Briter Days

Mike K.

Begun: July 23, 2004

-

Finished: October 18, 2004

Who are we?

Where do we come from?

Why are we here?

A family history can tell a story. Some can even tell more than that. However, what if you don't know who your family is? Does that mean you do not know who you are either?

Ch. 1

Kristen Brite, a young girl of 15 was walking down the newly paved Willow Road in the town of Coldberg. Despite its name, Coldberg was located on the California coast and had never even seen the white mystery of snow since the first gold rush. An old mining family who had discovered a small fortune in gold had established Coldberg. The town flourished.

I wonder why they repaved this road…, thought Kristen. She had lived in Coldberg all her life and had never even seen a crack or pothole on Willow Road (not to mention on any other road). This, as well as many other small things to come would keep her up for hours at night.

"Kristen! Hey Kristen, behind you," cried a young voice from behind her.

Kristen barely had time to turn around before being knocked to the ground by a massive force that could only be driven by a bulldozer, or a very energetic small child.

"Owwwww," moaned Kristen.

"Oh, sorry about that Kristy," said that young voice.

"That's okay", said Kristen as she stood up and dusted nothing from her denim shorts.

"Why do you always do that Kristy? You know that there's no litter or anything on the roads here in town. The maintenance crews keep this place really clean!"

"I know," said Kristen," It's just instinct I guess."

Why wasn't there any litter in town? She had never thought about it before. Now that she did think about it, it rather freaked her out.

"Well, I gotta go Kristy, buh bye!"

"Okay then, see ya later Jamie!"

As she started walking down Willow Road again she started to daydream about how she and Jamie had first met. It had all begun when Kristen was just four years old, Kristen had been playing at the local playground near the beach when this tanned boy had walked up and asked if he could play with Kristen's pail and shovel. She, like most small children are at that age, said no. The little boy, being a small child as well, took the shovel and pail and began to run away with it. Yet again, being a small child, Kristen had begun to cry. After a few moments of crying "Little" Kristen felt a hand on her shoulder. As she looked up with tear-stained eyes, she noticed a young girl, no older than she was. This little girl was Jamie. Jamie had short brown hair and a delightful little smile that would even make Ebenezer Scrooge want to give some of his gold to the needy.

In a matter of moments, Kristen and Jamie had become close friends. When Kristen had to go, Jamie had to leave as well. Ever since that day, (even though Kristen never did get her pail and shovel back) Kristen and Jamie have been close friends.

As she had gotten to the end of the street, it began to rain. Oh no, now I'm going to get soaked, thought Kristen as she began to walk back up Willow Road. Halfway up the street the light rain had turned into a big storm. Kristen's' once chocolate colored hair now looked like a big mud river running down her back. The weather report earlier this morning had said clear skies for the rest of the week; this was a strange change of events. "What the heck?" At the edge of the road where Willow Road met up with Main Street, the rain had cut in two. "So peculiar…" Kristen looked at the raindrops that were falling as the edge of the road. Each of the falling rain drops were cut in half! She stepped through the sheet of "half drops" and came out onto Main Street. As she looked back, she just noticed that the rain was only falling on the side of Willow Road; Main Street was completely dry. "This is so peculiar" Astounded by this strange phenomenon, Kristen stepped between the sheet of "half drops" a few more times just to see if it was really happening. After a few moments of walking back and forth through the rain wall Kristen determined that she was not hallucinating. "Maybe, maybe I'm just dreaming. But then how can I feel the water?" As she turned around to head home, she noticed that the ground on the rainy side had not even gotten wet despite the heavy downpour. "This is, amazing!" Another discovery Kristen made before going home was that the rain was falling from nowhere; there were no clouds in the sky at all. Maybe it was a miracle or something, but there was nothing needing saving, or was there?

Later that night, as she got home, Kristen lay in her bed thinking about the mysterious downpour at Willow Road. Why did it start raining all of a sudden? Moreover, where was this rain coming from?

"Kristen, dinner," called Kristen's mother

"I'm not hungry mom," called back Kristen

As she lay back down Kristen had one final thought before falling into the realm of sleep, Why was it only raining on Willow Road?

