The Secret in the Safe
Mom had been in the hospital for a week. Dad and I went home to grab some of her things—her favorite robe, her skincare set, a few books. We were moving through her list like clockwork, nothing unusual.
That is, until I opened the safe.
I had only gone in to grab her jewelry box, but what I found made my stomach twist. Right on top, there was a note in her careful handwriting:
**”DON’T SHOW LUCY.”**
I stared at it, my pulse pounding. The thing is… I’m Lucy.
Beneath the note was an old VHS tape, its label worn and faded.
My hands trembled as I picked it up. What could be on it that I wasn’t supposed to see?
Glancing over my shoulder to make sure Dad was still downstairs, I slipped into the den. We still had an old VCR hooked up to the TV—Dad never got rid of it.
I slid the tape in.
The screen flickered. Static buzzed. Then, an image emerged.
It was my mom. She looked younger, maybe in her twenties, sitting in a dimly lit room. Her face was pale, her eyes darting nervously toward the camera.
Then she spoke.
*”If you’re watching this… it means the truth is coming out. And Lucy—sweetheart—if it’s you… I’m so sorry.”*
I swallowed hard. What truth?
*”There’s something you don’t know about your past. About… who you really are.”*
The room felt smaller, suffocating.
*”I wanted to tell you a hundred times, but I was too afraid. Afraid of what it would do to you. Afraid of what he would do to me.”*
My stomach churned. *He?* Who was *he*?
Suddenly, a shadow moved in the background of the tape. Mom gasped, and the screen went dark.
The tape cut off.
I sat frozen, my breath ragged.
What had I just seen? What was my mother hiding?
And more importantly…
Who was she afraid of?