to have a family discussion, privately at home, before we share anything."
As the five of us rode in the truck together, there was a dead silence. By the
time we pulled onto our property, Meg was sound asleep in Cole's lap.
“Carry her into my room, Cole,” Gram directed. She turned towards me.
“Mara, go grab Meg's favorite stuffed animals – the wolf and sheep. You know
how upset she’ll be if she wakes up and they’re not with her.”
I was confused why Gram would suggest the stuffed animals since they were
mine, not Meg's. I nodded, anyways, and went to my room as she directed, not
wanting to contradict her. My mind raced as I climbed the ladder. What is she trying to tell me? There must be something more she wanted me to see or do.
Does it have to do with Elliott?
I picked up my gray wolf and propped it up by my lamp. I carefully
examined it, trying to decipher the message Gram was trying to give me. I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. There was nothing that would help me
out, so I set the wolf down, again.
I picked up the small lamb. As I inspected every inch of it, I noticed the tiniest bit of red on the bottom of its white foot. Oddly, it didn't match the rest of the thread. Lightly tugging on the out of place filament, I felt a small movement.
I continued to gently tug on it until it slowly began to break free. After I had pulled it a few inches, it stopped.
I tugged harder, but it would not budge. Squeezing the small foot, I felt something hard inside. Taking a small pair of scissors from my nightstand, I carefully began cutting the fabric around the small opening. With my nails, I pulled on the red string until the hidden object popped out. At the end of the string, there was a small silver cylinder that was no bigger than my thumb.
Twisting the cap off the container, I found a rolled-up piece of lavender
paper. Eagerly, I spread it out and read the tiny words:
As grandmother lay in her bed, with her
big eyes and her big teeth, Red knew that it was a lie.
Removing the glamour before your eyes, Red, will not come easy.
Burn an incense made of the dried petals from the agrimony flower, dragon’s
blood resin, and spiny needles of a juniper tree.
Before lighting the incense, the wolf – in disguise – must consume two small
petals of the yellow rue.
– BE WARNED –
Too much rue will reveal the truth,
But death will come to the one ingesting.
After reading the note several times and having memorized the ingredients, I
carefully rolled it up and put it back into the cylinder. With the animals in hand
and the container tucked safely inside my boots, I stopped at my jewelry box to
look at my father's picture. Yes, the man downstairs was – in appearance – my
father, but why would he return, today, of all days? I knew the answers to my questions would be revealed whether I was ready or not.
Climbing down the ladder, I could see Elliott sitting at the kitchen table, drinking from a coffee cup. When I reached the second to the last rung, Cole pulled me into his arms and greeted me with a kiss.
“Anything you need me to do, just let me know,” Cole quietly whispered in my ear as he gently set me down.
Kissing him on the cheek, I whispered back, “Put on your best face. You’re
going to meet your future father-in-law.”
Cole and I walked, hand-in-hand, towards Elliott. When he saw me, his eyes
lit up. “Marina, my dear, wow, you are so grown up. Who is this?” He gestured
at Cole. “Please, join me. Come tell me all that I have missed.”
