When this woman’s mother passed away, she thought that was the end. She missed her loving mom dearly and was trying to cope with the mourning process, but there was one surprise waiting around the corner, which came in the form of this old trailer. Once the inside was revealed, she turned pale instantly.
The funeral of Sarah’s mother was a little over a week ago. It was a beautiful ceremony with many loved ones present. The young woman was still heavily in mourning over the loss of her mother, but she was also driving to the notary to arrange some practical details. However, she never expected this.
Sarah got out of her car and looked at the tall, gray building. It looked sad and corporate, very unlike her colorful mother. Once the notary’s office door was opened and Sarah sat down, the conversation about her mother’s will started. Sarah did not expect much, as her mother was not very wealthy. She did not know that her mother had something very bizarre in store for her.
The notary did not mess around and got straight to business. He turned his computer screen around and showed Sarah what her mother left her. Weirdly enough, it was an old, worn-down trailer, something she had never seen before in her life. The notary reached into the envelope containing Sarah’s mother’s will and pulled out a note and a key. The address she had to go to was on the paper, and the key belonged to the trailer.
“That’s the only thing in here,” the notary stated.
“This is so weird. Why would Mom leave me this?” Sarah had no choice. She took the key from the notary and drove to the address written down on the piece of paper. It was her mom’s handwriting; there was no mistake about it. After about an hour’s drive through the middle of nowhere, Sarah saw the old, rusty trailer in the distance. The young woman parked her car and stood before the worn motor home, scratching her head. She never heard her mother mention the trailer once, so why was it so important now? It was not like it was livable; it was barely able to stand up straight.
Sarah searched for the keys. She placed the key in the keyhole, and with a smooth turn, the door to this mysterious mobile home was opened.
“What does she want to show me?” Sarah spoke as she entered the trailer. At first glance, there was nothing special about the place. She saw some old furniture, and some pots and pans were still inside the cupboards, but they were rustier than the trailer they were in.
“Mom, why am I getting this? What do I do with it? This thing is ready to be demolished,” Sarah said, not knowing that this trailer held a huge surprise.
Sarah walked around in the trailer, lifting old canisters of food and knocking on rotten pieces of wood. Then, all of a sudden, a weird sound was heard. It came from beneath the floorboards under her feet.
“What is that?” she spoke as she crouched down to take a better look. Sarah squinted her eyes and looked at the floorboard. It was a bit out of place; it seemed newer than the rest, as if it had been installed during a later renovation. Sarah was also able to move it back and forth a bit, and when she pulled, the board came clean off. Beneath the floorboard was a clearly purposeful hollow space. Sarah knew this because an object that could not have been there otherwise lay inside.
“What is it?” Sarah said to herself as she reached out to grab the hidden duffel bag in the compartment. The bag was folded open, revealing its unknown contents. There was only one single thing inside the duffel bag, but that one item would prove to be the biggest discovery Sarah would ever make. She just didn’t know it yet. Inside the bag was a navy blue notebook with a white frame on the cover to write the owner’s name.
“It’s Mom’s.” Sarah not only saw her mother’s name on the front cover but also recognized her beautiful handwriting instantly. The curious Sarah opened the book’s cover and started reading its first pages. The words were addressed to her. Strangely enough, Sarah’s mom spoke about her daughter inheriting the trailer and eventually finding this very book. Sarah’s read continued, and she turned pale instantly when she did.
“If you read this, then I am unfortunately gone from this world.” The book told Sarah about the specific date her mother died and told the grieving daughter that for her, this was just the beginning, but only if you follow my instructions.
“How is it possible that Mom wrote about the day she died before it happened?” she wondered. She was ill, yes, but there was no way for her to know that she would die on that specific date. To everyone in the family, it came as a complete surprise that Carmen Greenwood died, but not to Carmen. Sarah sat on the ground as she read on a bit. She didn’t understand; her mother all of a sudden seemed far more mysterious than Sarah ever realized. It was clear that the old woman held some secrets. A tear rolled down Sarah’s cheek as she saw the last notebook entry. The last page was explicitly written as a request to Sarah. It told the confused daughter the following: “Go to the green cabin where memories were born.
Sarah’s cheeks were fiery red from crying. “Why are you doing this, Mom? Why did you know you were going to die and why this scavenger hunt?” Sarah felt a thousand emotions coursing through her body, but she also knew the cabin her mother was talking about. The green cabin where memories were born referred to the green vacation home she and her family visited when Sarah was young. It was their first holiday together when Sarah was just seven years old.
The rest of the book was empty, so Sarah got all the information her mother was willing to give. That meant that there was only one thing left to do. Sarah needed to get to that green cabin. So, she got into her car and drove off to the lake where the cabin was situated. It was about an hour’s drive to the cabin location, which was plenty of time for Sarah’s mind to wander. With all this new information thrown at her, the young woman felt it was impossible not to do so.
Something didn’t feel right. Why was Mom being so mysterious about all of this? After an hour-long drive, Sarah finally reached her destination. The curious young woman saw how the green cabin from her childhood appeared in the distance. The old wooden home lay hidden between thick forest vegetation and had seen better years, but it was still a cherished memory from her childhood. Sarah approached the cabin and opened the creaky door in the middle.
The cabin wasn’t locked because it was discontinued and abandoned years ago. When Sarah stepped inside, she could see why. The floor made more noise than the rest of the room, which was completely empty. Well, except for one thing. There was an old picture frame on the top of the fireplace mantle. It stood out since it was the only thing in the cabin. Sarah grabbed the photo and instantly gasped. She saw her mom on it. Her mother was much younger in the photo, and she stood amongst a group of unknown people. Sarah tried to put names to faces, but none of the individuals in the photo rang a bell. The frame was turned around, and that’s where Sarah made a discovery. There was something written on the back: “Find the man in the red scarf. He will tell you everything.”