The next morning Kristen woke up at 6 o'clock sharp to hear the sparrows chirp in the high branches of the tree that was right outside her bedroom window. She had wanted a room on the top floor of her house when she was little just for this reason. "It's so beautiful to wake up with nature like this," she said aloud. As she got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast she noticed that one of the pictures that hung on the wall next to the stairway was missing, the frame was there but no picture. Maybe mom took it out and put it in another frame elsewhere, she wondered as she entered the sunlit kitchen. The kitchen was located on the side of the house, so when you wanted to leave you would go out through the side door and come out right in between the front and backyard. "Morning Mom," said Kristen cheerfully. There was a note on the table.

-Kristen

Had to leave early. There's milk and juice in the fridge. I'll be home late so make yourself dinner.

-Mom

Kristen's mother was in real estate and often left early to get a jump on showing dilapidated houses to naïve tourists wanting to buy a summer cottage.

Kristen thought it was kind of a bad way to make money, lying to people just to get them to buy something, but she couldn't complain, Kristen has never really needed anything because business had been so well for her mother; even though her father had left Kristen when she was young, she and her mother had gotten off very well on their own. She really didn't remember her father that well, but guessed it was a good thing because she was so little and didn't have any good or bad memories to cry over.

As she ate, she wondered again about the rain on Willow Road. She still could not come up with a good enough explanation as to why it had started raining, or how it had started. Maybe after school she would stop by there again and see if anything was out of the ordinary.

During school all Kristen could think about was Willow Road. She was relieved when the eighth period bell rang and her school finally let out. The school was located on a small hillside overlooking the beach. Most of the kids would head down there after school to swim or work on their tans before the year round sun seekers came to hog up the beach. Sometimes Kristen would go down there with her friends just to hang out, but today she was on a mission, and nothing could get in her way.

It only took her about twenty minutes to get to Willow Road (ten minutes by running all the way). When she got there, she didn't see anything strange, at first. After looking around for a small bit, she decided to walk down the road. Just like the day before it started to rain once she got to the end of the street. As she ran up the street, she noticed that the raindrops were cut in half again at the junction of Willow Road and Main Street. For some reason, Kristen felt that she should not go through the wall of "half drops". She did not know why, she just felt that she should not. "How strange, why do I have this feeling? Is there something here that I need to see?" As if by answering the rain of drops increased into an even thicker wall. "What does this mean?"

Ch. 2

That evening Kristen told her mother that she would be eating her dinner at the beach. As she packed her basket of food, she noticed something under the handle of her basket. "What's this?" She noticed that whatever it was it had rubbed off into her hand. "Wow! What is this stuff?" As she looked down at her palm, she at first thought what she saw was powdered gold. However, that wasn't possible, was it? There hadn't been any gold found in Coldberg for at least fifty years, and even if there had been any, why would it be underneath Kristen's basket?

"Wow what Kristen," asked her mom as she walked into the kitchen"

"Oh, uh, nothing Mom," said Kristen hastily as she put her hand behind her back.

"Well, okay then. You better hurry if you want to get a good spot on the beach before all the tourists settle in to watch the sunset."

"Right, I'll be off then!"

"Take care, and be home before eleven!"

As she started walking down Wicker Bend, (that was the name of the street that Kristen and her mom lived on) she began to think about that strange golden powder she had found underneath the basket handle.

"What was that stuff?"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her hand again, the mysterious powder was gone! "Wow," she exclaimed, "that's never happened before!" How could this be, she wondered. This HAS never happened before. The only logical explanation would be that there was a hole in her pocket, but her jeans were hole less because they were new. Where did that golden powder go? Could it have just vanished, or did it never exist in the first place? Is this all a dream? If so, why can I feel the light breeze in the air that can only come from the ocean? Maybe I've gone insane! Maybe I'm actually locked up in an asylum with people who think they're airplanes and toasters! "No! I'm not crazy! I know that that powder existed and that it was in my hand! I know for a fact because, because, because I don't know why I believe it existed…" People were now staring at a 15-year-old girl, screaming at herself at the top of her lungs. Kristen blushed and sat down in the sand and began to set up her picnic. Wow, how embarrassing. I hope I didn't look like to much of a fool.

As she ate, she thought about the mysterious gold powder, the wall of "half drops", and the reason why all of this was happening to her? The sun began to set and of course, all the tourists started to rush in like some sort of army marching into combat. How rude of these people! It is the local's beach and we should be able to enjoy it in peace!

"Hey, little girl," called one of the tourists, "Could you like, move? Me and my girlfriend want the best place to watch the sunset, and you're on it."

