letters from the jungle

ch 1

The thought of death was something Jake found himself thinking more about lately. When his father died Jake was only ten and vaguely remembers the situation. His mother, Janette, told Jake that his father died in car accident. They rarely spoke about his father and his death after that point in time.

Jake also didn't know what school his father attended or much about his past. All he knew that his father's name is William and he was an orphan. Once in elementary school Jake had a school project about how his parents met. When he approached his mother about the question, Janette told him they met in a coffee shop on Main street. But the way Janette said it, it made Jake think otherwise.

Jake married his high school sweetheart, Meghan. Together they both moved to North Dakota and Jake took a job at local high school teaching History. Jake and Meghan have two children, Nath and Haley.

In November Jake received a call saying his mother died in her sleep in her home. He alone drove to Montana his mothers home to clean her home and organize what was needed.

As he opened the old door he remembers would always creak, he sees his old childhood living room and could not help but shed a tear. So many memories come to him. Such as him jumping on the couch and wrestling with his father on the wood floor.

Even the house still smells like his mother. The workers lifted all of the furniture out of the house. All what was left for him to do was to organized her paperwork and pictures. Jake walked into the old empty house. The wood floor creaked with every step he took. He walks around the house to get a good final look at it. As an only child Jake remembers creating imaginary friends to keep him company.

As he snooped around he found a crate filled with papers on the kitchen counter. Jake lifted the box from the counter and placed it on the floor. He gently sat down next to the box and began to rummage through the box.

When Jake finally looks up at the window after reading through documents and pictures, he sees that it's pitch black. He was surprised that he didn't notice the time. As he got up he notice a small, yellow triangle between the floor boards that was once covered by a rug.

He bent down and lifted the board to find a thick envelope. He lifted the envelope to find that it was heavy. Jake lifted up the flap that once held the large envelope together. He was startled to find letters. Letters with no address. As he inspects the letters he realized that all of the letters were written in his mother's handwriting.

He sat back down and began to read his mother letters all addressed to a Dr. Smith.