FICTION
Sophie’s Secret
And the mysterious box
“Look mother, see what I made for you at school today!”
Young Graham jumped excitedly onto his mother’s bed waiving a piece of paper. The frail looking woman smiled and tried to sit up in bed. It was no use. She collapsed back onto the pillows and slowly closed her eyes.
That was the last time Graham saw his mother alive. Now as he sat on his bed, remembering the woman he had loved so dearly, tears flowed easily. He looked down at his calloused hands and knees. Life as an orphan was hard.
Shortly after his mother’s death a cousin by the name of Jean-Paul had appeared on the scene and established himself as Graham’s legal guardian. But Jean-Paul did not like children. He was of the view that they should be seen and not heard. He treated Graham like a slave, making his home life hell, and at school it was worse. All the kids made fun of him because of his appearance.
But there was one thing that made Graham happy. It was seeing Sophie, the brown-eyed girl who’d recently moved to the area. She spoke to him — even if it was only to dare him to do crazy things. The first time he won a dare she gave him her magic box as a reward. It started off as a joke, but soon became their tradition. Whenever he lost the bet he had to give the box back to…
