The Fairy Tale That Wasn't

The Fairy Tale That Wasn't

We were playing in Mother's room like we always did on weekends. It made us feel closer to Dad. He was away serving in the Army. We could still smell his aftershave on his pillow. The blankets were Army green.
When we ran out of energy this time, we decided to read from The Silver Book of Fairy Tales. It was a nice book, even though the binding was worn. We called it the silver book because the title was embossed across the front in silver lettering on a brown cover. Mom had told us not to touch the book, it was an heirloom from her grandmother. We loved hearing Mom do all the voices of the characters. We were bored, and fairy tales sounded like a good idea.
When I picked up the book, a letter fell out. It had been carefully folded. Tom begged me to just put everything back. He pulled my pigtails. I squished his nose. We struggled with it, almost throwing the book, and sending the letter flying. We both took a breath, and I picked up the letter. I told Tom that the letter might give us a reason why Mom cried so much lately. He stopped fighting with me and sat sucking his thumb.
I unfolded the paper carefully. It was a notice from the Army. They were sorry to inform that Sgt Matt Reardon had been killed in the line of duty. The letter continued, but we knew what it meant. Tom began to sob into his blankie. I couldn't stop trembling. Mom had not said anything to us about it. I suppose she didn't want to hurt us.
I wish I had put everything back without reading it like Tom had wanted.
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