Carter's Stories

Carver shoved another box towards the sunlight, dusting cobwebs out of his face as he went. “There should be two more back there and then we can start putting these down into the garage.” Grandpa’s voice came floating up from the ladder that led down into the hallway, “Be careful not to drop anything!” “Yes Grandpa!” Carver called down, already moving back toward the section of the attic. “I don’t know why Gramma kept all this old stuff in the house anyway.” he muttered under his breath, searching for the outline of another box in the dim light. “It just seems to take up space and make me lose out on time in the tournament.” “Don’t let Grandpa hear you say that, or he will make you load them all down the stairs too. Besides, no one cares about your dumb video games anyway.” Carver’s older sister Lisa, came over from her section of the attic.

“Theyre not dumb!” Carver bent down under another beam. “Theyre practice for when I become the best video game designer ever!” Lisa sighed so loudly Carver heard it from across the room. “If that ever manages to happen.” “I heard that!” Carver located another box and started shoving out from its hiding place. Grandpa’s footsteps came from below, then up as he started climbing the ladder. “If you two spent this much energy moving the boxes as you did bickering you would be done by now.” he grinned slyly as he reached for the box that Lisa had brought over to the ladder. “Carver was the one bringing up his dumb video games again, it’s not my fault he’s so annoying about it.” Lisa countered as she brought over a stack of small boxes next to the ladder. “Leave him be, dreams are important for motivation.” Grandpa waved his hand in the air aimlessly. “That’s what your grandmother always believed, that's why most of these boxes are still up here. She had a big dream too, it’s a shame she passed before she ever got to it.”

Carver’s question came out before he could stop himself. “What was grandma’s dream, Grandpa? Why didn’t she ever get to do it?” Grandpa paused on his way down the stairs. “If we still have time after all these boxes are in the garage I’ll tell you.” Lisa went over to where Carver was and helped him move the box he had been struggling with while talking. “Do you know the reason?” he asked Lisa, his curiosity getting the best of him. “No one does, in fact no one really knew anything about her, I didn’t even know her middle name until I read it in the obituary last month.” Carver nodded in agreement as they got the box to the stairs. Their grandmother Anna-Mae had died in her sleep the month before after she had been taken to the hospital for a heart attack. Carver grabbed the last box in his area of the attic and set it on top of the other one and sat down for a break. It was muggy in the attic and Lisa and him had been moving boxes all morning.

Carver remembered much about his grandmother, especially that she always had ice cream in her freezer, gave really good gifts at Christmas and his birthday, always brought them to the beach in the summer, and told wonderful stories. The stories were always the best, him and Lisa had always begged her for one more at bedtime. His family had visited often because they lived close by, and his grandmother had never seemed to run out of new ones to tell, which he had always reenacted out in the backyard during the summer. “No rest yet!” Grandpa was back. “Now it’s time to get these into the garage!” “Grandpa? What’s going to happen to these boxes now that Grandma isn’t here?” Lisa asked. “Well, I’m probably going to have to sort them and give away what I can’t use or don’t want.” Grandpa mused, a sad tone in his voice. “I can’t use any of it now that I don’t have her key to any of it.” “Key?” Carver questioned “A notebook used as a key.” Grandpa clarified “Let’s get these down and I’ll show you.” Carver grabbed a couple small boxes and moved down the stairs after his grandfather, his curiosity motivating him.

Lisa set the last box down in the garage. “Phew!” Carver wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Excellent work. Now, how about some lemonade on the porch?” Grandpa moved towards the kitchen. “You promised to tell us the story of Grandma’s dream!” Carver reminded him. “So I did. Let me grab the lemonade and you kids go wait on the porch.” Lisa and Carver both took chairs out on the porch impatiently waiting. When Grandpa had returned with 3 glasses of lemonade and made himself comfortable he turned toward Carver. “Do you remember how your grandmother told you kids stories at bedtime when you stayed here?” Carver nodded. “Well, your grandmother had found those stories on her own, and she was telling them from memory.” “Found the stories?” Lisa questioned “How do you find a story?” Grandpa leaned back in his chair and took a sip of lemonade. “When your grandmother was very young, not much older than you, Carver, she traveled with her father all over the world. He was an archeologist who worked on digs and with museums everywhere, and your grandmother would always go along with him.” Carver stared at his grandfather stunned, “Did she get to go to Egypt to see the pyramids?” Grandfather nodded, a smile breaking out on his face “Many times.” Carver couldn’t believe what he was hearing “China? Africa? Did she ever see a real life elephant?” Grandpa threw his head back and laughed “Oh yes yes, all of that and more.” “Why did she never say anything?!” Lisa exclaimed. “Oh she said that part of her life was over and she wanted to be present for her family, especially when she had your mother.”