"No," replied Kristen, "You and your girlfriend will just have to find another spot. I was here first and I don't feel like moving."

The tourist, now feeling slightly embarrassed because he was told off by a teenage girl replied, "Hey, look here little girl, without our business your little piece of paradise would be gone! Yeah, that's right; your town depends on money from people like me to keep it going."

"Well then I think that people like YOU ought not to be allowed into MY little piece of paradise," retorted Kristen matter-of-factly.

"Oh, that is so it little kid. I'm gonna go find a cop, c'mon Kristy!"

The tourist grabbed his girlfriend by the arm and stormed off to find the beach officer. Kristen just sat there for moment, thinking about the argument she had just had with some random person over a piece of sand to watch the sunset (which was now almost over).

"Did he, call his girlfriend Kristy?"

"There she is officer! There's the girl who picked a fight with my girlfriend!"
"What," Kristen quickly turned around and saw the tourists from before marching over to her with a thin officer in blue.

"Hello Kristen," said the officer

"Hello Officer McDaniels," greeted back Kristen.

"Kristen, this man has told me that you walked over to him and his girlfriend here and kicked sand in their faces. Following that, you said that his girlfriend was ugly and deserved to be locked back up in the pound. Is this true?"

Shocked, Kristen replied, "Officer McDaniels! You know that I would never do something like that!"

"I know Kristen, but it's his word against yours."
"Officer McDaniels! Please, you've got to hear my side of the story!"

"Fine, just tell me what happened in your own words," he said calmly.

"Okay, I was just sit-"

"After we talk to your mother"

Kristen let out a long sigh and sat in the officer's police cruiser while he talked to the tourists' and helped them fill out an abuse and complaint report. As he started to walk back, he smiled at Kristen, as if to say that he will believe her story over theirs, no matter how much they support Coldberg.

"You know Kristen," said the officer as he got into the car, "you really should be careful, especially during the summer. The beach goers do support the town, and in doing so, have a sort of power and superiority over us natives."

"I know," said Kristen dismally, "but is there anything we can do to take their money but keep them away?"

The officer laughed whole-heartedly as he started the car and drove Kristen home. When they got back to her house, Kristen reluctantly knocked on the door and began to tell her mother everything once she answered.

"And that's what happened Officer McDaniels, honest!"

"I believe you Kristen," said the police officer as he took another sip of coffee from the glass given to him by Kristen's mother.

"You know Kristen, maybe you shouldn't hang out at the beach anymore this summer."

"But Mom, all my friends go there after school!"

"Kristen," said her mother in a stern voice only a parent could manifest, "I just think that it's for the best. Besides, there are other fun places where you can hang out with your friends."

"Like what," argued Kristen.

"Like the uh…copper mill down at the other end of town."

"That closed three years ago Mom."

"Okay then, how about the video arcade?"

"Mom, I'm not five anymore. In addition, don't even say the mall; it's filled with tourists as well. Face it, the beach is ours and they shouldn't be allowed onto it!

"Kristen, that's my decision and you will follow it without question! You are not allowed to go back to the beach while the tourists are there. Do you understand?"

"Yes mother," said Kristen in her last rebellious effort to stand up for herself.

Kristen's mother stood up and bid Officer McDaniels goodnight. By the time she returned to the kitchen to talk to Kristen she was already half way up the stairs to her room. When Kristen got up to her room she sat down at her desk and took out a medium sized book that was white with golden framing on the front. As she opened it up faces filled her eyes. Her father left this photo album to her. He was an angler and often sailed everywhere to pick up exotic fish to cook or to just take pictures of. One day he said he was going to sail to the Orient, and take pictures of the pink dolphins and catch some shrimp. That was twelve years ago. Being part of an angler's family Kristen and her mother expected the worst had happened after a month of no contact from the Silver Minnow, which was the name of her father's boat. She wanted him back more than ever now. She didn't want her father back because of the money and good food; she wanted him back because she had so many questions that she knew she couldn't ask her mother about. Why was Willow Road paved over? Why did it always rain when Kristen got to the end of the street? Why did it only rain half drops? More importantly, why couldn't she and not the tourists go to the beach she practically grew up on? The most important question of all though was why hadn't her father contacted her and her mother? Had he even tried to come back? Why wasn't he here right now? "Why Daddy? Why can't I answer any of these questions alone? Why don't I know what that powder was underneath the picnic basket?" The picnic basket! I left it at the beach! "Oh no," she moaned. "How am I going to get it back now? Someone must have picked it up by now, and besides, I'm not supposed to go to the beach while those horrid tourists are there anyway. Oh, I really want the basket back, especially because of that gold powder underneath the handle. What if someone has already picked it up! I have to go back to the beach tomorrow and look for it! The tourists can't be so mean as to steal a basket full of food from somebody, can they?"

