Dear Jack…
Introduction:
Over the years I have started to write a number of books. To date, I’ve finished none of them. Perhaps I never will.
The characters in those unfinished books stay with me. I miss them, I remain captivated by them, and I feel guilty that their stories remain untold.
This is the first in a series of letters I intend to write to some of these characters.
Who knows, perhaps one of them will write back ❤️.
The Letter:
Dear Jack,
I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write this letter. If I’m honest, I’d been feeling a little guilty about how I left things with you.
Your death wasn’t something to be taken lightly. I hope you don’t think that I did. You’d lived in my mind’s eye for quite some time before you reached those pages.
I had your face before I had your story. That, I still need to fully understand. I’ve always known you, though. You might not have looked like me, but we are alike, you and I.
Killing you in the way I did has left me with a strong sense of guilt, especially given what has happened since.
You deserve to have answers. It’s been six years since that night. At the time, I really did think I already knew what they were, that it was just a matter of finding the right time to reveal them.
Somewhere along the way, I began to doubt what I’d been so sure about. There were gaps that needed filling; the puzzle just didn’t quite fit together the way I’d imagined.
Perhaps the key to all this died with you. I hadn’t allowed enough time for you to trust me enough to fully let me in. That’s on me and I regret it deeply.
You were the first character, in the first novel, I ever attempted. I didn’t really have a clue what I was doing; I still don’t.
I’d also really like to provide closure for Emily, she loved you so much. I know you had a dark secret and you were haunted by past events. It made it difficult for you to be loved, but not to love. You loved her with all your heart.
Of course, she blamed herself. She doesn’t know the full story so, as we all do, she made up her own. I think, deep down, she knows she wasn’t responsible, but I’d like for us to be able to make her fully believe that. Emily deserves that from us, at the very least.
So where to go from here? I really hope that one day the full story of what happened all those years ago can be written down. I know I committed to it and I hope to find the words to honour that.
Until then, sleep well, Jack. Your story is not over, at least I hope it’s not.
Forever in my imagination.
Phill
An Extract From ‘The Secrets They Shared’:
Jack Davidson died at exactly three minutes after ten on the evening of the 23rd June, 2012.
His last day was also his birthday; he was 28 years old.
How he died is very clear. Jack took his own life when he stepped from the platform in front of a train, as it passed through the station in what had been his hometown.
Why he died is less understood. It is known that Jack wasn't completely alone in the moments before his death; there were six others on the platform that evening with him.
Our answer to the question of why Jack chose that day to die lies with one of them.
The burden of carrying that secret will lie heavy, and it will be many years before it is shared.
On the day it finally is, there will be another death from among this group.
That, though, is for later…
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❤️
Yes yes yes, I agree you need to give us the rest, so good.
Please continue Phillip. I can imagine a while book of letters. Unfinished stories of created characters that still want to be told even with open endings. Not everything needs to fully be understood or have final conclusions. Life isnt this way or at least not for me. Many questions will remain unanswered and stories could have so many different endings. I hope you’ll continue because I love to read you.