Main Street

Purple lights flickered against the sidewalk as I passed by a little shop with a particular sign perched above its door.

"'Little Secret'?" I whispered into the night, looking up at it.

"It seems like you have one," a deep voice answered me.

I nearly screamed at the sudden sound. "What?" I asked, trying to quiet my breathing.

A young man stepped out from the doorway, running a hand through his chocolate locks. "Sorry if I scared you, but only those who have a secret can see this sign and it's door," he explained, his green eyes sparkling as though he had a great secret of his own.

I sighed. "So what if I do, what does it matter?" I asked.

He grinned. "Oh it matters a lot to me."

"What?" I asked again.

"Can you tell me your secret? I'll keep it hidden. It's all I have to do for my life; hold others' secrets so they can move on without it holding them back," he replied, leaning against the doorway.

"Why would I tell you?" I questioned, weary of this stranger.

"Because, Alyse, you have a secret. A secret that both keeps you here and makes you want to leave. Isn't that right?"

I took a step back from him. "How do you know my name?" I whispered, moving to stand under the streetlamp.

"I know all the names of those with secrets. It is my curse; names and faces, but I don't know where they are or even who they are. Just that they have a secret to tell and no one to tell it to."

I looked at him. "How can I believe you?"

"Please come inside and let me give you an exit from this sleepy old town," he whispered, holding out his hand.

I hesitated for a second. "How can I trust you?"

"Come on, don't you want to leave this town? Start new somewhere else? Far away from your little secret?" he whispered.

I nodded slowly, listening to his deep voice, lull me into a sense of security. "Okay, sure," I replied, reaching my hand out to meet his.

He grinned. "Come with me, Alyse," he said, leading me into the shop.

I looked around at the little trinkets that decorated the shop. All seemed to look like containers: different shapes, sizes, and even colors.

"What are all of these boxes for?" I asked, reaching to pick one up with my free hand.

He pulled me close and away from the box. "Do not touch what it not yours, Alyse. Those are all different secrets from many different people. Each secret is diferent so each secret gets a different box," he explained. "Touching them makes their secret your own and it becomes your burden to carry as well as theirs."

I nodded as though it made sense before turning to look at more of the boxes.

I didn't see him as he reached down into a little leather bag filled with golden dust.

"But it won't matter if you touch them or not at this point," he whispered, so quietly I barely heard him.

"Wait, what is your name again?" I asked, turning to look back at him.

He turned around as the door swung shut. His green eyes still sparkled mischeviously in the dim lighting. "I am only a Secret, Alyse, " he replied, blowing the dust he had picked up at me.

As it touched my skin, I felt quite dizzy and heard him whisper something before I hit the ground.

"And now you are too."

-x-

I woke suddenly to find myself in the middle of the shop, sunlight streaming through the windows. I sat up and looked around before gasping.

The shop was completely empty with its windows boarded up and the floor covered with a thick coat of dust. Gone were the boxes. Gone was the strange man who brought me here.

I stood up quickly and rushed to the door, turning the lock and wrenching the door open. I jogged to the diner down the street to find it boarded up too. I ran up and down Main Street only to find all of the shops and quick stops were all boarded up.

I ran back to the shop, hoping maybe the stranger was back and he could fix everything. I looked up above the now boarded up windows, looking for the purple lights.

But the sign was gone and so was everything I had ever known.

-x-

My name is Alyse. I am a Secret. I was left behind by everyone I knew because of a curiosity with secrets. And now I pay the price of no one knowing who I am, just so that I could leave my town behind. I am cursed to roam the world, following secrets of generations, never aging, waiting for one just as curious as I was to take the job from my hands.

Just because you've been given a green light, doesn't mean that you should take it. You may regret it and become a Secret as well.