The Secret Spot

                   "'Cause I'm zero to sixty in three point five
                   Baby you got the keys-
                   Now shut up and drive."

"Shut Up and Drive" by Rihanna

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[1]

         Dearest Craig,
         I have been meaning to write to you for a while.  Sorry it took me so long.  At least I kept my promise, right? ;)
         Anyway, I'm back in Newburyport for a little bit and I thought it would be nice to see you again.  Remember, 'Lil Bro when we used to play in that giant park? Good times.  Well meet me at our secret spot in Maudslay State Park tomorrow at 7:30 PM.  I know you remember where that is, too.  How could we forget!

With love from your big sister,
Tiffany  :)

         Twenty-two-year-old, Craig read the letter to his sister, Tiffany, out loud.  They both laughed in amusement.
         Tiffany asked, "When did you get it?"
         "I got it in the mail," Craig said happily, "You even wrote it yesterday!"  He looked at his watch.  It read Seven PM exactly.  He grabbed his jacket took his keys and walked out the door merrily.
         Tiffany was already at the car, waiting for him.  She waited for him to get in the vehicle.  Craig sat down and started his car, as he drove off he waved "bye" to his older sister.  She waved back.
         "You don't think it's strange?" she said, sitting in the passenger's seat.
         "What do you mean?" He asked.
         "I wrote you a letter, telling you meet me at our old 'secret spot'."
         "So?" Craig responded.
         Tiffany turned to Craig, "I died four years ago, 'Lil Bro.  You and I know this."
         He muttered to the empty passenger's seat, "I know."

[2]

         "We made it."  Craig announced aloud. He parked in the lot to look at the park:
         Trees; Grass; Hills.  He took the simplicity as a gift as he studied the view from the September sunset illuminating the sky.  This view he thought, never gets old.
         "I agree." said Tiffany, standing beside him.
         "Do you see that?" Craig pointed at a cemented road that cut across Maudslay State Park; this strange paved path branched off from the street the two siblings were on. 
         "When did that get there?"  She said curiously.
         "Just- now." Was all he could say.  He turned to look at Tiffany, who already seemed to be in the car.
         "Ya comin'?" She asked.
         Craig smiled at her and walked to the car, he tried to start the engine but it was a vain attempt.  He felt for the letter in his pocket when he found it he held the keys in his hand and tried again.
         As he began driving he looked at the letter unknowingly, almost with instinct.  New words were written, as if there was never ink on the paper before:

         No going back, now.  You’re so close! I know it.

         What the- Craig looked at his watch; it was still Seven PM.  As he drove on this strange road in the Park, he noticed something- something he couldn't explain to a sane person.
         He was driving by and witnessing his memories.

[3]

         Craig, six, was looking around for Tiffany, who was two years his senior.  It was night-time in their vast, haunted back-yard and all he saw were strange monsters waiting to get him hiding behind each tree, moving so slow, that the untrained eye could not register this properly.  Every six year old was gifted with keen vision, so Craig knew better.  He felt so alone and trapped in this evil entity people called darkness.  "T- T- Tiffy?" He said quietly, in hopes that only she could hear him.  He began to tear-up "Tiffy?"  Moments of unwanted silence still plagued him.  He started to panic, "TIFFY!"  He began crying and hunched over into the fetal position so the monsters wouldn't see him.  In Craig's last desperation he shouted with terror, torment, and tears, "TIFFY-y-y-y-y-y-y..."  He started crying and could not stop.  Then one of the monsters grabbed him, he cried louder. He turned to it and implored, "Please don't hurt me!"
         "I'm not gonna hurt you,” Said his eight-year-old sister, “I was just playing around, that's all."
         Craig wiped through his tears, "I- was- so scared." He leaned forward and embraced her in a hug of relief.  He didn't want to let go.
         "I'm sorry," she said, "I'll never leave you again, I promise."
         "Promise?"  He leaned back to see her face.
         She smiled, "Promise."

[4]

         Craig felt himself began to cry, but held it in him.  How am I driving by these, but they move with me? He looked over at his older sister, "You were always there for me, you know."
         Tiffany just smiled and looked at him as she faded into a younger, thirteen-year old version of herself.  She then pointed out her window and faded.  Craig looked out her window and saw her younger-teen self standing by their old school from when they were kids.

