Truth

Night slowly moves on, the glow of the moon softly shows through the trees. Some animals play in the moonlight, and other animals sleep the night away. A girl at the age of seventeen named Gleam is walking through the forest, making sure that every animal is doing well. She gets to the river that runs through the middle of the forest, she walks along it till she gets to a cave, curiosity getting the best of her, and she walks into the cave. Once in the cave Gleam looks around, pulling out her lighter to use as a light source to see what's in the cave. When she got to the middle of the cave she saw some drawings that she swears that she has seen the style of drawing before.

When she took a closer look at the drawings she noticed that they were her father's drawings; knowing that before her father and mother started to live in the forest he was a very skilled and popular artist. She looked at them one at a time and noticed that they were when her mother was still around. One of the drawings were of when her father and mother got married. The next one was of when Gleam was born and she put her hand on the one with her, her mother and father and started to cry softly falling to the ground wishing that her mother was still around.

When Gleam was about six her mother left, leaving Gleam with her father. Her father told her that her mother left to the city for a few days and that she would be back soon and that Gleam needed to stay strong.

***

Gleam and her mother were sitting on the ground outside of their house, Gleams mother was talking to her like she always does. Gleam looked her mother in the eyes only listening to what her mother was saying instead of getting distracted by the animals and the noises in the forest.

"Gleam sweetheart I need you to stay with your father this time. I can't take you with me, I'm sorry. I wish I could take you but I can't please don't hate me." Her mother said as she whipped away the tears that were falling from Gleams eyes.

"But why mommy? I want to go with you. I always go with you when you for to the city please let me go with you." Gleam said looking at her mother tears falling faster and more violent.

After a few minutes Gleams mother hugged her tightly and whispered that she loved Gleam with all of her heart and that Gleam would always be in her thoughts. Then her mother let go of her go and walked to the car getting in locking the doors then driving down the driveway getting faster as she got closer to the highway. As her mother left Gleam ran after the car going after her. A few miles down the driveway Gleam fell and laid on the ground crying calling for her mother asking her not to leave and to stay with her and her father.

***

Her father knelt down and looking at her saying that he couldn't stop her because he didn't know what to say to make her stay. Ever since then she has blamed her mother leaving on her father and she hardly talks to her father and she hardly goes hunting with him anymore. At times she won't even look at her father when he's trying to talk to her and she gives short answers.

On Gleam's way back to the house she started thinking of the day her mother left. She wanted to remember the words that her mother said to her before she got in the car and drove away never coming back to Gleam and her father. Wanting her to come back to save her from being alone with her father and his annoying ramblings about how the outside world is killing the planet, him saying nothing, but how the planet will collapse and take everyone with it.

She looked at the only window on the top floor to the left seeing her father passing slowly like he has done since the day her mother left. She walked in the house and yelled that she was home putting her shoes in the closet near the door. Her father came down and smiled softly at her and asked if she was hungry, she nodded. He walked to the kitchen and started dinner getting things from the fridge. She sat at the table and looked at it seeing similar drawings all around the table top that of which she saw in the cave. She looked at her father, watching him cook, thinking about the drawings in the cave wondering why he never told her about them.

"While I was walking around the forest I found a cave near the river that runs through the middle of the forest." She said still looking at the table then she looked at her father who was still cooking.

"Did you go into the cave Gleam?" He asked looking back at dinner as it cooks.

"Yes I did. Why didn't you tell me about the cave father?" She asked looking at her father a little irritated.

He finished cooking and started to place the food on the table without saying a word to her. She looked at her father getting more irritated and he looked at her seeing her irritation. He sat down and looked at Gleam then the table.

"I drew those pictures when your mother and I first got together. The reason I never told you about them is because I wanted to show you them myself. I wanted to tell you the story behind all of them, while your mother was with us, but she left before I could show you them." He said still looking at the table.

She looked at the table then back to her father saying. "Why don't we go back to the cave when we are done eating and you can tell me along with the real reason why my mother left."

Her father looked at her and nodded and started eating. As they were eating not a word was said, they didn't make eye contact the whole time. Every so often Gleam's father would look up from his plate and look at Gleam. Her father wanted to say something, but he didn't want to make her even more upset than she already was so he stayed silent. Gleam started eating to not looking away from the tabletop where the drawings of her mother and father were.

After they were done eating Gleam's father grabbed the plates putting them in the sink then they left the house and went to the cave walking with flashlights so they can see where they are going. Once they got there Gleam sat in front of the drawings and waited for her father. He sat next to her and went to talk, but Gleam stopped him.

"I don't care about the stories behind the drawings. I want to know why my mother really left." She said looking at her father with an angry expression on her face.

He sighed and turned to her with a miserable and pained look on his face. A few moments passed then her father finally spoke softly.

"The real reason your mother left is because she didn't want to live this life anymore. She said that she couldn't live in the woods anymore. That the woods wasn't a place that she wanted to live in."

Gleam stared at her father in disbelief and stood up.

"You're wrong! If she didn't want to live here anymore, she would have taken me with her." She said yelling slightly.

Her father stood up and looked at her. He tried to hug her, but Gleam pushed him away.

"You're lying she would have taken me with her." Gleam said looking at her father tears falling.

"You're mother wanted to take you, but she couldn't pull you away from the forest. She knew that you loved it here." Her father said trying to calm her down.

"I don't believe you, she would have taken me with her." Gleam said covering her ears and fell to her knees.

After a few moments they heard a noise at the mouth of the cave. When they looked at the mouth of the cave and Gleam saw mother. Gleam got up, ran to her, and hugged her Gleam's eyes closed. Once Gleam opened her eyes she saw that no one was there and that she was hugging thin air. She turned to her father and who was looking at her with a very confused look.

"I saw mom she was standing right here." Gleam said looking at her father falling to her knees once again putting her head in her hands crying, tears falling from between her fingers.