hidden agnst 5

I stare at Izzy in shock.

your adopted too?! How long have you known? Did your folks tell you? Why haven't you ever told anyone?

Yes, since I was six, no, and I don't know.

I was wrong Izzy, I'm sorry. You do understand me.

No problem. Lets go this way. Izzy says firmly.

I follow him through the winding roads of the town. Why did they built these roads like this? I mean, its like they intentinoally want you to get lost. Izzy was making so many twists and turns, it felt like we were going in circles. He stops suddenly and I run into him.

There it is. Izzy says pointing to the saddest house I have ever seen. Even those houses in mudslides looked better than this.

This is where my parents got me? I couldn't believe it. It looked like a haunted house. A rusty gate around masses of weeds surrounded a once white house. It was a grayish color because nobody had washed the dirt from it in years.

Wow, I bet there are at least 50 pounds of grime right there. Izzy states.

No way, this isn't an orphanage, its some sort of haunted house. Lets go back Izzy.

He catches my arm.

Wait Mimi, remember that was a long time ago. Try to imagine it clean, and well kept.

Fine, but if I see any frankenstein creatures.....

We won't we won't.

I followed the worn path overgrown with weeds up to the door.

Do you think its open? I ask him timidly.

What are you two doing here? Bellowed the angry old man with a white beard. I clutched on to Izzy's arm.

Excuse me sir, but we are looking for an orphanage that was in this town. Izzy says pollitely.

This was it. I'm the caretaker. he says gruffly. This place has a caretaker? It certainly doesn't look like it.

How many chidlren were adopted through here? I ask, finally finding my voice.

Oh, about 3,000 all told.

So sir, how do you organize so much information? Izzy asked.

Well, we sort it by the childs last name.

What if they are abandoned children? Izzy asks.

Then we placed those files in a seperate cabinet, sorted by date, and first name.

I had visions of spending 35 years pouring over records.

But know bodys allowed to access those records.

Hey Mimi, ask him to give you a tour of the place. Whisphers Izzy.



So I can look through the records.



I get it. Izzy will look through the records while I destractt the caretaker. No problem. Izzy loves doing boring stuff like that. I knew there was a reason that I brought him along.

Would you be able to give me a tour of this place? I'm sure you know everything about it I bat my eyes at the old man.

That I do, that I do.

I winked at Izzy, and began to follow the caretaker as he began to describe the days when the building was an orphanage. I followed along, asking the occasional question. He lead me through the mess hall, down the hallway to a large empty room, which he announced as the sleeping quarters.

What about the babies? I asked.

They slept in a different room. I'll show you that miss. Maybe it was my imagination, but I could have sworn that I heard a child laughing.

Before I knew it, we were back in the front doorway. I looked at my watch, surprised to see that an hour had gone by. I hope that an hour was enough time for Izzy to find our records.

Thanks for your help sir. I say, turning to thank the caretaker. But he had disapeared.

Hey, where did he go? I ask Izzy.

Never mind that. Come on, lets go.

The moment the orphanage is behind us, I pounce on Izzy eagerly.

Did you find it?

He holds up two vanilla folders.

Yours and mine.