The white picket fence / Mary Lou Ball

April parks her car; sitting there motionless she stares out the window at the old house. The once charming home stood in the middle of a cluster of over grown crab grass. She looks intently at a hideously dilapidated, barely grey shack. Trekking back to a time in her mind she sees the long ago sedate blue Cape Cod. All that stands the test of time was the white picket fence.

Intently, she focuses on the fence. With an uncanny fascination, she's drawn to the white boards. It fascinates her the way the boards still stand straight. A mass of white barely cracked with age making a proclamation of victory for protecting the old ruins.

Why can't she find the answers she needs? Those years April has lived with the Burkes. They had loved her and raised her when her mom died. Now they were both gone and so was the answers she wants. Like a movie scene in reverse, she races to her childhood. April remembers the day people came and took her to live with Paul and Louise Burke. Her throat burns with the familiar feeling. That cold January day had marked the life of a ten year old. She has spent most of her growing up years wondering why her mom went away. April recently found a letter in the Burke's worn medal trunk asking them to take her in.

Chills wash over her as her vision is directed back. She's drawn to the white picket fence once again. Automatically, her hand clutches the door handle as she opens it and steps out into the tall grass. April walks the bounds of the old fence feeling the harsh brittle wood under the palm of her hand. As April walks and looks, she feels an unusual comfort touching the outmoded old fence.

April stands still as if she's frozen in one spot. Her peripheral vision catches the east side of the picket fence. There is something about that rock sitting on a knoll of dirt under the fence that tugs at her. She shakes off the feeling, breaking away from the mound. Mentally, April is determined to forget the rock; after all it is just a rock sitting on top of a dirt pile.

She notices the sun going down and reluctantly gives in to the reality that she needs to leave. April has done what she sat out to do. Before she signs over the land to the city, she wanted to see it one more time to say her goodbyes to the home she knew for the first ten years of her life. Walking toward her car again she is pulled to the odd looking rock. Seemly it looks out of place. As a last good bye she figures it will not do any harm to stop by the large stone. April crouches down and slowly touches the cold object and is assaulted with a peculiar sensation of excitement. Why she wonders is a rock causing such a response? Without stopping to think out her actions, she removes the rock holding onto a fence picket to brace her. Fiercely, she finds herself digging into the hard sod. With a scraping force, she uncovers a softer heap of soil. Sensing urgency from somewhere deep within April works to scatter the packed earth. Stopping April gawks at a rusty tin box. The tin was breaking off with shivers of it missing. April hesitates, and then gently she reaches for the fragile tin. Sitting on the ground she starts to raise the lid. One pull on the top causes the hinges to pop off. As she swipes the rust particles from her pants, she notices an old faded envelope wrapped in plastic lying in the bottom of the container. With shaking hands April gradually lifts out the plastic and opens the envelope.

April forgets to breathe as she finds her answer. April reads the letter twice just to caress the feeling of closeness, knowing her Mother had written it. Back in the car she carefully places the letter in her purse. It arms her now with the knowledge that her Mother had known she was dying and planned for her to be raised by the Burkes'. April mechanically starts her car as she meditates over the words of love her mom had written. Words that spoke of the undying love she has for April as she prepared for illness that took her home to be with April's father. She backs out of the small over grown drive and smiles, taking one last glance at the white Picket fence. Aprils now knows that the fence has held the biggest treasure of all.