The Forest Remembers -C1

The Forest Remembers

Chapter 1

“What Happened”

Dear diary, today is the day. My first day as a caretaker in WillowPines Retirement Home. Big day isn’t it? As soon as I got out of bed I noticed how my glasses had a tiny crack on the edge, I wonder what happened? But anyway, right after that I had to go to the kitchen for breakfast. A nice freshly squeezed cup of orange juice, and toast with a jar of peanut butter and jelly. As I took a bite of my peanut butter and jelly, I realized how the curtains are out of place and the couch pillows aren’t stuffed enough. Though I had no tie to fix them I’m running quite late. I changed into my caretaker uniform and headed straight to the retirement home.

The retirement home was a huge place, almost as big as a shopping mall. I saw these elderly people gathering together, with laughter and chit-chat. I head to the kitchen to make them tea, it was my first task of the day. It was very simple, anyone could do it. There were elderly people, but I was told to make elven tea. I was a bit confused. So I went outside to count each of them again. But then I noticed there was one more grandpa. He was sitting far from the others. I had this odd and weird feeling. I do not know what I was, but I can feel it was something big and unusual about him. I do not really think about it much, so I brushed it off.

When I handed the last cup of tea to the old man in the corner, I saw that he had a frown on his face. Everyone else was chatting and laughing in their little group, but he just sat there, staring at the table. I don’t know why, but I had this feeling that I should sit with him. Maybe it was because he looked so sad or maybe because I know what it feels like to be on the outside. So, I decided to sit next to him.

At first, he didn’t really talk. He just held the cup in both hands like he was trying to warm himself up. Then out of nowhere he said, 

“You remind me of my daughter.”

His voice was soft, almost shaky, but the way he said it made me stop breathing for a second.

I asked him what she was like, and that’s when his whole face changed. He told me she went missing a few years back. One day she was there, the next she was gone. No goodbye, no answers, nothing.

He told me that her name was ‘Natalie’, and she was still a four-year-old toddler when she went missing. She must have been missing for decades or even more, if her father is already at this age. The old man stayed quiet after telling that information. This case really built up my curiosity, it also gave me the chills.