Sarah looked at the photo again. A man in a red scarf was standing next to her mother, but Sarah did not recognize him. There was also an address on the back of the picture frame, one that probably was related to the man she needed to find. Finally, an old, rusty key was present on the fireplace mantle. Sarah’s curiosity grew with every step of this scavenger hunt she completed. She Googled the provided address and found out that it belonged to an old tavern about 30 minutes from the cabin.
Again, Sarah had no choice. She had to follow this lead. So she packed up her findings, and within minutes, she hit the open road again. After driving through the cobblestone streets of a small town for at least 15 minutes, Sarah arrived at the tavern. There was a man behind the bar, whom Sarah assumed was the owner. She addressed him and showed him the picture. Sarah also mentioned her mother’s name. The owner was shocked when Sarah spoke these words; it seemed that he knew exactly what the confused daughter was talking about.
“I know your mother’s name very well, and more importantly, I know the red-scarfed man you talk about.” The owner pointed at a small brown door in the back. The owner also said that the man she was looking for was called Henry. “Henry is not here, but I’m sure he won’t mind if you go upstairs to his home. Go ahead and try the key you brought on that door.” Sarah nodded and inched closer to the back of the bar. She placed the rusty key in the door’s keyhole and turned it.
Once again, this door opened up without question. “What the hell is going on? Who is this Henry guy?” Sarah walked up the stairs, which started immediately after she passed the doorway. At the top, Sarah saw the cutest little apartment. It was small in size, but it had a homely feel about it. It reminded Sarah of a Hobbit house in a way. Many books and paperwork were scattered all around, not to mention the beautiful ordained wooden decorations. And that’s when she saw it. On the man’s desk was a picture. It was the same framed photograph she had brought with her. It had the red-scarfed man, the other unknown people, and in the center, her mother.
“What is going on?” But as Sarah’s mind started to race, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the
startling noise behind her. Sarah turned around, and when she did, she suddenly stood face to face with the man she was looking for. It was Henry, and he was standing in the doorway to the stairs below, which meant no escape. Sarah almost dropped her framed photo out of fright, but Henry caught it before it met the ground. The old man held the photo close and sobbed when he looked at it.
“Carl, the tavern owner, just told me that someone was upstairs waiting for me, but he forgot to tell me who. So, who are you, and what are you doing here?” Henry asked. Sarah was still a bit in shock, but after a few deep breaths, she said her first and last name. Immediately after her words stopped, the man’s eyes filled with tears.
“Is it you? Is it you? Oh my god.” Henry walked up to the confused Sarah and hugged her intensely. Then, he simply stared at her for the longest time. Sarah froze for a second after the man’s hug but then asked Henry to tell more about himself. Her mom wanted her to find him, but she had no idea why. Henry invited Sarah to sit down because what he would say next would be difficult to hear.
“My name is Henry Carpenter, and I am your biological father.” Sarah turned pale instantly after Henry spoke those words. She took a step back out of shock, but shortly afterward, her face turned to anger. Her mother had just passed away, and now this man was suddenly telling lies.
“What you’re telling me can’t be true.” Sarah’s parents were separated, and she did speak to her father very little, even though he was at the funeral. But for all she knew, that man was, in fact, her father. But Henry denied this fact, and he said he could explain with a story of how he and Sarah’s mother met.
“We got to know each other years before you were born. Your mother and I were walking separately to a holy place called Camino de Santiago. It was a wonderful journey, and at the end, I met your mother, who had just finished the walk herself. The picture you saw was at that finish line. We hung out a bit afterward and found out we had much in common, so we kept in touch. One thing led to another, and we quickly found love.
Unfortunately for us, your mother was already married to your father at that point. Even though the relationship was already rocky back then, their hard times and the fact that he was away often for work opened the door for our love, and about a year later, you were born. I wanted to be with Carmen but didn’t want to force anything. In the end, she chose to stay with her husband, not out of love, but out of fear of what he might do if he found out. Your father was a dominant man who also happened to be extremely jealous. So, to keep herself and the baby inside her belly safe, Carmen chose to keep the relationship a secret and tell her husband that the baby was his. I was asked to stay away so she could try and live a normal life, and I respected her wishes. Years later, I heard that your mother did eventually separate from that horrible man.”
Sarah nodded and told Henry they never had a great bond after that. They always fought, even when Carmen got sick. Sarah slowly started to believe Henry’s story. She couldn’t fault anything he was saying. She wanted to know more and pulled out the notebook her mom left.
“Mom predicted her death in this book before it happened. Do you know how this is possible?”
Henry looked at Sarah and nodded. He stated that Sarah’s mother knew she did not have long, and in the end, she secretly chose euthanasia. “I know this because your mother told me about this just over a month ago when she was up here herself. When she was here, she presented me with this letter and a final message. The message was, ‘You will understand the exact moment when you will open it when the time arrives.'”
After Henry spoke those words, he looked into Sarah’s eyes and stated that this must be that time. They opened the letter together. The letter was indeed addressed to both Henry and Sarah. Sarah’s mother talked to both and stated that she was happy that after all these years, her daughter and the love of her life could finally meet. The letter went on to validate Henry’s biological father’s story and spoke of Carmen’s endless love for both of them. At the very bottom was a code.
“With this code, you must go to Capital Bank where you’ll find its resolution. Sorry for all this confusion, but I don’t want my ex-husband to get any of my money. That’s why I chose to plan my death so I could make sure that every step was perfect.”
Both father and daughter cried, and after that, they drove to the bank together. The code opened a safe that held all of Carmen’s money. The vault also held Sarah’s official birth certificate signed by both Carmen and Henry, solidifying this new and exciting family bond. Father and daughter smiled at one another, happy to have found each other.
