Keeper of Secrets

KEEPER OF SECRETS

~Contest Entry~

2000 word max

** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **

“Why doesn’t she speak?” the old woman asked. “Is she troubled?”

“Yes Charlotte,” Sandra answered, with a thick southern drawl.

“Well, when’d she quit talking?”

“Why must you know everything about everybody,” Sandra asked.

“I’m just a nosey old mule is all,” Charlotte said.

Sandra rolled her eyes at Charlotte and turned to greet the little blonde haired blue-eyed girl entering the office.

“Hi Tasha. My name is Miss Sandra,” Sandra reached out to shake the young girl’s hand.

Tasha smiled shyly and scribbled “Hi” on her spiral notebook. She had such nice handwriting for a 7 year old and wrote with a hot pink ballpoint pen.

Tasha was the first inner city child that visited the farm. Sandra had arranged with the state to take in troubled youth throughout the summer months while they were out of school.

“Tasha, let’s go out to the barn so I can show you around Mackleberry Mill.”

Sandra opened up the office door and led Tasha around the building. They crossed over a field replete with purple, red and yellow wildflowers. In the distance was a white barn with two big red doors. On the side of the barn was a fenced in area that held a beautiful reddish brown horse. The horse was big; bigger than Miss Sandra.

As they walked, Sandra babbled away about the farm. She told Tasha when the farm was built and how the Mackleberrys came to own it. Tasha hung on Sandra’s every word. She had never been on a farm. Most of the children that would be bussed to Sandra’s farm had never seen horses or goats or chickens.

Tasha wrote in her notebook, “How many horses do you have?”

Sandra answered enthusiastically, “We have three horses. Chester is the ginormous Quarter Horse you see in the corral. We have two others that are in the barn; S’more is a chocolate and white Pinto. Shiloh is a golden Palomino.”

After they passed the field, they made it to a dirt area where chickens clucked about and roamed free. There were a few goats and two dogs as well.

Tasha wrote, “How many chickens do you have?”

“We have twenty-three chickens. They give us fresh eggs that we make for breakfast. What do you like to eat for breakfast?”

Tasha wrote ever so feverishly on her note pad, “Eggs. Eggs. Eggs.”

She showed it to Sandra and they both giggled.

They walked through the two red doors and Sandra started pointing out the empty stalls of the barn.

“We plan on purchasing some new horses pretty soon. We want to have enough horses for all the children that visit Mackleberry Mill.”

Tasha wrote, “Which horse is your favorite?”

“Chester is my favorite,” Sandra answered. “We’ve had Chester since I was a little girl. He is twenty years old.”

“WOW. That’s old,” Tasha wrote.

After dinner was served, Tasha and Sandra went to their rooms to change into their pajamas.

“Can I see the horses?” Tasha wrote.

“Right now?” Sandra asked. “It’s just about time for bed.”

“Please?” Tasha wrote with three lines drawn under the word.

Sandra could not resist Tasha’s pleading eyes. She didn’t have children of her own, but she appreciated the sweetness of an innocent child.

They walked outside into the cold air and Sandra realized they probably should have changed out of their pajamas into something more appropriate for the barn. Nevertheless, Tasha began skipping through the wildflower field as soon as the fresh air touched her skin.

S’more and Shiloh were lying in their stalls. Tasha went to each stall and stroked each one. They were beautiful horses with exceptional coloring and luxurious flowing manes.

Chester was standing, waiting for Tasha and Sandra. He neighed and whinnied as they approached his stall. He was a massive beast next to Tasha’s small frame. Chester’s tail flapped while Tasha patted his side.

Sandra placed her hands under Tasha’s arms and hoisted her up to Chester’s back. Tasha lay down in the center of Chester’s back trying to wrap her arms around the enormous animal. She nuzzled her face into his mane and lavished him with kisses.

On the way back to the house Tasha wrote, “Thank you.”

The kitchen door was open to the wrap around porch outside. The morning was cool with a light crisp breeze. Tasha walked into the kitchen where Sandra was frying up some eggs and bacon. Charlotte sat at the kitchen table.