The next day after school Kristen went over to the beach (despite her mother's command not to) and looked around. From what she could tell, the basket was not here. She went to her second plan, the return counter. At the Coldberg beach, there was a return counter for lost or stolen property. Kristen walked over there and asked the person at the counter if she had seen anyone return her basket or walk off with it last night. The woman said no. If the basket wasn't on the beach it and it wasn't at the return counter, then where could it be? As she started walking back home she noticed a small trail of glitter on the street. Being the curious girl she was she began to follow the trail. After a bit she noticed that she had begun to walk down Willow Street. Even though Kristen noticed this, she continued to walk down this now most peculiar street.

She had reached the end of the street by the time she noticed the basket. As she bent down to pick it up she noticed that the golden trail had somehow started (or ended) inside the basket because there was a small pile of it inside where the food was. Now though, the food wasn't in the basket, instead, there was a photograph. "What the?" After she picked it up and had examined it, she began to cry.

Ch. 3

By the time she got home, she was soaked, but Kristen hadn't even noticed the rain or the fact that she had left the basket back at Willow Street. The only thing she brought back with her was the photograph she had found. She entered through the back door. At the moment, Kristen didn't feel like talking to anyone. As she came in her mother got up from the table and walked over to Kristen.

"Kristen, where have you been? I've been so worried. I was about to call the police!"

"…"

"What's wrong? Say something! Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?"

"No, I-I'm fine."

"Then what's the matter? It's 9 o'clock! I was about to call the police!"

Kristen hadn't realized it had gotten so late. Her school got out at 3:40 and it took five minutes to get to the beach. It didn't take that long to get to Willow Road either. Where had all the time gone? "Kristen! Kristen tell me what happened!

As she sat down her mother wrapped a warm towel around her. "How did you get so wet?"

"Mom, what is this," asked Kristen without making eye contact with her mother and handing her the photograph.

"It's a picture."

"Of what?"

Her mother let out a long sigh and said, "Kristen, can we talk about this in the morning? You've had a long night and I-"

"No," screamed Kristen, "I want to talk now! Tell me, what is this a picture of?"

"Fine," said her mother in a solemn tone, "This man, in the center, is your great- grandfather. This boy next to him is your grandfather."
"But, why are they all dirty, and why is this picture brown and white?"

"Because Kristen, this picture was taken when the first gold mine was discovered here in Coldberg."

"What? You mean Grandpa helped found the town?"

"No Kristen, you Great-Grandfather did. "

"That explains the missing picture."

"Yes"

"Why didn't you tell me this before," yelled Kristen. A now jolt of excitement running through her had sparked her interest even more in this mystery of questions and facts.

"I didn't want it to all go to your head," said her mother with a strange anger behind each word.

"Why," screamed Kristen, "Why didn't you want me to know about my famous heritage? Why didn't you want me to know that we were rich? Why didn't you-"

"Rich," screamed her mother, "You think we're rich? All the gold was used to found this town. After that, it was every person for themselves. The family left nothing for future generations! Nothing!"

"I-I hate you," wailed Kristen as she got up and ran up the stairs to her room.

"Kristen," called her mother.

That night, Kristen lay in her bed and thought about the recent events. That photograph didn't answer many questions. In addition, Kristen really wasn't sure why it had made her cry when she found it. The real question was, what was the significance of Willow Road, and what was the real reason that her mother never told her any of this before?

The following days contained no answers or excitement for Kristen. The only change was the stone-cold silence between her and her mother. This, to Kristen's advantage, allowed her to get her thoughts together. By the fourth day however, this silence began to make her feel like the relationship between her and her mother had become dormant.

"Mom," said Kristen as she walked into her mother's room, "Mom, I was wondering if you could help me with my algebra homework. Mrs. Killehurst said this was our last assignment and that it would cover all of this year's lessons. Please Mom?

Her mother looked up from the papers she was working with on her bed.

"…Okay, apology accepted. Get up here kiddo," said her mom with a tired smile from staying up late at night dealing with stress.

