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Deep Rooted Sorrows

February 14, 1926 – The Accident

“Papa?” Rose called from the kitchen as she flipped pancakes for the family’s breakfast. She waited patiently for an answer. She sighed after a few moments. “He must have already left.” She muttered under her breath as she put the last pancake on the plate. After setting the pancakes on the table she wiped her hands on her apron and slowly made her way down the hall to her brother’s room.

Rose silently pushed his door ajar and peeked inside. “Roy? Are you awake yet?” There was a low mumble heard from the bed. She smiled and pushed the door open. The light from the open window in the hall flooded into the room.

“Humph! Close the door Rose!” Roy grumbled as he pulled the covers over his head. “Let me sleep some more… I’m tired and sick remember?” He mumbled from under the covers. The silence was enough to answer he’s question.

Rose sighed and smiled coyly. “Come on and get up. I made pancakes.” Suddenly there was a whirlwind of blankets and sheets swirling towards the floor as Roy raced passed Rose at the mention of pancakes. She smiled and quickly set to work on picking up his blankets.

As Rose neared the kitchen she sighed ready to start the long day ahead. Something felt off today, she could feel it deep within her, she wanted to be prepared for the very worst. She entered the kitchen to find her brother happily munching on pancakes. To the opposite side of him was there mother.

“I’m glad you’re up and eating mother. Do you need anything?” Rose asked as she neared the table. Her mother smiled and motioned for a drink. Understanding right away she nodded and brought her mother a glass of fresh orange juice. She smiled at her quaint little family and sat down with them to enjoy the meal. Today seemed ordinary. Maybe her feeling was just wrong, after all it was just a feeling.



After breakfast the two children bid their mother farewell as they set out to play. It was a nice day. It was quite warm for February and the children dressed in light winter clothing. With smiles on their faces and hand in hand, they set off towards the woods.

“Rose… Are you sure we can go in there?” Roy asked gripping his sisters hand harder. Rose looked back at him and smiled giving him a quick nod before pulling him into the woods. He stayed close behind her as he watched the trees. The silence of the place was almost unnerving. It was almost as it was too quiet.

“How are you feeling Roy? Is your medicine holding up well enough for an extra long adventure?” Rose asked, as she looked straightforward. She left out a short breath of excitement as they charged deeper into the woods. She had a set mind to figure out why these woods were forbidden.

“Rose… I’m scared. They told us not to go in the woods. Who knows what could be in there!” Roy nearly shouted at her as he tugged back frantically. He felt fine today, he wanted to have fun, but going in the woods wasn’t one of the things he wanted to do. He wasn’t always as tough and brave as Rose, although he wanted to be. His sickly health had kept him from a lot of things growing up. Rose seemed to take the role of a big brother rather than a big sister with him.

“But Roy, not knowing is half the fun.” Rose stated as she slowly let go of Roy’s hand. “You can go back home but I want to find out what’s in there. I want to know why we can’t go in there. But you’re right Roy. I shouldn’t ask you to do that. I’m worried about your health. This may make it worse. So if you really don’t want to go… We can turn back now.” Rose ended as she turned to Roy with a strained smile.

Roy looked at her face etched with worry for him but the yearn of adventure as well. It was a tough decision and as he thought the air was unusually still. He looked around him in an attempt to straighten his thinking. It was rapid and fragmented. He wanted adventure, but what if something bad was in there. He wasn’t the most optimistic person in the world, but he did try to look on the brighter side.

With an uneasy breath he took Rose’s hand and started deeper in the woods. Rose smiled and nodded a silent thank you. As they went deeper into the woods the denser and darker it became. Roy tightened his grip on Rose’s hand, afraid to let go. The two carried on silently until they came to a cave in the hill.

“Do you want to go in Rose?” Roy asked in a sheepish tone. His courage had left him once he set his eyes on the dark and dank cave. Rose peered into the cave and swallowed hard. She wanted to know why this forest was forbidden. They had come so far, why give up now. She nervously stepped towards the cave and tugged on Roy’s arm. Obediently he followed her into the darkness of the cave.



“Rose? Do you see anything?” Roy pressed quietly as he followed closely behind his sister. It was all too dark to see anything and he wasn’t about to lose sight of her. Suddenly they stopped. He paused waiting for her answer to both his question and their reason for stopping. “Rose?” Roy called shakily as he tugged on her arm and to his horror it snapped.

A scream resounded in the depths of the cave. Roy looked down at his hand expecting to see his sister’s broken arm but he was holding a stick about half his sister’s wrist. He blinked at the stick in his hand briefly forgetting about his sister. “Rose…” He breathed heavily as he was brought back from his thoughts to the dark and cold reality. “ROSE!” He called out as he dropped the stick and began to run deeper into the cave.

“Where could she have gone?” He asked halfway to himself and halfway to the darkness around him. He could feel his chest tightening and his cough arising. Due to the extreme stress of the situation he currently found himself in, his medicine began to wear off. Still no Rose in sight, but he kept running, through the pain the only thing he thought of was to find his sister.

He must have been running for but just a few minutes, but already it seemed like hours. That’s when he heard it, the sound of something or someone splashing in the water. His heart raced and he smiled, “Rose! I’m coming! Don’t worry!” Roy picked up his pace and dashed to the sounds source. To his misfortune however, he found nothing more than a small pool of water and small fish in a circle of light. Everything around the pool was pitch black and though this would seem comforting to most, to Roy it was like a sign to tell him he was truly alone.

