she stood at the door

her hands trembled as she inserted the rusty old key into the lock. she knew there was no turning back once she'd come this far. the journey to this door spanned decades of searching, yearning, always  holding faith that the key would unleash secret mysteries of her past. her heart raced as she heard frantic whisperings from the other side, indecipherable words that begged for an answer. the other side -- how many times as a child had she heard her mother whisper those words? the last time had been on her mother's death bed as she pressed the rusty old key into her hand. "promise me you'll find it," her mother whispered. "promise me you'll put an end to their constant questioning. i tried so hard to appease them but never had the words they longed to hear." so she had searched, slowing turning the pages of the mystery book that had been her mother's legacy to her. slowly she narrowed her search to this wooded copse and this abandoned house. and now, at long last, she stood at the door, ready to face the voices that had haunted her mother. she firmly turned the key within the lock, pushing back the resistance from years of neglect. creaking door hinges preceded a crescendo of hoarse voices and foul breath. her eyes took in the dark forms as they rushed forward, leaving in their wake a desolate forbidding courtyard. as she stepped over the threshold she understood the question the multitude was asking of her and her reply was quick and sure. "hope," she said. "hope is the thing that sustains us. hope is the answer." the words had barely left her lips when the dark forms began to transform, taking on new shapes and colors. instantly they were the purple hollyhocks, the yellow daisies and the orange poppies lining the pathway into the courtyard. vermillion roses climbed the brick wall, turning their faces to the sun, sighing with contentment. and they all welcomed her with open hearts, embracing the one who held the key to their redemption.  

this is my first time to participate in willow's magpie tales and i truly loved the challenge. to see more of this week's magpie tales, click here.