The Family Secret

The Mystery Behind The Stars

As I walked home, the neighborhood was unusually quiet. The afternoon breeze rustled the trees, and the only sounds were the distant laughter of children and the occasional bark of a dog. My feet followed the familiar road, but my mind was still trapped in the classroom.

I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier. Every girl seemed fascinated by the new boy. Even my best friend couldn't stop talking about him. I didn't understand the excitement. To me, he was just another student... or so I told myself.

Before heading home, I stopped by the small neighborhood shop. It had become a habit over the years. Sometimes I bought snacks. Sometimes I bought nothing at all. The owner never seemed to mind.

“Rose, how was school today?”Mrs Becky, the shop owner, asked as I walked in

“It was good as always”, I answered

“Yeah, I know u are lying”, she replied, smiling. “What happened”? She asked again

“Nothing much, but I didn't have a chance to see a bacterium, you know, algae, and other organisms I didn't even read in class”

“Are you sure that's why you are annoyed?” Mrs Becky asked, looking at me with a smile

“Yeah, I don't actually know the reason for my anger because I have been disappointed before. Maybe it's just stress”

“Ok, my child, let me show u something that will calm you,” she said, showing me a door to the back room, as she called it

The room was very beautiful; candles were lit on one side, and everything was very beautiful “This is a good hideout,” I thought to myself

“This is where I come when my peace is being disturbed by worries; it reminds me of the good old days”, she said

“Come and see this”, she called me

“Wow, what is this?” I said

“It is where I keep my memories”, she said. Look closely; you know some of them

Is that my mom and dad

Yes, it sure is. I recall when they first arrived to purchase some groceries. Your parents are kind-hearted people; they helped me a lot

“Yeah, why not? My dad told us to help the new neighbors set up their home; that's Dad for sure”, I said to myself

“These are other people that have entered my shop; I just put a picture of them on the wall to remember the past”. Your picture is here too she said, smiling at me

“Some pictures remind me of happy times, and others remind me of sad times, but all of these memories made me who I am today

“Keep your life documented in case of the future” That was the last thing she said as we came out of the back room

“Now that you are no more annoyed, think again: how did today go?” Sometimes you don't see opportunities just because you are blinded by anger. Go home and get some rest she said at last

“Thanks for the advice, I said, leaving the shop. Just outside the shop, I checked my time; it was 3 pm

As I walked towards home, I kept trying to figure out all the names of the people I saw in the pictures

………………………………………….

I stood at the door of my house for a moment or two before opening the door,

“Hey, my princess”, Dad said as I entered. How was school today? I hope you enjoyed lessons like you always do

“Yes, I did”, I replied.

“That's my girl,” Dad said. Your mom is in the kitchen; go greet her, he said before walking towards the door

“Mummy! Am back”

Is that my baby girl? How was school today, my princess?

It was as good as always

Ok then, go have your bath, then come back for lunch.

“Ok, mummy”, I echoed as I went to my room

“Good afternoon, big sis. How was school today?” Jacob asked as I entered my room.

“School was fine. What about you? How was your experience in school today?” I asked, knowing his usual answer

“I saw many kids at school. They were all in my space, and the teacher is always calling me for one reason or the other; they don't respect my space,” Jacob concluded, the last part looking at me with tears in his eyes.

What about Samson, your friend? I asked, to cheer him up. His eyes lit up the moment I called Samson's name

Samson was his friend since 2nd grade, I think, because he was the only one Jacob liked to come close enough to, than normal. His friend also liked to draw and also loved playing football, just like him

I remembered when Jacob played football with his mate in 2nd grade; he was no more of an introvert than I had known; instead, he was a tiger, shouting to his teammates to pass him the ball. The next thing I heard was a goal

Jacob scored a goal; he was beaming with smiles all day. That was when I knew my brother had two personalities

“Me and I had some fun today; we drew some animals and different characters we know”, Jacob said, bringing me back to reality

“Yeah, I know you would have a lot of fun with your friend”, I said, and with that, I went to have my bath

…………………………………………………………………….

After dinner, I went outside to see the Stars. It was a blessed sight. All these tiny dots shining through the night. I saw different shapes, animals, and even the figure of a scientist looking through the microscope. The sky at night was amazing; there was something unbelievable about it

In my last research, I learnt that the light we see shining at night might have been sent 200 light years away, meaning that the light started traveling towards Earth 200 years ago before reaching Earth. It can be 500 years ago, etc., but it's crazy knowing that the light we see now has been sent even before our parents were born; isn't that crazy? Every new piece of research makes me love science more

"Not every smile hides kindness, and not every frown hides cruelty. Learn to watch what people do, not just what they say.” This was what my grandma said to me the day I felt betrayed by my supposed best friend in the past.

From that day I never trusted anyone just by looks