The Secret

by Talitha Brewer April 2020

I lay in bed thinking.  I hadn’t told anyone had I? I had been told that no one was to know, if they found out it wasn’t only me that would be in trouble, many other people would be in terrible danger and worse.

I could feel the metal springs of the makeshift bed sticking into my back, the thin straw mattress barely hiding the discomfort of falling into the hollow of the saggy springs.  Was this my punishment I thought or was there more to come.

I hadn’t wanted any of this.  I’d made it clear that I didn’t want to be involved but someone had decided that I was the one person in the village that had to know and had had to swear to keep the secret in order for future lives to be saved.  I listened in the dark waiting for the signal not knowing what night it would come.

Tossing and turning I watched the light through the curtain change from black to pale grey as the first signs of dawn began to appear.  Listening out, wracking my brains, I hadn’t said a word to anyone.  Had my behaviour given me away?  Had the evil strangers in our village noticed anything in my demeanour that might have indicated the terrible secret that I was hiding? Was it really that terrible?

As the pink glow in the sky indicated the sun was rising. I got up out of the uncomfortable bed and crept down the stairs and silently opened the door into the kitchen garden outside. 

Going outside into the cool fresh air I sat down and looked out over the valley spread out before me.  From the street I could hear the tread of the soldiers as they went through the village doing their daily checks.  I was too scared to go to the bakery as was my daily duty whilst they were there as I was sure if one of them looked at me my face would betray the life-saving secret I was keeping.

Noises from inside indicated that my parents were up and soon after my mother appeared at the doorway.  “Not gone to the bakery yet lazy girl, all the fresh bread will have been sold” she said. “Go on with you” and she threw the bag at me with the few coins necessary to buy the bread.

I stumbled out into the street praying I wouldn’t bump into one of the soldiers.

“Watch where your going” said a voice grabbing me by the shoulder.  “You nearly knocked me over”.  I looked up fearfully into the eyes of a kind face and then realised that it was the Commanding Officer of the platoon stationed in the town.  “Err I’m sorry sir”, I stammered.  “I didn’t see you, I just have to go and get our bread”.

He looked down at me.  I felt as though his eyes were staring into my soul and could see the deep secret hidden deep inside!