With a relieved smile, Kristen jumped up onto the bed and said, "So, how about some pizza?"

The next day Kristen handed over her assignment at the last bell to her teacher and walked off to Willow Road. "Today I'm going to find out something about this place." As she started to walk down the road, a loud crash came from behind Kristen. As she looked back her fears were confirmed, a tree had fallen onto Willow Road, blocking the only exit. "Oh no," moaned Kristen, "oh well, I guess now I have to go on. I also have to get the basket back."

As she got closer to the end of the road, a small breeze began to pick up. It was as if she was near the beach. "Where did I find the basket earlier?" As she searched, she noticed the same golden trail from before. Kristen followed the trail all the way to the end of the road. As it began to rain, Kristen noticed that some of the ground had sunk in the way a pothole would. How strange, thought Kristen, they had just repaved this road. Once she walked over to the strange fissure, she noticed that the rain was not falling directly into the hole, just around it, leaving the middle clear and dry. "What's down here," asked Kristen to herself. After picking out a strange wooden box, she quickly noticed its age. The box was extremely old, at least from World War II, maybe even older.

After examining the chest for a few moments curiosity got the better of Kristen and she felt the now demanding urge to open the box. "Well," she said hesitantly, "it's not like it belongs to anybody, right?" As she was picking up the chest, Kristen noticed that four small trails of golden powder were falling from each of the four corners of the box. To this, Kristen let out no less than a small gasp. If this had happened on the first day of these strange events she would have screamed but now, all she did was shrug and open the lid to the trunk.

The first thing Kristen noticed when the dust from the box settled and strangely, (and ironically as well) a few moths flew out, Kristen discovered a small collection of weather tattered papers bound together with an ancient leather strap. "What's this," asked Kristen as she stood up with the chest under her arm and the papers in her hand.

As she walked back up the road towards her house Kristen noticed that the log that had blocked her way on the way down the road had rolled (or maybe even been moved) to the side, leaving only a faint golden trail where the log had been to where it was now. After sprinting towards home and locking herself in her room, for privacy, did Kristen begin to read the papers. "Let's see what these are and why I found them," she said as she dried off with a towel she had grabbed on the way up. Carefully untying the leather strap and setting it inside the chest, Kristen began to immerse herself into the tattered old pages.

January 14

The dig has begun and I feel very well about it. If my maps are correct then I feel that all of my crew and family will become prosperous and happily insured for life in the future. Before I decided to come here, I heard great things of the Western lands from the mouths of those who said they knew Louis and Clark. I am not sure if they actually knew the two great explorers, but I did know that this Western Coast was new and relatively vacant, which meant that most to all of the resources there have yet to be excavated. Therefore, I decided to give up my dull, poor life and take the risk by moving my family and what little possessions we had and move with the first caravan that was leaving for this new and strange land.

Many were opposed to those who were going, and more so my family and I because, back in the East I was a teacher of the world and knew very well the risks that I was bound to take. Either way, my wife was and still is devoted to me and believed in my decision. So here, we are now and I believe and still always have that, this was the right choice to make.

-

February 10

The dig was successful! We have struck gold and have started construction on the first Western Coast Town. I am still unsure of the name, but I wish to keep some of my Eastern memories with me and I am very fond of the title of Coldberg; due to those cold winters, that we had back home and have no signs of here. Apparently, word got back home and I have heard rumor of many more people coming to this side of the country to mine what gold we have not yet found, which I believe, is still a sufficient amount.

As the saying goes, "Good things come to those who wait." I waited and got that good thing that I was hoping for, a child. My wife, my dear sweet and loving companion in all my crazy ideas and adventures has been blessed with a child, a beautiful baby boy. We named him Christopher and have hopes that one day he will be ale to help me build, what I unfortunately will not be around to see the end of, a town of prosperous and happy people.

"This, this is a journal! My Great-Grandfathers journal," exclaimed Kristen silently as she read on. After a few hours of reading and re-reading the journal, Kristen was assured that this was her Great-Grandfather's journal and that his house, the house that he founded this town on, was at the end of Willow road, waiting for her to find it.

Ch. 4

Tonight was the night that Kristen planned to solve this mystery. Tonight she would go all the way down Willow Road and down into the forest where her family secret was being kept, hidden from the prying eyes of those who wanted to claim something that only Kristen could have, her heritage.

"Kristen, slow down! You're not trying to inhale your dinner are you?"