Charlotte was the office manager for Mackleberry Mill. The old woman was Sandra’s nanny when Sandra was a little girl. Now Sandra let her run the office and gave her a place to stay.

“Good morning, girl. Pull up a seat and let’s eat,” Charlotte said.

“Good morning,” Tasha wrote.

Sandra filled a plate with eggs, bacon and hash browns and placed it in front of Tasha.

“Do you want to ride Chester today?” Sandra asked.

“YES!!” Tasha wrote in large letters.

Everybody quickly ate their breakfast as Tasha bubbled with excitement.

After breakfast Tasha helped load the dishwasher with the dishes from the morning’s meal. On the way out to the barn Tasha grabbed Sandra’s hand and squeezed it. Sandra felt a warmth burning from her hand to her heart. Tasha was a precious little girl.

“It’s okay, Tasha. Chester will take care of you. Just sit straight up in the saddle. He’ll do the rest,” Sandra said.

Sandra was riding S’more. Chester and Tasha were following close behind them. They rode through the fields of the property walking and trotting. Sandra made sure to take it slow as this was Tasha’s very first time on a horse.

“Let me tell you a story about Chester, Tasha,” Sandra said. “My parents bought Chester for me for my 5th birthday. I had leukemia and couldn’t ride. But I still loved Chester. When I was your age I received a bone marrow transplant. Do you know what that is?”

Tasha shook her head no.

They had stopped at the field with wildflowers near the barn. Sandra helped Tasha off Chester and placed her feet firmly on the ground. Tasha began patting Chester’s side.

Sandra continued, “Bone marrow is inside your bones. To save my life I needed a transplant. And the transplant did save my life. Chester stuck by me through it all.”

Tasha’s eyes grew big.

“Chester and I became fast friends. Actually, he is my best friend. I learned to ride on Chester. He has taught me many things. One thing he taught me is how to keep a secret. I told Chester everything. I told him about the pain I went through when I was sick. I told him how it felt to be sick and not be able to go to school. Chester was my only friend.”

Tasha looked at Sandra sympathetically. “Are you okay now?” she wrote.

“Oh yes…I’m healthy now. Like I said, that bone marrow saved my life,” Sandra answered. “Chester saved my life.”

Dinnertime was near and Sandra prepared a casserole for Tasha, Charlotte and herself. Tasha would stay the night at Mackleberry Mill. Sandra loved the idea of Tasha staying the night.

“Whatcha thinkin’, girl?” Charlotte asked Tasha.

Tasha wrote one word on her notebook, “secrets.”

“What about secrets?” Charlotte asked.

Sandra interjected, “I told Tasha about Chester’s gift.”

“Ohhh…I see,” Charlotte said dramatically. “Don’t you mean the Secret Keeper?”

Tasha looked at Charlotte curiously. Sandra giggled.

“Yep. That’s what I use to call him, Tasha.”

Sandra continued, “You have to tell somebody what you’re feeling inside, Tasha. You have to get those emotions out of you or they will eat you up.”

Tasha looked at Sandra unconvinced.

“It’s true. You can’t hold on to all that sadness. You have to let it go to someone. You have to share it so it doesn’t feed on your heart. Chester is a great keeper of secrets. He listens, doesn’t judge and doesn’t tell a soul.”

Tasha now looked intrigued.

It was morning and Sandra went to go wake up Tasha for breakfast. Tasha wasn’t in her room. Sandra looked all over the house and Tasha was nowhere to be found.

A little worried, Sandra went to the barn. Sandra made it to the barn and heard something unusual coming from one of the stalls.

She crept up as to not disturb the horses. When she made it to Chester’s stall, she waited and listened. She could hear a soft whispering noise. She couldn’t make out the words. Nevertheless, it definitely was somebody speaking.

She carefully looked over the stall and saw Tasha. Chester’s head was lowly tilted toward Tasha and Tasha had her hand cupped over Chester’s ear. She continued to whisper to Chester. Sandra slowly backed away from the stall and walked back to the house where breakfast waited.

Moments later Tasha entered the kitchen. Sandra smiled at the little girl. She could see Tasha healing before her very eyes.

Tasha smiled at Sandra tears in her eyes and mouthed the words, “Thank you.”





Word Count: 1506