Meet Me in the Meadow

Hello all you dear people! My faithful readers, we're trying a different type of submission this go around. The following series of letters that make up a short story are written by a talented young writer named Madison. We hope that you enjoy it and will read it and pass it along to your friends.

If anyone would like to submit a story or poem, please let me know!

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Meet Me In The Meadow

March 23, 2013

Dear March,

I moved into my apartment today. I promised I’d call as soon as I got here, but the landlady said the phone isn’t working, so it’ll have to wait about a week or so. It’ll probably be longer than that until this letter reaches you, but I couldn’t stand just sitting around not doing anything, and writing’s supposed to be therapeutic, right? Man, I can see you rolling your eyes at me now. Therapy, you always used to say when I talked about going to college and the things people learned there, Just go kick a tree.

I already miss our little town. I miss the people who lived there, always ready with a smile or a helping hand. I think people in the city aren’t as happy as everyone in our town. They don’t smile or laugh.

But I guess my view of Bedford might be a little rose-tinted. I only have happy memories, after all- although most of those are of us getting into all sorts of trouble, running about town and causing a ruckus. I think everyone there knew our names. In such a small town, it’s natural, of course- nothing’s private.

But we always had our secret place. The place we went to when it all got to be too much- just for us, our meeting place. Our meadow. It was sheltered from the rest of the town, hidden away completely.

Truthfully, I wish I was there now- everything here is so loud. In Bedford, all I could hear were the crickets outside my window; here I can’t even hear myself think and the window I do have I can’t open if I don’t want to let in the fumes and noises from the street. The couple next door’s having a fight, and I’m not sure whether to call the police or not- they’re yelling loud enough to make the other neighbors start banging on the walls and yell at them. Well, I’m sure it’ll pass in an hour or so- people can’t fight for that long, right?

I guess I’ll sign off by using what you always used to tell me.

Meet me at the meadow.

Yours,

Adam

March 24, 2013

Dear March,

I didn’t get any sleep last night, so I decided to write another letter- just a short one to stick in with the first. I hope you got a good night of sleep; it’s very important. There are dark circles under my eyes- I guess the city does start to drain you as soon as you step foot inside, just like you said, haha. Anyway, I need to run this down to the mail, so…

Can’t wait to hear from you!

Meet me at the meadow.

Yours,

Adam.

May 1, 2013

Dear March,

I haven’t heard from you in a while and you haven’t answered my letters. I hope everything’s okay. I tried calling, but the phone said your number was out of service. I guess you just got a new one, huh? Well, I’ll wait for you to send me your new one. In the meantime, I’ll tell you about what’s been going on.

I started my new job, but you already knew that. I know you’re probably laughing- who’d of thought I’d be flipping burgers? But it helps me pay for school. But I guess I would rather be serving tables at Anny’s- it always was Bedford’s one hotspot. Everyone went there to eat. We went quite a bit- those were always the best times! The restaurants here are really different. Everyone ignores each other- not like at Anny’s, everyone there always said hi to new people coming in and laughed together. Here people sometimes don’t even stay in the building to eat. But I guess they’re pretty busy- everyone here is.

The couple in the other apartment fight a lot- I’m right next to them, so they keep me up a few times a week. But I don’t mind a few lost hours of sleep, so long as they seem to work it out by morning. They do seem relatively happy when I see them.

I haven’t made many friends yet. You were probably expecting that, huh? Haha, little Adam in the schoolyard always sat alone until you came along. I was did suck at making friends. But you reached out to me and never left me since, and I just wanted to thank you. Now that we’ve been apart for a little while, I really miss you. I just wanted to let you know.

Meet me in the meadow.

Yours,

Adam.

December 24, 2013

Dear March,

Man, it’s been a long time since we talked, hasn’t it? I got your letter in the mail and your email, but I guess we’ve both been really busy. School’s gotten really hard. All that testing and all. What have you been doing? Do you still have your job in the school library? I miss coming in to visit you. Remember when you’d read to me during your slow shifts? The last book we read together was Beowulf- your favorite. I bought a copy today to read- I never did like it very much, to be honest, but you did, and it reminds me of you. So I’ll read it for myself for the first time for you. I hope that makes you happy.

I don’t really talk to anyone around here. Most of the people who live in my building keep to themselves and all my co-workers seem to just want to get out of work as early as they can. I had a bit of a bad day the other day- I spilled a customer’s coffee all over her. I tried to apologize, but she kept yelling at me, and the other customers were giving me dirty looks. Ben- he’s my manager- sent me home early. I couldn’t get any sleep, either- the couple next door moved out, but the guy who moved in plays his music quite loudly. I don’t really fancy asking him to turn it down; he seems a very bitter person.

