Secrets of the Great Oak

Chapter 8

Anna and Jake pulled up to the little blue cottage his mother lived in with Anna's story in tow. She knew that Miss Johansen would appreciate the story but, it had been years since she had shared one with her. Miss Johansen always listened to Anna's stories with rapt attention. Even when Anna was little, Jake's mom would be on the edge of her seat and give her great feedback.

Shaking slightly, she followed Jake into the living room and Miss Johansen smiled up at them from her seat on the well-worn couch.

"Well, what a surprise! Hello, you two." She stood and walked to embrace them both. "I'll put some tea on for us all." She exclaimed, releasing them and heading for the kitchen.

Jake put a hand and the small of Anna's back and guided her towards one of the armchairs while whispering, "This is going to be great. You have nothing to be nervous about."

"Thanks," she whispered back, taking her seat.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Miss Johansen called over the sound of running water.

"The reason for our visit is two-fold, Mom," Jake shouted from his chair. "One, we love you and want to see you." She smiled at that. "And two, Anna wrote a new story. And wants to share it with you."

Miss Johansen lifted her head from the stove with raised brows at Anna. "Is that so?" Anna could hear the excitement in her voice.

"Yeah! I sent it to Jake yesterday and we thought you might want to hear it." Anna reached to pull Jake's laptop out of his backpack.

"I'd love to hear it, Anna." The kettle began screeching and Miss Johansen's head snapped to it. She poured the boiling water into three cups. Jake rose from his seat to help her bring them into the living room. He set a mug down in front of Anna and sat back in his seat, gesturing at her to begin.

Anna took a deep breath and began to read from the laptop. "Once upon a time, there was a handsome fae prince who wandered in an ancient wood until he came across a tree. This tree was fabled to be the portal between his realm and the human one, but no one had dared cross over in hundreds of years on account of the ban the king and queen of the realm put on the use of this tree.

"But, as the prince walked around this ancient oak, he saw a hand reaching through an opening. The prince didn't know why, but he tugged and through it tumbled the most beautiful girl he had ever seen..." Anna continued to weave a beautiful tale of love facing opposition and the prince fighting for his princess every step of the way. The human girl loved her prince so much that she left everything she knew behind and became fae for him. The pair conquered everything that came their way and together fought for rights for humans. They ended up mated and married and had a perfect happily ever after.

The story only took about twenty minutes to read all the way through but, to Anna, it seemed to stretch on and on. She took another deep breath before looking up from the laptop and meeting Jake's eyes. He wasn't looking at her though, his attention was fully fixed on his mother's face.

Anna turned and saw why. Miss Johansen was crying, actually sobbing on the couch before them. Anna had no idea what to do but Jake went to his mom and wrapped her in his arms.

"Hey, mom. It's okay. Do you want to talk about it?" He rubbed gentle circles on his mom's back as he hugged her. Anna gave him an apologetic look. She had never intended to make anyone cry.

After a moment Miss Johansen was able to stammer, "No, no. Anna, that was a beautiful story. It just... made me think..." She took Jake's face in her hands and peered into his eyes. "It made me think of your father." Anna and Jake both gaped at her. She had never mentioned his father before without Jake's prompting and certainly not in front of Anna.