The Castle in the Curio Cabinet

Thinking of Kyle, tears began to stream down Marys cheeks. She wiped them on her sleeve and opened the curio cabinet. With gentle reverence she reached out to touch the castle, to touch her mother's outstretched hand...

Kyle dutifully washed his hands and his face. As he finished, he heard the door open upstairs. He ran up the stairs to greet his aunt as expected. She always arrived home at about the same time, bringing with her some fast food for him and his sister to eat. They would eat alone at the kitchen table. Although Aunt Lyse always arrived home first, she rarely stayed long. She almost always left again after Uncle Jon got home and they had dinner together, and didnt come back until after Kyle had gone to bed.

His aunt, professional looking in her gray pinstriped suit, walked in the door and right past him. She set down her briefcase and looked at him expectantly.

Kyle looked at his aunt. She was pretty, but in an unapproachable way. Kyle had always been afraid of displeasing his aunt. It wasnt that he actually wanted to please her either. Mostly he wanted to just not displease her. "Hi, Aunt Lyse."

"Hello, Kyle. Are you washed? I have dinner--where is your sister?" Her tone of voice was indifferent at best.

"Dont know."

His aunt turned towards the bedroom, unbuttoning her suit jacket. "Perhaps you could find out. I brought you a hot dinner, and I expect you both to be clean and ready. Get her." She spoke over her shoulder without looking at him.

Kyle did not bother to respond. He knew that they were supposed to be ready when Aunt Lyse got home. He couldnt understand why Mary had not come up when the door had opened. Curiously, he ran downstairs. He looked in Marys room, but she was not there. Her stuffed animals sat formally at the small tea table. The lifeless tea party saddened him for some reason he could not understand.

Kyle shrugged and closed Marys door. Moving on, he discovered that she wasn t in his room or the bathroom either. Finally, he looked into the family room where he had last seen her. Mary was not there, but the curio cabinet door, strangely, lay open.

Unsure of what had happened, Kyle quickly closed the door, afraid of getting caught playing with the curio cabinet. After the door was safely closed, he looked through the glass at the castle. His eyes widened in surprise at what he saw.

A few minutes later, Aunt Lyse entered into the room. "Kyle, I told you to get your sister. I have an eight oclock meeting, and if I am late because you two brats..."

Kyle turned around to face his angry aunt. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "Aunt Lyse..."

"Look, Kyle, not now. Where is your sister?"

Kyle sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand, earning him a scowl from his aunt. He abruptly wiped his hand off on his pants and held it behind his back. "But thats what Im trying to tell you. Shes in there."

"In where, Kyle?" Lyse tried to be patient.

Kyle turned and pointed at the curio cabinet. "There. In the castle."

Her patience wore out. "Kyle, I dont have the time for this, now where is..."

"She is in there, Aunt Lyse, I saw her--I really saw her! She is right there with Mommy and Daddy, just like she said!" Kyle interrupted, yelling loudly, desperate to make his aunt see.

Slap.

The blow came unexpectedly, and Kyles cheek stung fiercely from the blow.