The Letter

By Sue Wilson

The Letter is a story about sacrifice, heartbreak, and the deep need to connect the past with the present. In this story, three women are set on a path of discovery that will change each of their lives in a way they never expected.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sue Wilson
• Release date: Aug 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393490388

Sue Wilson

Sue Wilson has been a pastor's wife for over 50 years; she is a mother of three children and grandmother of eleven. She loves to write, but it is important to her that what she writes demonstrates her faith in God and the Biblical values that have been passed down from generation to generation in her family. She also enjoys reading books in a variety of genres. Her leisure time includes watching movies, playing video games, and singing Karaoke. She and her husband have retired from the church they founded and served in for 35 years. They now lead a non-profit organization to encourage and support pastors and their wives.

Book preview

Jennifer

I've heard some people say, women don't sweat, they glow, but this was for sure sweat. I don't mean my forehead was slightly damp, I mean my pants were wet from the sweat running down my back. Running wasn't my long suit, but that day, running was a necessity. Even though my best run was more of a fast walk, this was not the time for a leisurely jog along the side of the road. I make fun of people who run, so most days I try not to run. It eliminates the possibility for anyone to make fun of me. Thanks to my dad, I have short, stubby legs, but I was running as fast as they would carry me. All around me, I was getting creepy vibes from the trees, as if they wanted to reach out and grab me. As the sunlight peeked in and out through the dense foliage, my mind started playing tricks on me. I'm too old for this. A thirty-year-old woman should not be running full speed on an unpaved trail through a forest of trees. I may collapse and die any minute.

My thoughts were bouncing everywhere as my lungs screamed for air, but I managed to keep going. I was sure if I kept up my pace and persevered, I would get there first because I had chosen this shortcut, but then my thoughts veered off to something I hadn't considered. Could Elena have gotten a ride? What kind of vehicle would be able to traverse this area? Still, if there were a way, she would find it. With that thought, I tried to speed up, but the next thing I knew, I was flat on my face. I imagined the laughter of the trees all around me. It was like a cruel tree joke where one tree stuck out a root intentionally to trip me. Then all the other trees laughed at the clumsy lady who thought she was a runner.

The smell of the pine needles enveloped me, and my mind was transported back to the first Christmas I could remember. Memories of the Christmas tree wrapped around me like magic. Instead of a forest floor, I was on a soft, fragrant blanket. I wanted to stay there and forget there was any other world but this one. My jelly legs were quivering, my shin was bleeding, and my lungs were about to explode. I succumbed to temptation just long enough to remember why I was out there. I'm running like a raving maniac through this forest because I have faith that it will pay off for me at some point. I forced myself to stand and begin again. More mental bolstering needed. You can do this! She's no more a runner than you are, and you have to keep going. I tried to make myself believe those words, even as the doubt crept in around the edges.

I couldn't stop thinking about Elena catching a ride to the cabin. The road that led there from town wasn't an actual road, more like a trail, but some kind of motorized vehicle might be able to make it. Going through these thick woods didn't offer me much hope of any ride. Maybe someone on horseback, but from what I had heard in town, these woods hadn't seen a rider in years. The waitress in the diner last night told me about some secret scientific experiments back in the late '40s that were rumored to have produced a local Bigfoot. She said this creature terrorized anyone who tried to go through the woods. When I questioned her further, however, she said nobody had ever been able to prove it, but just enough fear was planted to keep people away. I figured, what the heck, I have lived my life surrounded by scary stuff and strange people. I don't have time to worry about maybe. Right now, some possible Bigfoot was not my concern. My only goal was to get to that cabin before Elena did.

My resolve strengthened, and I forced myself to visualize a victory. My desperation pushed me onward. The steady crunch of my shoes on the forest floor gave me a place to put my focus. The shadows of the tall pines grew longer. Panic tightened its grip on my heart as the daylight faded. I tried not to think about what I would do if I didn't find the cabin before nightfall. I was pretty much guessing where the cabin was. I knew the general direction it was from town, but not the exact location. I tried to trust my instincts and kept plowing ahead. I was hoping my memory of the place was there in my subconscious and would lead me to it. Who was I kidding? This whole scenario was a crapshoot. My life had been turned upside down since my mother died just a few days ago. Even from the grave, I could feel her orchestrating the circumstances to get the results she wanted.

My stomach lurched as strange and frightening sounds seemed to come from every corner of the forest. Pairs of yellow eyes were all around me in the dense foliage, along with growling noises, and a high-pitched squealing that made the hair on my arms stand straight up. Plus, it was getting cold, and my sweaty clothes sent a prickly chill down my spine. Run. Keep moving.

As a light flickered in the distance, I smiled. It had to be the cabin. The victory was within my grasp. But even as the weather-beaten structure beckoned me, the light coming from the windows was shouting a warning: Someone was there. I stopped dead still, trying to see more clearly in the fading daylight. I wouldn't let myself believe Elena could have gotten there first. I struggled to get my brain to work as my body screamed for me to rest. Think. If she's there already, all is lost. Maybe it's not her–but then who, and were they friend or foe? As far as I knew, there was no one else who even knew about this cabin. I tried to formulate a plan.

I crouched down as low as I could, which wasn't all that low. My legs were still quivering. I did my best to get to the window without creating sounds that would alert anyone. Peeking through a corner of the window I saw there was a lantern on the table, but no sign of a person. Puzzled, I sat on the ground to think. It was only one room. It's not like someone could be hiding. There had to be someone here, somewhere nearby if not in the cabin. I tried to peer through the darkness that had settled around me like a heavy blanket.

The sound of something like running water interrupted my thoughts.  But that couldn't be right. I knew there was no running water here, only an old pump outside the front door. Three years ago I came to this cabin with my mother and Elena, unfortunately. According to Mom, this cabin had been built before indoor plumbing was readily available in rural areas. I had a mental picture of the pump in my brain because even though I grew up traveling all over this country, I