Secrets

When Secrets Are Told

Carol was busy preparing for her child's twelfth birthday. It's now or never. She needs to tell her daughter the family secret as her mother had told her and all the other mothers have done in their bloodline.

They were different, unlike others in their town. The secret must be told because no one else will know if she failed to do it now.

"Yes, she will finish her child's party." She told herself. When all the visitors are gone she will call her child and tell her just as what her own mother had done.

They've been living in this neighborhood for about a year. They've been transferring ever since Anne could remember. In school, she would wonder why her classmates had bff's. Her friends were short lived. A year was the longest they've stayed in one place. And this is that time.

Carol recalled how her mother talked to her on her own twelfth birthday. There was no party. There were no visitors. Just the two of them. She'd wondered all her life the same things her child is wondering about right now: why the constant transfer of residence, the aloofness they've exhibited, the lack of friends. They're different.

Would Carol disobey and betray her family secret if she will not pass on what she knew about their past? Could she stop a curse and turn it into a blessing? Carol decided she would wait until the end of the day and see what happens. Why does she procrastinate on such a very important issue?

After the party, Carol decided, she and Anne will take a trip to her forested birthplace. There in the very place where it all began, she will recount the family story.

It was already getting dark when the last visitor bade goodbye. Sending her child to school was afterall, a bad idea. Why did she do it? If she followed all of her mother's instructions, things would not have been this complicated. But she disobeyed. Things would never be the same for the two of them.

She dumped all the paper plates and plastic cups into the garbage bag, separating the leftover food in another container. She deposited them outside of the house for the garbage collectors. Then she opened the gate. Earlier, she had already packed their things for a trip she had meticulously planned. They're all inside the car. She called for Anne.

"Anne, let's go Honey. It's time." Carol announced.

" No, Mom. I won't be going with you, this time. I'm not a kid anymore. I can opt to stay." Her voice was determined.

"Honey, I have a very difficult revelation to make. Please, let's not make this even harder. Please cooperate." Carol pleaded.

"No, Mom! I've had enough of these moving on. Can we not stay this time? For good?" Anne was already at the verge of crying.

"Oh, Dear. I would, if I could! Honey, listen to Mommy. Tonight, you should know. " Carol tried in her most convincing tone.

"We're coming back, Mom." Anne was peeping at the door.

"It's for you to decide, Anne." Carol told her child. Deep in Carol's heart, she knew things will never be the same again. This revelation will be a point of no return.

The full moon was now rising. Carol drove to the gasoline station for a full tank. Then, they began their road trip to the South Hinterlands. For the first five kilometers it was smooth. Now they are about to ascend on higher terrain. Anne could feel the deafening of her ears as the altitude rose. The road was long and winding. It was bumpy, too. If not for the full moon and the headlights, everything would have been pitch black. Anne suddenly had goose bumps.

"Mom, why do we have to make this trip?" Anne queried. They've been on the road many times in the past but this is the first time they did this to the mountains and at this time of the night. What was this very important revelation her Mom was about to make?

"Mom, what is it? I want to know now. Can you not tell me now? Anne prodded her, Mom.

"We're almost there, Anne. Let's wait. Patience is a virtue, right?"

After that revelation, Anne and her Mom stayed huddled to each other. Now, she understood why they needed to transfer every now and then. They had no permanent address. They have all the reason to hide.

Now that she has turned twelve, she needs to prepare. She trembled with dread as she thought of the task before her. No one else can do it for her. Her role was crucial for the continuity of their species.

So that was why she never knew her father. Her Mom just told her he died before she was born and that he did the perfect sacrifice. She believed her Mom and never asked anymore questions.

What will be the perfect plan? She has four to five years of planning and training to do. Her Mom was there to mentor her.