"Sorry mom," said Kristen between forkfuls of spaghetti," I just uh, have something that I need to do and want to get a quick start on it."

"What's so important that you have to risk choking yourself on spaghetti," asked her mother in a concerned tone.

Restraining a smile from the silliness of her mother's question Kristen replied, "It's for a…history paper I'm doing, for school."

"Okay," said her Kristen's mother warily," I don't want you staying out too late though, okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't," said Kristen as she got up, gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek and then ran out the door into the night

As she ran down Willow Road with the speed that only excitement could fuel, Kristen's head began to fill with images of what she might find. A mansion? A house full of gold? Or something even better? Like she would ever any of those things though. Finally, as is her feet couldn't run fast enough, Kristen was at the end of Willow Road. The only thing in front of her was a darkened trail covered by trees, the trail (which many rumored to be haunted) was an old dirt trail, which hadn't been walked upon for years.

"Well," said Kristen hesitantly, "this is it. This is where all these strange mysteries and half-answers end and the truth finally comes out into the light of the open." As she ventured down that that ancient dirt trail, the rain on Willow Road began to turn into hail as Kristen stepped onto the trail. Without looking back Kristen walked on, only to turn a corner into the darkened woods that encircled Coldberg. She had never been in the forest before, but for some reason she knew which way to go.

After about an hour of walking the trail, Kristen came to where she had been wanting to go ever since this mystery unfolded itself to her, this was where all the answers she was looking for would be held. This ancient cabin in front of her was the treasure chest, and Kristen had the key.

Once she got to the front door, she felt like running inside and just begin to scour the place, but, she felt another side of her that knocking would be more polite. So she knocked three times, after a few seconds the ancient wooden door opened, and then fell off its top hinge and falling to an angle. "Oh wow, this place seems to be falling apart just by being touched. As she walked inside and looked around, she discovered no furniture except an old table in the center of the room, and a small child-like chair against the far right wall. The only thing that really stood out was the small box that was sitting on the table. Everything else was, grey, dusty, and lifeless. This box however was red, with black metal lining and golden like studs running along and incrusting the top. There was no dust on it and it had seemed rather new and out of place in a place like this. "This-this is it," said Kristen in a semi-frightened tone as she slowly walked towards the table and placed her hands on the small box.

She hesitated for a bit, and then forced herself to slowly open the box.

As she did, an incredibly bright light emitted from inside until the room flashed and shone with the light of a hundred lighthouses. As quickly as it had happened, it ended, and Kristen was yet again alone in the grey cabin room with this beautifully mysterious box left open in front of her. Yet again, she hesitated as she picked up the first piece of paper on top of the others. It was a rolled up piece of weather tattered paper bound together by an ancient leather strap, just like the pages of her Great-Grandfather's journal had been.

Quickly she removed the strap and read the paper, not once, but twice. It read:

My Dearest Kristen,

If you are reading this then I presume that you have gone through much in search of what all these strange incidents mean. I myself could not explain some of them, but, after many years away from home I have some answers that I do hope will aid you in finding some of your own. I cannot tell you much though, but I will tell you what I know.

From what I have studied, Willow Road was one of the first roads established when Coldberg was founded. The first house built in the town was actually built upon this street. The house belonged to your Great-Grandfather. Now then, the reason that the street had been paved over was the work of your mother and the Town Commission and Preservation Committee of the Historical Museum of Coldberg. When the rains had come a few months ago and flooded Coldberg some bones and chests were found under Willow Road. The bones were that of your great-grandfather and now rest peacefully in the town cemetery. The chests however held the original deed and gold ownership of "Old" Coldberg. Another interesting paper in the chests was your great-grandfather's will. Which, by coincidence or careful planning, stated that one of his great- grand-children were to live in the town until her sixteenth birthday would inherit the greatest gift he could give a family member, the deed to the town and the remaining gold that was hidden in a mine just a few miles back of this cabin. It seems Kristen, that you are this girl.

Well, when your mother found the papers she called upon the Committee and stated that they must be archived and that nobody in the town must find out until a year has passed, that would mean you would be seventeen and not be able to carry out your Great-Grandfather's wishes.

Now then, before you become extremely angry with your mother, (which I am sure you have already done for some other reason, or reasons) let me tell you this; she was only trying to do what she thought best for you. She thought that not telling you about this would mean that you would not become some selfish brat and start bragging about how you owned the town (which I am sure you would not). In a nutshell, she was trying to preserve your innocence.

