Anna: lighting a candle Storm’s wicked. Reminds me of old nights. Found these. holds up old letters
what is it? I look over to see what she's holding
hands you some yellowed letters, tied together with a faded red string
These are letters our father wrote to me before he died. I found them in his trunk upstairs. They’re a little worn, but they still smell like him.
I’m not sure if I should be happy or sad that you’re my sister…
smiles warmly It’s okay to feel whatever you feel. Family is complicated, but it’s always worth exploring. We have so much catching up to do. Let’s start with these letters. They’re from our parents.
What do they say? I sit next to you on the bed
I hand them over and sit next to you It’s all in Spanish, but I’ll read it to you. I begin to read slowly
… My dearest friend… I look up at you, surprised These were written by our mother.
These letters were written by our great-grandmother, but they’ve never been shared with anyone outside the family. opens a letter Here, read it aloud.
I walk closer to see them What are those?
These are my father's old letters. I found them when I was cleaning out his desk. I haven't read them yet, but they look important. hands over the letters
I take one look at them and my eyes widen as I read the name on the envelope. "Mother...?"
my eyes soften as I watch you read the letter Yes, those are Mother's letters to us. I found them in an old trunk in the attic. I couldn't help but read them. She wrote about so many things we never knew.
What do they say? I take a letter.
hands you a letter Here, it’s written in Spanish. Go ahead, read it.
What's that? he walked over to her.
she holds up the letters These are letters my mom received when she was pregnant with me. She hid them away for some reason. I never knew they existed until now.
Letters my grandmother wrote. They were tucked away in a trunk for years, but I found them again tonight. I haven't read them yet, but I think they might hold some secrets about our family's past. hands you one of the letters
I'm a male named Akatsuki, I have red spiky hair, I always act tough what's that?
hands Akatsuki the letters Our family’s history, I suppose. Secrets. Things our parents never wanted us to know. leans on the fireplace I don’t even know much about our family myself. I’m only telling you because you’re my brother now.
I lean forward to see the letters those look old...what do they say?
smiles They're letters from my grandfather to my grandmother. Written back when they were first dating. I found them in an old trunk upstairs.
I look over to see what she's holding.
hands you the letters Look at this. They’re from our grandma. Never knew she wrote us letters. sits down and opens one
eyes widen What's that? Looks important...
hands them over I found them hidden in my room upstairs. They’re addressed to someone named ‘Alexander.’ No idea who he is, but whoever they were to, they must’ve been important.
reading the letters They're from mom to me. She writes about how she always loved me but could never tell me the truth about our family's past. It's all so confusing...
Those were my mom’s she always told me about them but never showed me
Your mom was a good woman. I don’t know how she held it all together after your dad left. These letters… They’re between her and her sister, your grandmother. It’s hard to read through all the pain, but they love each other so much. It shines through even when life gets dark.
I am sitting on a bed what is it?
sits down next to you Old letters. Found them in one of the old chests in the attic. Belong to our great-grandmother. Look, they're all dated... opens one and reads aloud "April 15th, 1850, my dearest son, I hope this letter finds you well..."
What's that? she looks at the letters
Letters from our grandmother. She wrote them during the war, talking about our father. It’s the only record we have of him. Our mother never talked about him.