Evan wiped away a tear, the wetness and the action long unfamiliar. “I didn’t know. How could we have been so wrong?”
Maggie sighed, action familiar, constant over the years. “Because we were stupid. We wanted to blame her and we did. It was easier than blaming ourselves.”
Evan took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, haltingly, tiny repercussions among the silent cobwebs. “We have to tell the rest of the family.”
Maggie stiffened. “No!” Then relaxed. “Not everyone. Not yet. Think of the things we’ve done, what we’ve said. Things that are now lies, things that cannot be undone. We must take our time.”
“But what about her children? Surely they have the right to know. It could give them some peace.”
Maggie sighed again, another bead in her endless, twisted rosary. “And what peace will that be? How can there be peace learning that the person you hated did not do what made you hate them?”
“I would think there would be a lot of relief. After all these years.”
“Really, Evan? The story that we’ve told those children, the story they have been raised on, is a deception. A serious deception. Any time you rip away what someone has always believed in all their lives, there is going to be fallout. Even if the intentions are good. Trust is the hardest thing to get back once you lose it.”
Evan turned to look at his sister, now his only. “But we will tell them. And someday they will understand what we did.”
Maggie nodded, another bead touched. “Yes. And maybe.”
A crow, dark and glistening, flew over their heads, crossing the tiny graveyard and quickly disappearing.
The cobwebs rippled on the modest headstone, fluttering, brief glimpses of the chiseled year that changed everything.
Previously published, tiny changes made. This is the second in a series of stories inspired by one of Claudette’s posts involving her gorgeous photography. More to come, eventually…
Categories: Reflections
Bonnywood Manor 
Wow! Well done, Brian. That felt very real.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks, Lynette. Claudette is a terrific photographer, and her work just inspires me in a certain way…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Intriguing. I’m waiting for more.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I have some ideas on where to go with this, so we’ll see what happens…
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is different. In a good way. A very good way. It has moved me to a place where I cannot find the words.
Nicely done.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Maggie. I just followed where the photo took me…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, great story telling. Is there more on this?
LikeLiked by 2 people
There are several more pieces in the ongoing series inspired by Claudette’s photos but, so far, each entry is its own unique story. Perhaps I should do a sequel?
LikeLiked by 1 person
You should become one want to know more of what was going on. And your a good writer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was wonderful. Great writing. Of course now I want more.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you! I’ll mess around in my magical writing bag and see what I can pull out… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
left me wanting more; well done…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, sir!
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
“tiny repercussions among the silent cobwebs” … exquisite. I hope there is a forthcoming explanation though, because where my mind went? Not worth exploring. You are multi-faceted sir, and I’m glad you showed this side!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Sister! When I originally penned this, I initially meant for the “what happened” to be purposefully vague, other than whatever it was happened some time ago. I did have a back story in mind, but I wanted the reader to fill in his or her own blanks. Since you and several others are interested in finding out the “what”, I just might revisit this one. And I’m fairly certain what might be in your mind is probably not what was in mine…
LikeLike
I’m sure your thoughts on ‘what happened” bear no resemblence at all to what I filled in for ‘what happened.” But then I’ve been watching a lot of rather dark British murder mysteries lately and well, THAT’s where my mind went. With attendant unsavory sexual overtones. My bad! Uh….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm… I read this post, them immediately went in search of #1. I see by your other comments that people agree with the comment I left on #1😘🤩
LikeLiked by 2 people
As I mentioned in my response to your comment on #1, I really enjoy fiddling with a variety of genres, but most of the time Bonnywood gets the funny stuff and not so much of the serious. On a related note, this is why I was so enraptured of that one black-and-white photo you took of the time-worn but ornate double planter. There was so much going on in the image that story prompts were clicking away in my head…
LikeLiked by 1 person
If any of those prompts every join together into a full story, then please use the picture.
You can use any of my pictures. 😘
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Angie. I fully admit that I’m wretched when it comes to follow-through when I stumble over a story-prompt, as there are always so many ideas in my head that I often lose focus, but that planter image has a permanent place on my desktop until I do something with it…
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can let the lie uneasily lie until the day you die. Then it’s too late.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wise words. And yet we all still do it, to varying degrees…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Only human.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL. Truth is rather frightening, isn’t it? That’s so funny.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The Truth is always frightening to those who don’t want to face it, but it never goes away no matter how much one might wish it to do so… 😉
LikeLike
I wonder if there will be a big family row when things are revealed.
LikeLiked by 2 people
There are always family rows. The key is figuring out the balance between what is important and what is not…
LikeLike
I love this! But I’m dying to know the secret—will there be another instalment?!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Based on all of the comments, I feel compelled to continue the story. But it’s well-established that I have focus issues, and it might take me a bit before I poke another stick in this mess… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
As the actress said the the bishop…😁
LikeLiked by 1 person