Tell Me More

“Why is the sky blue?”

“I’m not sure Annabeth.”

“Salem, you must know why the sky is blue.”

“I told you Annabeth I don’t know.”

“Well, do you know why I’m here?”

“You know why you’re here Annabeth now stop asking these silly questions.”

“Can you please just tell me again?”

“Do you not remember?”

“No, not really so can you tell me”.

“Well, Anna your parents had an accident, and they-”

“I know that part skipped to why I’m here”.

“You need to know the whole story.”

“Now, where was I? Your parents-”

“What did they look like?”

“Anna, are you gonna keep interrupting me?”

“Sorry but I need to picture them.”

“Your mother was beautiful. She had brown hair like yours and green eyes. She had a wonderful way with words that always spoke to people.”

“Was she nice?”

“Yes, she was the nicest person I knew.”

“What about my father.”

“He had hazel eyes and a nose like yours. He was kind and had a warm aura. Your voice is like his except yours is softer.”

“So I have small pieces of them within me.”

“Well yes, that’s one way to put it.”

“Salem.”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me what happened tomorrow? I'm tired.”

“Of course get some rest.”

──── ⋆⋅✦⋅⋆ ────

“Time for breakfast Anna, wake up. Anna where are you?”

“Boo! Did I scare you?”

“Yes, I’m terrified.”

“Haha- can you finish telling me about my parents?”

“After you eat I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

“Fine.”

“Are you done?”

“I am so now can you tell me more?”

“Where do you want to start from?”

“The very beginning.”

“Okay, your parents met each other when they were in their 20s. I think your mother was around 23 and your father was around 25. They met in a cafe near the quiet part of town. Your dad had been visiting the state and your mom had lived there. They bumped into each other and everything sort of just happened.”

“How do you know all this?”

“They came around here and told us all about it?”

“Why did they come here to this place? This place is sad and my parents were happy.”

“We’ll get to that later but for now let me finish the story.”

“Oh alright.”

“Your parents loved each other so they decided to get married. A couple of years later and they had you, Annabeth Joelle Carter.”

“My name is pretty.”

“Your mother told us that the name just fit you and she was right. She said that once she saw you it was like a light bulb had gone off and it was the perfect name for you.”

“Back to the story, this is where it gets good because I’m born now.”

“Alright, where was I? So, you were born and they bought a house not too far from here. It was a beautiful house that was just the right size for your small family.”

“Can we go visit one day?”

“I’m afraid not but I’ll try.”

“That’s too bad. On with the story.”

“You were so happy in your home with your two wonderful parents until-”

“Can you tell me more about them before you tell me about the accident? I don’t want to be sad yet.”

“Your mother had the voice of an angel. She would sing every morning to the birds while your father read the newspaper. Your father had a love for writing and planned on publishing a book one day but sadly, that never got to happen.”

“Am I more like my father or mother?”

“I would say both. I’ve heard you hum a tune once and it was beautiful but I’ve also read some of your magnificent writing. They would be proud of you right now. They were always proud of you because you were their little girl. Their first and only daughter.”

“So I’m special?”

“Yes, Anna, very special.”

“I’m ready for you to tell me about the incident.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, now please hurry before I change my mind.”

“They had to go out to pick up a few things. They would only be gone for an hour or so. They were on their way back when something or someone blocked their path in the road. We still don’t know exactly what had happened but we assumed it was an animal. They stopped but there had been ice on the floor causing the car to spiral.”

“Wait, I’m not ready yet.”

“Anna you’re going to have to face the truth eventually.”

“Fine, tell me.”

“The car spiraled into the forest causing an explosion. A fire broke out and your parents were swallowed by it. Ambulances arrived shortly after because a car happened to drive by after the fire had erupted. Your mother made it out alive but your father died in the crash.”

“What happened to my mom?”

“She died on the way to the hospital. She was hysterically and heartbroken after the crash. Her husband had just died and you were at home unprotected. All the stress caused her heart to fail.”

“Was her heart not strong enough?”

“It was and that’s why it was able to survive that long. Anna, it comes to a point where something is too much to handle and things start to fall apart. It happens to the best of us which is why we need to find happiness in the small things.”

“How are you supposed to be happy after something like that?”

“You don’t. You let things happen and try to stay as calm as possible. You try to stay grounded in the things that comfort you to try and stay in one piece longer.”

“Can we stop for today?”

“Of course.”

“Salem?”

“Yes.”

“Why did my parents come here?”

“They wanted to adopt another child so you wouldn’t be so lonely.”

“But I wasn’t lonely.”

“They thought that once you were older you would want a sibling to keep you company.”