Anyway…I hope to hear from you soon! Your letter and email didn’t really say much. Hopefully I can visit soon. I’d have loved to come home for Christmas, but I didn’t have enough money for a plane or bus ticket. But there’s always next year, right? I’ll come home and we can meet in our special place.

Meet me in the meadow.

Yours,

Adam.

March 5, 2014

Dear March,

Has something happened? Did I do something wrong, are you still mad that I moved away? I wish you would respond. I managed to get ahold of your sister, but she said you couldn’t talk. She sounded angry- but she never really liked me, did she? I’m sorry if I upset her.

If you do call, please call during the afternoon. It’s hard for me to get to the phone during the morning. I’m always so…tired. The people here are so…I don’t know. I bumped into a guy today and he spat on me. All people talk about are the bad things happening in the world. I get that they’re important, but I feel…stretched thin. People seem to be so obsessed with the things that are wrong with the world. I know, I know, you’d be scolding me right now, right? Look on the bright side, you’d say. But I don’t know how to be an optimist about this.

It’s not all bad, though. Sometimes, if I just close my eyes, I can imagine it’s all like it was before- that we’re in our meadow, looking up at the stars, just like old times. Like nothing’s even changed. I hope I can come home to visit soon.

Meet me in the meadow?

Yours,

Adam.

January 1, 2015

Dear March,

Sorry, March…I missed another holiday season. Everything’s just been a little…busy. I don’t have enough energy to make a really long trip. Money’s running low and my classes are getting really tough. I could really use your support, just one smile from you and I know I’d be all right. Mostly I just hang around by myself, and people don’t bother me. I think everyone finds it better to leave others to their own devices, you know? Or maybe it’s just inopportune timing. I think things’ll get better once I graduate.

I have something to confess, though… Sometimes I just want to give it all up and come back home. I wouldn’t be able to do much, then, but Linda- the one at the inn- she’d let me have a room till I got back on my feet. But I know what you’d say- Adam Gamblet, you get off your behind and work! No time for laziness! I wish I could take your advice, March. I really do. I’ll try harder.

Yours,

Adam.

February 26, 2015

Uh, hey, March…I was really hoping you’d send a letter or something soon. Maybe we could meet up?

I hope you haven’t moved or anything, did you move out of your apartment? Is your address still current?

I really wish we could talk. If I could just hear your voice. Do you want to hear mine? Do you want to talk to me? I sent you a Valentine’s gift. I hope you liked it- dark chocolate always was your favorite.

I hope that couple that used to live here had a nice Valentine’s. They didn’t fight as often just before they moved out- I hope they worked everything out. I really do! The guy who lives next door- uh, I’m sure he had a nice Valentine’s with..someone. He brings a lot of girls around, you know?

Everything’s so loud. People are always yelling for things, running around, never stopping for a moment. There was a woman in the street begging for money, but no one stopped to help her. Not one person.

Doesn’t that seem wrong to you, March? I tried to give her all I could, but I only had some change on me.

I’m really tired and I can’t write very much more, so goodbye.

Please respond.

Yours,

Adam.

March 3, 2015

March,

I got a letter from your sister today.

You never got any of my letters, did you? And you’ll never get this one, either.

Why did I leave. I could have helped you. If I had just been there. March, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I never knew- I didn’t know.

I’m sorry.

Adam

March 23, 2015

Dear March,

It’s been two years. Nothing is the same. I was so selfish, moving for my own wants and never considering yours. I wasn’t there when you-

I’m sorry. I haven’t been to school for a few weeks. I tried, but I couldn’t focus; I couldn’t stop crying. I haven’t went out of my apartment… the neighbors stare like I’m a walking zombie. I must look terrible. Someone yelled at me on the street to go crawl back into the hole I had come from. They must have thought I was a junkie or something.

I can’t do this anymore, March. I miss you. I miss Bedford. I miss our meadow. I miss having friends and being happy.

There’s no happiness here. There’s only darkness and hate. I hate it here. I miss you, March. I’m coming to meet you. Then we can be together again, and lay together and stare at the stars just like old times.

And I can make up for all those letters you never got to read. I’m sorry your sister didn’t tell me until- I guess, I guess she just didn’t want me to be devastated. But it doesn’t matter, because I’m coming to meet you.

Come meet me in the meadow?

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Madison N. is an aspiring young author who focuses on fantasy and adventure with a side in short emotional stories and poetry. She enjoys anime, music, and crafting bath products by hand. Check out her blog at: https://herbaleccentricities.wordpress.com/