Letters From Laura

20

Dear Journal,

Last night we got back just in time. A hideous rain storm has taken over Norwood and Victoria and I had to run so the item we carried would not get damaged.

I will start from the beginning.

After I penned my last letter, I put on my boots and a sweater before scurrying out to the servants entrance where Victoria was waiting for me with two flashlights in hand.

Handing one to me, we set off towards the lake. I had to remind myself to look where I was walking because the star strewn sky was absolutely breathtaking. How ironic that during the day this place was an eyesore but at night, everything was illuminated in such beauty.

I looked over to Victoria to tell her as much but she seemed upset in the glow of the moonlight and I felt bad I hadn't noticed sooner.

"You alright?"

"It's nothing" She shook her head but continued on. "Only, my mum has never spoken like that before. At least not to dad, not in front of me."

"Really?" I said somewhat stupidly and I sensed, rather than saw her rolling her eyes. "I just mean, well. I don't know, nevermind. I'm sure everything will be alright." I stuttered.

The truth was I had no experience with issues like these. I never had married parents to worry about and I feared I came across as insensitive.

"Victoria? Maybe we shouldn't do this tonight-"

"Oh no, we must!" I pictured her with wide eyes. "Look, the cabin is right up there. Do you see?" She assured me.

As we approached the cabin I could tell even in the dark that it was indeed old. The porch creaked with the weight of new visitors and everything seemed dingy in the flashlights wake. Victoria walked right up to the front door and turned the knob and pushed against the door.

"It's jammed." She muttered before pushing harder to no avail.

"Let me try." I took her spot and pushed my shoulder against the door as I had seen on the telly. It worked on the second try and the door swung open.

"Jolly good, Laura!" Victoria said joining me on the threshold. "Let's hurry, if we can. I think there may be a storm coming. See the lake? It's moving roughly. Dad always said the lake knows about things before we do."

Heeding the lake's warning, we entered the cabin and searched for a light switch.

"I can't find any. They must not have had electricity installed in here." Victoria said.

Luckily she found an oil lamp on the table along with some matches.

She struck a match and lit the lamp.

"Cool." With the new light we were able to see everything in the room.

We were in one big room that functioned as both a den and kitchen/dining area. On one side was a orange couch with big open tears and on the other was a broken table near a wood burning stove and a chipped porcelain sink.

There was a ladder leading to what I presumed was a loft along with two doors in the back of the room.

Victoria and I decided to each take a room. The door I went into was a small loo. Nothing hiding in there, not even a showerhead.

Victoria had walked into what must have been Thomas and Mary Ridley's room. There was nothing but a big wooden bed frame and a few hooks on the wall. All we had left to search was the loft and I hoped we wouldn't be disappointed.

I climbed up first and Victoria followed. At the top was a small, dusty, old dresser, a twin mattress and a woven rug.

We went through the dresser and found nothing but a dead fly.

"I don't think anything will be found here, Laura." Victoria said softly.

I looked around, trying to find anything at all when a sudden burst of light flashed out of a cracked window.

"God almighty!" Victoria shouted as I spewed out another, not so clean phrase.

"What was that?" I asked and then the thunder roared and it shook the whole place.

"The storms coming on strong. Laura, we should go." Victoria was saying but I wasn't listening. When the thunder came I could have sworn something under the rug moved. But it looked still now, so I doubted it was a rodent.

And then I remembered my mother telling me a story of her childhood room.

"I had very little space in that room, I'll tell you. I loathed it during my teenage years, especially. I remember hiding my diary under my rug just so my parents wouldn't find it! The concept of privacy was lost on them. Of course, they had a door!"

"Laura?"

"It's under the rug!" And I dove down to the floor just as another burst of lightning struck and Victoria shrieked.

I threw the rug off and threw it into a corner and found nothing.

"Laura, I'm sorry but I'm kind of scared. We have to get going!"

"No, it has to be here, Victoria. It has to be! A diary, a journal!"

Victoria was looking at me with a mixture of fear and pity and then the thunder hit again. I looked at where the rug had been and one floor board was shaking unceremoniously.

"There!" I shouted when the thunder had stopped. Victoria came over to me as I popped the floor board up.

Under a nest of cobwebs was a pink, flowery notebook and on the cover was my mother's handwriting.

Ophelia Ridley

I replaced the floor board and stood up.

"What are you waiting for, V?" I said teasingly. "There's a storm coming!"

Luckily we got back to the Manor and in our beds without anyone knowing that we were ever gone.

The storm is still persisting and the horses have been stowed away. I hope they will be dry because

Oh bugger. The electricity just went out. I will stop writing to you for now and go see if the lights can be turned back on!

-L