This is a story done in the format of V.C. Andrews. I hope you like it . I know I haven't posted in a loooonnnng time but I hope to get back to this story.

Mama's Letters

As a young girl no one could have been more naive then I was. I was always a good girl, if my mother told me to do something I'd do it without thinking twice. Even as innocent as I was I don't remember being a child. My parents always seemed to see me as a small adult. The children teased me about the things they had because I did not. I kept to myself doing the chores that I was told to do and I liked it that way. In some ways I guess I saw myself older too.

Mama loved to do odd jobs for the neighborhood. She would baby sit the kids on our street, and even make clothes and quilts for the mother's that were expecting new babies. Some days she would do it all at once. There was always something for her to do, which made her happy because she just had so much energy and everyone loved her for it.

Her best friend, Mrs. Quinn, always joked with her because it seemed mama never had time to rest. " My God, Kathleen you need to cut back on that coffee. You run around here like a chicken with it's head cut off!"

Mama would just toss her short brown hair from side to side and laugh. "What should I do instead Anna... Mama said, "...sit on my butt and listen to gossip all day like you?"

Then they would both laugh. That is when mama looked the prettiest. Whenever I fell and scrap my knees up all I would have to do is look at mama smiling at me with that twinkle in her blue-green eyes and the pain would just go away.

When I was younger mama would tuck me in, read me stories and fairy tales of all kinds. Then I turned thirteen and papa said I was to old to be tucked in. He didn't want me to be dependent on mama to get to sleep. Even though he said all these things she still came to tuck me in every night. Always making some excuse just so she could come in and check on me. I didn't mind of course because it was one of the only times she wasn't so busy and she could just talk to me. We would get into the habit of talking about our dreams. She liked listening to my dreams because Grandma Michaels always seemed to be popping up in them whispering something I could never hear.

"That means she has something very important to tell you, Eve, so you should try very hard to listen." Mama said

"But Mama, it's not really Grandma, she in Heaven, right?" I asked, not knowing if I really wanted an answer.

"Yes, Honey." Mama said softly, "Grandma is in Heaven but that doesn't mean she can't talk to us any more?"

"Does Grandma talk to you in your sleep too?" I said, yawning.

Tears swelled up in her eyes. "No, but believe me your mama wishes she would come and visit her. "

"So why doesn't she?" Not wanting to hear about how special I was and the gift I shared with Grandma.

"Oh, Eve!" Mama sighed. "I wish I could explain it more simpler so you could understand how special you are..." She glanced at the clock on my nightstand. "Is that the right time? Oh, Eve honey you have to get to sleep. Tomorrow's Saturday and I have the quilt to finish for the Christmas Bazaar, and I have to decide what food to make. I don't let me forget to call Jackie Wilson to tell it her it is okay for me to watch the boys.

"Oh mama not the Wilson boys..." I said, wondering what kind of nasty things they had in store for me. They were always so mean. "Don't you think you have enough to do Mama. Besides Andrew is the same age as I am. You always tell me now that I am fourteen I am old enough to watch myself."

"Not another word, Eve, time to go sleep." Mama said sharply, as she tucked the covers around me. "And I want you to try and be nice to those boys tomorrow."

"But Mama they are the ones who..." I whined.

"Shhh., I know, I know but just try okay." Her face softened, as she brushed my hair away from my head with her hand.

She kissed me on the head and smiled making me forget what I was complaining about.

That night I fell asleep so quickly I don't even remember Mama leaving the room. My sleep was restless as the nightmares came to me. It was never just one particular nightmare but always a bunch of different ones connecting themselves together like some sort of vine that twisted and tightened its grip on me, taking my breath away. Then right before I would wake everything would be calm and there would be my loving Grandma Michaels standing before me, protecting me. That was when she would whisper to me, but I could never hear what she was saying and she kept moving so far away.

"Grandma don't leave!" I would scream, "I need you!"

But this night was different... Grandma was there but the darkness and nightmares stayed. My Grandma wasn't smiling anymore. She was crying. Crying because she couldn't help me and I couldn't reach her. Then she spoke but this time it was no whisper. "Watch the water! Watch your life" She shouted so loud I thought my head was going to pop. She pointed to the left of her where there was a door. I ran to it thinking it had to be a way out, and then it opened. Standing in the doorway was the silhouette of a huge man behind him water started seeping out. He started coming toward me. Scared I turned around and ran only to see him. Everywhere I turned he was there, but I could not see his face. Then there was the laugh, the horrible, horrible laugh; it was the laugh of a mad person. I screamed.

