Secrets

Chapter 24

While many kinds of surprises exist in the world, one must be careful to remember which ones make you want to smile and laugh and those that make you want to run and hide under your bed.

For example, if your family and friends surprise you at home with a strawberry shortcake, candles, balloons, streamers, wrapped packages, and smiles, this is considered a good surprise. It is worth laughing at and celebrating as it creates wonderful memories that can be treasured for years to come. Another surprise had recently befallen my dear sister and her partner around the time young Holly discovered the secret passage; one where the announcement of new life that would bring happy tears, means for laughter, and equally precious moments valued higher than any orphan's fortunes.

Then there are the surprises that can make your stomach churn in utter disgust and fear; ones that will keep you awake at night fearing what is lurking just beyond the darkness. One awful surprise came when I learned of the defection of a close personal friend with whom I had grown up. We were once as close as comrades could be, extinguishing the fires that littered our world and we had undeniable trust in one another. So, when the surprise of his defection was revealed and his murderous and arsonist ways began, I spent several nights checking in my closet before wondering why this shocked me so while staring at the ceiling painted to resemble Escher and Penrose's Stairway. Another frightening event came years ago, though during this time for Holly S. it had not even happened yet, when I learned of the death of my family members, both in terrible ways and both leaving daughters behind to navigate the world on their own. I was left weeping under my bed and refusing to leave even for a cup of tea. Years later the shock of their sudden departure has not completely left me.

However, this surprise experienced by Holly S. the night she returned from Prufrock Prep, was neither joyous nor devastating, but thought-provoking and confusing. It is the kind of revelation where you are unsure of what you should feel and question every aspect of your life before this very moment.

Every family has its secrets. Doors left unopened, books kept locked in safes, and secret passageways undiscovered, but as Holly S. stood in her music room staring at the floor, she realized that she had discovered all these surprises through the use of a simple line of musical notes. This was a room within her own house that she had been inside thousands of times before and now it no longer seemed safe by this revelation. The disbelief did not make her laugh, nor did it make her want to run. Her mind filled with many questions as she took a cautious step toward the opening.

The room beneath the floor was extremely dark, resembling the space under one's bed where you hide to escape such dreadful surprises. Or a cave waiting for the opportunity to swallow you whole. While darkness had never frightened her before, Holly felt the need to be afraid of what was before her.

What could possibly be down there? she wondered to herself. What purpose could such a space serve to my mother? Or my father? Why did they keep it a secret from me?

If only one of them was there with her at that moment, able to explain why there were so many secrets in this household.

Despite the fear inside herself, the young girl has discovered another family secret on her own, without the assistance of K.S. or the taxi driver or her friends or Count Olaf disguised as a gym teacher. She felt anticipation and a strange form of excitement that her discovery could lead to further answers about her past, her parents and this strange organization known as V.F.D. These positive feelings compelled her to move forward to the edge of the door, her toes standing on the inky blackness below. Her legs felt the desire to move forward, to step into the secret door when a sickly feeling washed over her.

She hesitated, her foot hovering in mid-air and questioned it all. Did she want to know what was down there? Was it all worth it if her parents had gone to great lengths to prevent her from learning all these things?