Roy sank to his knees in bitter cries of woe. Where had his sister gone? Had she left him? Or had something happened to her? These and many other questions coursed through his head and he stare at the pool of water. He brought his knees to his face and let his emotions run as he wept silently in the only light of day that reached the depths of the cave.



“Roy?” Rose called as she looked at her empty hand. When had he let go? She wondered as she looked back into the darkness of which she came. “Roy?” She called out meekly as she took a step towards the forever growing darkness. There was a snap heard and she looked down at the ground, just a twig, nothing more. She sighed heavily and made her way back into the cave.

“Where could that pea-brain brother of mine be?” She asked to no one particular. Rose stomped and sighed as she made her way steadily through the cave until she came to the opening. It seemed that the distance she traveled was short and the time it took even shorter. She paused for a brief moment to survey her surroundings. She gasped, she had ended up at a different opening then she and her brother had come through.

“Roy must have found this opening and gone home already.” Rose concluded and set off towards the clearing in the forest just up ahead. She held her arm up to her forehead as she looked up at the afternoon sky. The sun shone brightly on her body as she entered the clearing. With a deep breath and a smile, Rose happily allowed herself to fall back on the soft mountain grass.

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Her body was tired and her brain craved sleep. As the cool grass was slowly swaying with the mountain wind it tickled her arms ever so lightly until she dozed off into a light slumber in the afternoon sun. It was a fantastic day for a nap in the cool grass.

The sun shone brightly down on Rose as she slept. It was like a warm blanket to Rose and soon her slumber became deep and her subtle breathing became more apparent. Her hair soon swayed this way and that being caressed gently by the breeze that drifted across the mountain plain. The day looked no less promising then any other.



The soft mountain air etched with the smell of sweet flowers and grain drifted across the mountain and into the cave. Roy lifted his head and gave a shake to his head. He had dozed off after crying copiously for his lost sister. Wiping his eyes he stood up carefully and looked in the direction of the breeze. “The mountain air… Maybe Rose found the way out!” Roy exclaimed as he raced towards the direction of the breeze.

He smiled as he came an exceptionally lighter part of the cave. Just bound the next turn was an opening. Gleefully he called to his sister, “I’m coming Rose!” With a heart racing and lungs hastily working away he jolted towards the opening.

He skidded to a stop and looked around the opening. Roy smiled as his eyes caught sight of his house. He was home and Rose was there waiting for him. Without hesitation he began to make his way to his home. He looked up at the sky with a slight frown however. The sky looked back down at him with a gray haze, it was no longer the sunny morning but a cloudy afternoon. Roy merely shrugged his shoulders at the change and hurried off home.

Passing the trees at the edge of the forest seemed awkwardly familiar, though he had never been in the forest besides earlier that day. Roy took note of the emptiness of the forest and decided that because of the lack of wild life the villagers must have come up with the idea the forest was dangerous and foreboding. He could understand though. He himself didn’t feel very comfortable in the woods either.

Roy glanced behind him to see a light mist through the forest. It was eerie yet in a way almost calming. He smiled to himself as he thought of the adventures he and Rose could now have now that they’ve conquered the forbidden forest and it’s amenities. It was an interesting experience no doubt. Though Roy thought he could’ve lived without the fright that had arisen from losing his sister in the cave.

As Roy neared his home he could see smoke billowing out of the chimney. A warm sense of home flowed through his veins and he let out an excited yip as he threw his arms into the air. “Rose must be cooking.” he thought happily as he bounced to the door and opened it with an enthusiastic swing.



A shrill scream echoed through the trees on the mountain and shook Rose awake. She shot up and looked around frantically. Had that scream just now been in her dream? No it was real. She looked around in a panic. “Roy…” She breathed breathlessly. Pushing herself up with one arm she launched herself into a full out sprint down the mountain.

Rose darted this way and that through the trees. The sound of rapid steps was heard echoing through the silence of the mountain trees as she weaved and leaped over tree roots and branches. She could feel a stitch slowly crawling up her side as she ran faster. A feeling of dread passed through her as she saw a black cloud of smoke up ahead.

Racing down the hill a top speed towards her home and the black cloud of smoke she began to think the worst and tears slowly welled up in her eyes. She slowed down as she reached the clearing where her house stood. Her darkest fears were now her reality. With shaky legs and a raspy throat she stared at her house in flames against the cloudy gray sky.

She shook her head in disbelief. “No… No… NO!!” Rose screamed as she regained her legs and ran towards the door. It was swung open and she peered inside hoping to see that her family was out safely. But instead she was met with the bodies of her mother and father on living room rug. Her eyes grew wide and she darted inside to their sides momentarily forgetting about the fire that was attempting to swallow the house up whole.

Rose reached for her mother first. Nothing, she was already gone. Rose looked at her mother’s body; she had been shot in the stomach. Fear arose within her and she became physically sick as she saw her father shared the same fate.

“Roy! Where are you?!” She coughed out as the smoke around her began to thicken. She looked down the hallway, as it was being licked by the flames and rushed to her brother’s room. No one was there. Roy was gone. Rose turned around quickly and tried to make her way back to her mother and father but was knocked down and pinned to the ground by a rafter. Looking up while crying in pain she saw a figure looming at the door to the outside world. She reached out to the figure but immediately fell into darkness.


End Of Chapter One