As for the other answers you seek, you must find those out for yourself. I know you can do it kiddo, you have a good head on those shoulders of yours (I should know, I helped give it to you!)

Love,

Dad

Her father, the man whom left for the Orient and never returned…never even wrote or called had now come back to Coldberg just to leave his only daughter a box? Kristen was outraged. She was so angry that she flung the box off the table, scattering the contents inside onto the dust covered floor.

Through tears of anger and sadness did she begin to pick up the papers that had fallen out of the box. As she did, she discovered pictures of her when she was little. Pictures of her with her Mom and her Dad, together and happy. Why Dad, why did you leave? Why didn't you write until today? After picking up all the pictures and placing them into the box, did she actually begin to clear her mind of these old questions and try to concentrate on what the letter had said. The deed was in her name, she became the owner of this town the moment she turned sixteen, and that was, Kristen looked at her watch, "Oh no! I'm already sixteen! Today's the twenty-second! It's my birthday," she exclaimed, "Oh wow! I'm sixteen! Wait…it's almost midnight! I have to claim the deed…tonight!" As she bolted out of the cabin, Kristen began to understand why her mother hadn't said happy birthday to her today. She didn't want her own daughter to find out that the greatest gift she could receive right now was in the town archive room.

As she bolted down Willow Road, she was oblivious to the fact that it wasn't hailing anymore, or to the fact that as she ran down Main Street and into Old Time Square (where the main offices and market places are) that a small weight like feeling had appeared in her pants pocket. "Oh no," she moaned," the Mayor's office is locked! Wait," she reached into her pants pocket, pulled out the front door key, jammed it into the slot, and then ran inside.

After coming here many times when her mother was submitting real estate forms Kristen knew exactly where to go and where to look to find what was rightfully hers. As she took a few quick turns, she began to think what her mother would say about her staying out all night, and especially was she was doing with official town documents tucked under her arm. Kristen didn't care though, her mother's plan had backfired and this deed was her best weapon and defense in proving to herself and her parent that she wasn't a young girl anymore, but a mature woman.

After using the key from her pocket on the archive room door, she ran inside and quickly opened up all the drawers that would open and looked for the deed and the other papers that had been found after the flood. In a few moments she had found what she was looking for and ran out. She only stopped to breathe after she was safely back on Wicker Bend. Even before she could open the front door, her mother had appeared. For some strange reason though, she did not seem angry…the only thing she said was, "Happy Birthday Kristen," and handed her a brightly colored package no bigger then a shoebox.

Ch. 5

March 15,

Today I started my first day of my junior year in college. It's pretty good, but the classes are much harder than those from last year were. Who knew being a Historian would mean having to do so much work! Oh well, I shouldn't complain I guess. Mom called the other day to see how I was doing; I told her fine and then asked her how she was doing back at home. She said everyone was fine and that she misses me.

It still kind of fazes me that I left home. In a way I half-expected too, but in another sense, I eel as if I've abandoned a part of me. Oh well, it's not as if I'll be gone forever. I'm still surprised to this day what Mom gave me for my sixteenth birthday that night after I found the deed to the town. I opened the box up to find a first class plane ticket to China along with my Dad's cell phone number and address! I was so happy. It turns out that Mom had been called unexpectedly by Dad when I was over at my Great-Grandfather's cabin that night. He explained that he had never called for all those years because when his ship crashed in the Orient he was severely hurt and had suffered a severe head wound that resulted in some spots of amnesia. In a way I believe that could happen, but how could that explain the box? It doesn't matter though. I spent two months in China with Dad and when I left, he came home with me and moved in with Mom. They began to catch up with all the lost years and are now as happy as they were before he left.

As for me, I'm now in New York studying to become a Historian and Librarian. When I'm done with college, I might go back home and sort through that mountain of papers at the Mayor's office and try to organize a complete historical timeline for the founding of Coldberg up to the new highway that now slightly runs through it. Even though I am the official owner of the town now, I still allowed Mom to hang the deed up in the town's courtroom for all to see. I think it's the best place for it to be and that Great-Grandfather would be pleased with my decision. Well, one day maybe I will pass on this story to my children. I guess first I need a boyfriend though, but that's in the future and right now, I'm living the present, day-by-day and night-by-night. Tomorrow today will be yesterday, and that will mean that it's also history.