Letters To Delaney

• Caitlyn Dubois , Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2021

Delaney had been looking at the same walls for what felt like years. The thought of leaving this place felt like centuries away. The thoughts in her head became numb and words now felt meaningless. The room began to feel cold, dark and old every second she stayed. Who knew that the place that once brought joy could start feeling like a trap, like a cage, like a prison. It wasn’t like she only lived in this one room. She came out on occasions to get food or to see her family. Even though she hadn’t spent all her time in her room the place still felt as though it was getting smaller as though it was closing in on her and her family. The more they were together the more they became distant, the more they became disconnected. Her soul felt heavy. The thought of getting out of bed felt like the hardest thing she had ever faced. Delaney had no words to describe the feelings she felt, she had no way to describe the pain that she felt with every move she made. She had never felt so claustrophobic before.
Delaney sat in her room trying to create. Sitting in the plain room also made it harder to think of things to do. On her desk she noticed a small envelope with the imprint of a dragon in a wax seal. For some reason she had never seen it before. She never really got letters except for that one time when series of letters had been sent all possessing the same message “you have been chosen”. She studied the letter. The more she looked at it the more curious she became. She was too scared to read what was inside. Who knew what information this letter could hold. Carefully she opened the envelope. Pulling out the letter she realized the letter had no writing. It was as though someone forgot to write on the paper. Delaney stood up from her desk throwing the letter in the bin.
The day moved quickly and it soon became night. Delaney was lying in bed wondering who would have sent her that letter. Who would have sent her a meaningless piece of paper? Maybe it was a joke, but even if it was it still rung in the back of her mind. Delaney tossed and turned trying to get to sleep. Something was keeping her up. It was no longer the letter that had been sent but the mysterious glow in the corner of her room. The glow illuminated a message on her wall that read “You have been chosen”. The message meant something important and deep, but what. She reached for the past letters she had received hoping they could tell her something more, maybe something she had missed. As she reached for the letters Delaney realized that another letter was in the pile. Delaney realized this could hold the meaning of the message that the letters held.