All my life I have had a memory that goes back to a little shack where I grew up, but I have always kept it in a memory box, locked away. But I had no idea it would haunt me as time went by, and sooner or later, I would find myself going back, and reliving my childhood someday.

When I walked by that old run down shack, I felt a cold chill go up my back. Something in the depths of my mind told me I had been here before, but I had left it all behind.

Then as though a switch had been turned on inside my head, memories started to flood my brain. Something kept telling me, don't go there boy, get down off that memory train.

But go there I did, searching hard for the past, God, It seemed a lifetime had come and gone, and for the first time in my life, I felt frightened, and all alone.

I walked around the old shack, until I found the kitchen window, I looked in, and saw papa saying grace. Everyone was sitting around the table, and there was a kind of peaceful look on momma's face.

Then I walked around, and looked in the living room window, and saw momma sitting in a rocking chair, holding a letter in her hand. She was crying, there was a little box on her lap, she took out papa's watch, his billfold, and wedding band.  

" Papa was dead," that was what the letter that momma was holding said, I looked over and saw a coffin, It was open, I could see papa's face. Then I saw a lot of kinfolks and all of our neighbors, standing around all over the place.

It was a wake for papa, somehow he didn't look the same without his hat, I wasn't used to seeing his bald head. I don't know why they call it a wake, when a person is dead.

Things were never the same after papa died, everyone said papa was a good man, always there to lend a helping hand. Now papa may have had a fault, or two, but right now I can't seem to find any. But that's the good thing about memories, they let you go back to when good times were plenty.

In Loving Memory of My Dad.

By: Ned Nunn

2001