[5]

         "Hey Lil' Bro."  She said as Craig walked out of school.  She could tell from any distance he was unhappy.  "You alright?"
         "I'm fine." he said trying to sound apathetic, but sadness still could be heard from his voice. 
         "Can I show you somethin'?"  She said.
         "WHAT?" He snapped.
         "Hey- no need to be angry.  I just want to show you somethin' that's all."
         "What is this 'something'?"
         She leaned over and whispered, "It's a secret spot!"
         "Really?" 
         "Yeah, come with me I'll show you."
         "But what about Mom and Dad? Are they gonna know?"  He hoped not.
         "Nope," reassured Tiffany, "Only us."
         "Alright, where is it?"  He asked.
         "It's in that giant park." 
         His eyes glowed. "Okay!"
         Tiffany brought Craig to the secret spot.  She felt better now, knowing that he did too.

[6]

         I guess that means we're almost there.  He drove by many pleasant heart warming memories. 
         Until...

[7]

         Craig drove by his house to see his younger self.  While driving he caught a glimpse of Tiffany in a car backing out of their family's driveway.  He whirled around and couldn't believe what he saw.  No. This can't be.

         Tiffany backed out of the driveway waving to her family, 'bye'.  They waved back. 
         Eighteen year old Craig reminded her, "Don't forget to write back to me." 
         "You know I will."  She said and winked.
         Their parents said things like "Enjoy College."  "Have fun!" Don't do anything that I wouldn't do." And so on. 
         Craig turned and looked at his parents, "We need a phone." He said jokingly.
         His father laughed, "Maybe later."
         Hours later a knock came to the door.  "I'll get it." announced Craig has he walked over, and opened the door.  A police officer stood before.  Baffled, Craig said, "Can I help you?"
         "Is this the Sunry family?" Asked the police officer.
         "Yeeesss?"  Craig wanted a straight answer as to why this officer was here.
         "Are your parents home?"
         Craig sighed, yelled up the stairs, "Mom, Dad, there's a cop down here."
         The parents came down with the same face of confusion.  "Is something wrong, officer?"
         The police officer looked down as to how they would say such a phrase. "Do you have a daughter named Tiffany?"

         Older driving Craig: "Don't say it.  Don't say it. Don't say ..."

         There eyes widened, "Yes." Was all the mother could say.
         The father asked, "Is she alright?"

         Driving Craig felt himself wanting to cry again, "Don'tsayitdon'tsayitdon'tsay... please don't."

         The police officer looked at them each in the eye, "I regret to inform you that your daughter Tiffany A. Sunry, has died this evening at Seven-Thirty PM.  She was a victim of a hit and run.” 
Craig held back his tears,

         TIFFY-y-y-y-y-y-y...

[8]

         "I'm sorry Tiffany, I didn't always want to rely on you but you promised you wouldn't leave.  YOU PROMISED!"  He halted the car and began to cry while having to re-live that one horrible scene all over again.  "I love you Big Sis'!"  He reached in his pocket and pulled out his letter.
         Me too. ;)
         Just keep going, don't give up.

[9]

         People walked up to eighteen year old Craig during the funeral.
         A common thing said to him was, "I'm sorry for your loss."
         "What loss?"  He asked with no emotion on his face.  Each person that heard this walked away from him with some mixed emotion as to why her little brother would say that.  He looked over, with a smile, at Tiffany, "Where's my letter?"
         She laughed, "You'll get it someday, I promise."

[10]

         It took me years, until I figured out that she was really- well- passed.
         It took Craig four years. 

[11]

         Dearest Tiffany,
         You haven’t written to me in a LONG while.  That's alright.  I can still wait.  This may seem strange but I still remember our secret spot after all of these years.  Weird, right?  It's always the bits and pieces of the little happy things people remember the most, I guess.  Miss you Big Sis'.

With love from your little brother,
Craig  :)

         He grabbed his jacket and his keys and put the letter in his pocket.
         "A letter for me?"  Tiffany asked.
         "Mind the chicken scratch."
         They laughed.
         "I should be at work soon." He stated.  He leaned forward and embraced a hug of caring.
         "See you."  She said. 
         "You got it."
         The same routine of him entering the car and her appearing in it later was still in effect.  During the quick drive to work they talked about how much fun they had as kids.  Craig was so engrossed in the conversation, that he did not notice his red-light at the intersection.  Nor did the eighteen-wheeler.  They both crossed paths.  Only the eighteen-wheeler and its driver made it.
         Craig woke up the next day to find out she finally wrote back.

[12]

         Craig stopped his car and looked at his watch: 7:30 PM. 
         He looked around:
         No more pavement.  Just grass and trees. 
         Craig noticed he wasn't even in the car, anymore.  He was in their Secret Spot. 
         "Hey 'Lil Bro."  Said a familiar and cheery voice.
         "Big Sis'?"
         "Yeah.  Who else would I be?" She laughed.
         "Like- real."
         "Yes, real, I'm no longer in your head," She said sweetly, "I'll always be with you, Craig, I promise."
         "Promise?"
         She smiled, "Promise."

END