Jayla and the jungle

The violet secret

As Jayla and her mum returned from the market, tiredly dragging woven bags of food and struggling with the crate of leftover fruit, she looked around her and thought that life couldn't get more boring. They dumped the bags on the table in the kitchen and Magda started cooking tea.

Jayla swept into her room and flopped onto her bed. As she did so, she saw a scrap of paper flutter down from the closet and land delicately on her desk. She picked it up and realised it was a map of the island, scrawled in violet ink, and on the back was written,'Demarco Corbeni, 2010'. That was the year he disappeared. That was the year she lost her father.
Jayla didn't dare to show her mother the map; she would destroy it and she'd never find  out any of the secrets regarding her father or his career. She had to hide it. Her mother called her from the kitchen, "Jayla, tea's ready!" so she hurriedly tucked it underneath her mattress and joined her for her rice and beans. Her secret was safe. For now.