room, the music still fading in and out, as the wind lifted me off my feet.

"Grandpa, grandpa, sorry for coming in your room, just miss you that's all!" I felt like i'd been floating there forever when the wind within the room began to die down setting me on the floor, and the door unlocked and opened up. Standing in the entryway, with hands on her hips, with a grin and a smirk, was Grandma Elise.

"Young man, what are you doing in here? Although, I shouldn't be surprised, you've been curious about this for a while, and me leaving the key out by accident didn't help either, lol."

" I guess there's some things we need to talk about, huh kiddo." I shook my head in agreement as we headed downstairs.

We sat down in the living room as my Grandma clued me in on some things: first, Grandpa Silas was very much alive, but the plane "crash" was an attempt on his life by unseen forces she didn't know, but Grandpa had an idea, and the two had been talking back and forth about "who" or "what" it could be. Also, she told me as much as could about our "family line" of magic, mysteries both light and dark, and our place in it in "keeping the balance."

"Grandma?"

"Yes, kiddo, but no you're not getting a magic book, you're too young, yes your mom and dad know, they hoped you would never find out till you were older, and you must promise me to tell no one about our history, ok?"

"Love you, Grandma."

"You too, you too. You up for some tea?"

With a big smile, I said yes, and we went into the kitchen to cook up another interesting tea, I suggested Strawberry lemon, don't know why, just sounded really good. Grandpa Silas eventually came home, one with a cover story to tell others outside the family, and the details to us his kin on what happened while he was away. It would be a while before I would get trained in the "family business", and every so often now I get to come into the Suncatcher Room and hang out with Grandpa, or come in just to write my thoughts and memories. I'll keep this chronicle of my life safely tucked away in the Suncatcher Room until I have no more to tell, or until some future child of mine goes curiously looking for a copper looking key with stain glass beads at its head..........