“So how did she find stories?” Carver asked. “Well, she would encounter things on her travels, or she would find a special place while she was exploring and write it down.” Grandpa smiled again. “Do you remember the story she told you of the tiger cub that got lost and a circus performer found it and fed it popcorn?” “Of course!” Lisa chimed in, and they had named it Popcorn because it was his favorite treat!” Grandpa laughed “All of that was true, except the circus performer was actually your grandmother when she had wandered off and explored a small part of the jungle near the camp where her father was digging for lost idols.” “No way!” Carver jumped up excitedly. “This is the coolest thing ever! Grandma was an actual explorer!” Grandpa laughed “I suppose in a way yes, she was.” “Well wait, then what is in all the boxes?” Lisa asked. “Those are all her stories, reminders that she brought back with her to keep those stories alive in her memory.” Grandpa held out his hand, and in it was a small white object. Carver peered closer, “Is that a tooth Grandpa?” “It is one of Popcorn’s baby teeth from when he was a cub.” Grandpa grinned. “No way.” Lisa got up from her spot and came closer. “Truely it is.” Grandpa turned it over with a finger so they could see the sides better. “So, what was Grandma’s dream,Grandpa? I mean she went on all of these adventures and did all of those amazing things? What more could she have wanted to do?” Carver was amazed his grandmother had done all of that and still not gotten to achieve her dream.

Grandpa smiled sadly and slowly stood up. “Follow me and I’ll show you.” Carver and Lisa followed their grandfather back to the garage and watched as he opened one of the boxes. “Each one of these has a story, and your grandmother had them all logged in her key, but with that key gone, I can’t remember which story goes with which object.” Grandpa gently set down the tiger tooth, and then set down a peacock feather, a small golden idol and a jade chess piece. He stood up and gestured to the boxes. “Each one of these is filled with stuff like this, and your grandmother’s dream was to write each one of the stories so that everyone could enjoy them for themselves. It was her way of showing her heart to the world, and to you two, her grandchildren, and her legacy.” Grandpa sighed. “So we just need to find the key, what did it look like Grandpa?” Carver was inspired now. “My boy you are welcome to look, but I have searched every box and every corner of this house. It was a journal, black, and about this size.” Grandpa indicated with his hands. “We’ll find it Grandpa!” Lisa and Carver turned and took off running in opposite directions, Lisa towards the study and Carver towards the yard.

“If Grandma loved adventures, then what better place to put a journal than outside!” Carver muttered to himself as he stood in the middle of the yard, scanning in every direction. There was the old swingset Lisa and him had played on as younger kids, the fire pit where they made s’mores every summer, the porch where they had cookouts, and the huge climbing tree where Carver always pretended to be a pirate. “Hmmm.” Carver walked towards the tree. His grandmother had always left a basket of props at the base of the tree for him whenever they were over. “You never know what you’ll need for an adventure.” she had always said. Now he knew the connection. He walked around the tree several times, carefully inspecting. “I wonder.” Carver stopped and walked closer. There was a slim crack that went along the entire side of this tree, he knew because he had always thrust his cardboard sword into it while ‘fighting’ his enemies. He carefully reached near the top of the crack and slid his hand down slowly, feeling carefully, then smiled when his hands felt the texture of soft leather.

Years Later….

Carver knocked on the front door to his grandfather’s house. Grandpa opened the door almost immediately. “Carter! What a surprise! Come in come in, I just put the coffee on, would you like a cup?” Carver smiled, “Of course Grandpa.” The two men walked into the kitchen, and Carver sat down at the table. “I have something for you Grandpa.” “For me?” Grandpa turned around and set down two steaming mugs. “Yes, have you heard about the book?” Grandpa nodded with a huge smile. “Oh yes, Lisa told me you had written one based off of your grandmother’s tiger tooth with the key you found all those years ago.” “Yes, that was why I had asked you for those boxes, so I could write her stories for the world to have and share.” “Share her heart with the world.” His grandfather nodded then grinned again “Better than being the best video game designer in the world?” Carver laughed “The dream was really to design my own stories, and honestly this is absolutely better, and that’s why I am here. I could never have done this without you Grandpa, so I brought you this.” Carver took an envelope out of his shirt pocket and slid it over to his grandfather on the table. “Oh no Carter.” Grandpa shook his head. “I won’t accept money.” “It isn’t money Grandpa, open it.” Carver smiled eagerly. Grandpa took the envelope and opened it “An invitation? To dinner? Carver, you could have just asked me.” “Yes Grandpa, it’s an invitation to a dinner, an event really. A dinner and awards ceremony to celebrate the publishing of my first book and a deal for many more. I could have never found myself without you and Grandma, all her stories.” Carver shook his head “I now share Grandma’s heart with the world, and I share mine by writing the stories, this is my way of showing you that I still share my heart with you too Grandpa, will you come with me?” Grandpa nodded, tears brimming his eyes. “Of course my boy.” “It’s black tie now, so we will have to find you a suit.” Grandpa sighed “Oh Carver, I don’t know if I have enough in savings-” “Never you mind about that Grandpa.” Carver said firmly. “I’m taking you to the best tailor I know, and we’re getting you the works.” “Well, I don’t know what to say Carver.” “Just say you’ll come.” Carver said and grinned “Come so we can both tell stories of the pirates and tigers and building the books.” “Alright my boy. Alright. We can share your grandmother’s heart with the world together.” “Together.” Carver agreed.