The Secret

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. It was Christmas break of my senior year, and I was thrilled to be home and take a much-needed break from my studies. As I walked through the door, mom greeted me as if I had been gone for ages.

“Oh Tesoro, let me look at you!” she said, nearly knocking me over with her big Italian mama hug. “You’re so thin,” she insisted, stepping back and looking me over unapprovingly. “Is California out of food?”

“MA! I’m fine, but I could use a big bowl of minestrone and an even bigger glass of wine!”

This winter was the first time in two years I was able to fly home due to the Corona Virus pandemic. With all the chaos, it was nice to be back in familiar territory where everything is just as I had left it. Another thing that hasn’t changed is the eerie feeling I get looking at that old cabin on the hill in the woods. It seems to watch me. It seems to remember. It wants to tell the secret.

“Honey? Hooooony? HONEY!” I jerked back to life. “Where were you? You might have well been on the moon!”

“Sorry, Ma,” I stuttered back to Earth, nearly dropping my wine glass. “I, I’m just so happy to be home,” I said unconvincingly. “Hey, Mama,” I nearly whispered, “There’s a candle burning in the old cabin, do you see that?” Mama joined me at the window.

“I don’t see a candle, honey,” Mama said, pulling her glasses up on her nose and squinting at the window.

“The front window is all lit up!” I argued. “You seriously can’t see that?”

“Honey, you’re tired; you’ve come a long way. Get some rest; you’ll feel better in the morning.

My bedroom was also just as I left it. The yellow gingham bedspread, the lacy white bed skirt, and Puddles, my psychedelic stuffed dog my cousin had given me when I was five years old, sat plopped in the middle as if napping. I sat on the bed and snuggled Puddles in my arms, still unable to get that glowing cabin out of my mind. “Did she really not see it?”

Sleep came quickly; then, suddenly, I was awoken by the sound of crashing glass. A sat straight up in bed, looking around the room. My heart was pounding! I grabbed Puddles and clutched him to my chest. Everything seemed normal, no broken glass anywhere. I got out of bed and walked to the window. The candlelight still shone brightly in the cabin window, possibly even brighter than before. “Did Mama really not see?” I wondered incredulously.

Exhausted, I turned to go back to bed, then fell backward to the ground in horror. Sitting on my bed was Sarah! Sarah! My best friend since first grade, who disappeared nearly ten years ago! She still looked 13, and there she was, sitting on my bed, looking right at me!

“Tesoro, is everything alright?” Mama said, coming into my bedroom and turning on the light. “I heard a dreadful crash!” I looked at her, then back to the bed, no Sarah.

“I’m ok, Mama; sorry to wake you. I got up for some water, and I tripped.” I mumbled.

“Darling girl, get some rest,” Mama said, yawning and heading back to bed. I sat there momentarily, trying to figure out what had just happened. Was it a dream? I laid back on my bed, closed my eyes, and quickly fell back to sleep.

“Good morning, Amore,” Mama sang, removing a fresh tray of croissants from the oven. How did you sleep, darling?” She asked, furrowing her brow at me over her half-round reading glasses.

“Well, you know, it’s been a while since I’ve slept in that bed. I’ll get used to it.” I said, trailing off. “Hey, Mama, you remember Sarah?” I asked.

“Sarah,” Mama pondered, steepling her fingers to her nose. “I can’t say I remember anyone named Sarah. Did she go to school with you?”

“Mama, Sarah!” I nearly shouted, standing up and walking toward her. “SARAH” She was my best friend since 1st grade. Surely you remember Sarah!” I said, now furrowing my own brow.

“Are you sure her name was Sarah?” She said, confused. I knew all of your friends very well, darling, but I don’t remember a Sarah.” She returned to tucking the croissants into a tea towel-lined basket.

I went to my room to retrieve a picture of Sarah to show Mama. Mama made me a scrapbook for every school year with school pictures, birthday parties, summers at the beach, and all my friends. I flipped through 1st grade. No Sarah. 2nd grade, still no Sarah. She was nowhere in the class picture and not at my birthday party. “Am I going crazy?” I thought, leaning back against the wall.

“No, you’re not going crazy,” a reassuring voice came behind me. I turned around; the room was glowing bright yellowish-orange, just like the cabin’s window. There was a small, square table in the middle of the room with two small, rickety chairs and a bright candle glowing from the center. Sitting in one of the chairs was Sarah, “Please, come sit with me.” She urged with a smile.

“We’re back in the cabin?” I asked, pushing myself firmly against the wall. “You’re not real!”

“Aaaaand who’s fault is that?” she asked sarcastically. “You brought the candle to the cabin. You brought that stupid deck of spell cards. You said it would give us magic powers. Then Poof! I disappeared! Not only did I disappear, I never existed! You erased me!”

“I, I, I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to erase you.”

“Well, now it’s your turn to be erased,” Sarah said, shuffling the cards. She dealt three cards onto the table face down. “Pick a card, bestie!” She said, smirking evilly.

“NO, I won’t play. I’m not going to be erased.” I shouted in protest.

“Tesoro?” Mama shouted from downstairs, “Are you, ok darling?”

“Take a card, Tessie.”

“NO, I won’t!” I demanded, tears streaming down my face. I could hear Mama coming up the stairs.

“Then I’ll play for you like you did me!” Sarah said, grabbing the middle card. “Hey, you might get lucky; this may not be the disappear card.” Sarah flipped the card to reveal a solid white background with no image.

“NO” I screamed! My bedroom door opened, and Mama walked inside.

“Hmmm,” Mama said to herself. “I really should do something with this old sewing room.”