I sat up and looked around my room. It took me awhile to figure out where I was. I realized thankfully that I only had a dream but the screaming had not stopped. I thought wait that isn't me screaming... its Mama! I bolted out of bed and ran down the stairs to see what was wrong. My mother was standing in the frame of the front door in the kitchen looking horrified. My father got up from the kitchen table "Now, Now Katie, calm down. You'll wake Eve. What is..." he stopped in mid sentence as he looked down at the same area my mother was trying to cover her eyes from seeing, but couldn't. I stayed back watching from the living room not wanting to get to close especially with the dream still lingering. "Oh my God, Paul there is another letter next to it." My mother said, almost hysterical, "He's found us again."

"Calm down Katie! We don't know for sure that it is from him" Papa said, leaning down inspecting what was on the ground, "I think this the Wilson's cat though. You'll have tell them today"

I stretched my head out trying to get a better look. What is the Wilson's cat doing out there? I thought. And why is there a letter with it?

"Tell them! Tell them what, Paul!" My mother screamed, "Fine I'll tell them, I'll go right up to Jackie and say. I'm sorry Jackie my crazy stalker killed your cat and left it on our front porch. Oh and by the way maybe I should mention he is also my..." My mother stopped as she heard my alarm clock go off upstairs.

My father took my mother by her arm and pulled her outside. I got closer hoping to hear more but not wanting to get caught. They were obviously talking about something they didn't want me to know about and that made it even more interesting. I had never seen my mother so upset before. I watched as my father tried his best to calm her down. "Come on Katie you have to get it together for Eve," he said gently, as he held her close and stroked her hair, "I know you are upset but we have to be strong for her."

"But we can't keep it from her forever." My mother said sobbing, "One day she will find out and ... "

"Now, Now Katie..." my father said trying his best show he wasn't frightened but it was obvious that he was just as shaken and lost as Mama. "I won't let that happen. We will both protect Evie. And the first step in doing that now is cleaning this up before she gets down stairs. The second step would be you getting breakfast ready. I am not sure I can eat," he said, looking down and grimacing. "...But Eve will be hungry and we can't let her know anything is wrong or she will be asking questions."

I knew that was my cue to get back up stairs and get dressed.. If they had seen me who knows how much more upset my mother would have been and I didn't want that. I hated to see my mother so upset. Questions filled my head, as I got dressed. I tried to think of ways of how I could ask about what happen this morning and what did it have to do with me. But the more I thought about it the more I knew they would know I had been listening.

No one spoke at breakfast. My father may have mentioned something about the weather but my attention was drawn to Mama. She was still frazzled by this morning's shock. That worried me but I knew my father was there and I was glad. There were so many times when he wasn't because of work. He traveled so often that sometimes, as awful as it did sound, I'd forget I had a father. It did make Mama happy when he was home, which made me happy too. Mama told me once that the day they met was the day she realized that was such a thing as fate... and men who had good taste in women. I giggled thinking of the last part.

"What's so funny?" my father said smiling.

"What?" I said feeling the heat of embarrassment on my face. I looked at my parents both looking at me with expectant smiles. Had I laughed out loud!

"Nothing... umm... I was just thinking of a dream I had." I said, feeling like a complete idiot.

Mama eyes brightened, as Dad's faded. He didn't like that Mama encouraged me to talk about my dreams. Especially since Mama really seemed to believe that dead relatives talked to me in my dreams.

"Tell us more about your dream, Sweetie.", Mama said.

I shuffled in my seat uncomfortably and looked at my father. He cleared his throat and looked at Mama sternly. But Mama just kept smiling at me, waiting anxiously for me to entertain her. "Oh it wasn't anything really interesting Mama. Just a dream." , I said watching her smile disappear. I realized I was making her unhappy again. So I told them both about the dream describing it as best as I could. Even dad seemed interested. Most of the time he would say, "Dreams are Dreams Eve, that and nothing else. They don't tell us things that are going to happen and you don't really see grandmom your just remembering her. They are just there to unload our mind when it gets to clutter. " In truth I didn't know which I believed then.