The Secret Manuscript by Edward Mullen

not get caught up. With great
reluctance, the school had no choice but to hold her back a year.
Adding to her woes, her life at home was filled with strife.
    Her parents
were no longer together and she lived with her dad, Charlie, who
worked for the Canadian postal service as a package handler. He
hated the job, but at his age, he had no marketable skill sets. He
was, in effect, forced into a life of servitude. Every day, he
trudged into work and sorted packages in a stuffy warehouse. His
physical health was declining concurrently with his mental health.
At the end of the work day, he would come home, grab a beer, sit in
his favourite chair, and watch TV. Some nights his migraines were
so bad he just went to bed. Needless to say, he did not offer much
guidance or support for his daughter.
    One day, Anne
left school early to come home. She was upset and frustrated with
her life. Without saying a word to anyone, she packed a bag and
left town — leaving her child behind. It was the mark of yet
another poor decision. However, as she explained in the note she
had left, she just wanted to escape her current situation and start
fresh. She urged her father not to come looking for her and vowed
to one day return. She never did.
    Ben became
more engrossed in the story, which went on to describe the
challenges Anne’s father had with his health. As for the baby, it
was put in a foster care facility and never saw his mother or
grandfather again.
    Still reading
the manuscript, Ben rose from the chair and stretched out on the
couch. The story shifted from the point of view of the mother to
the young boy in foster care.
    Without proper
family support, the boy became withdrawn. He remained mostly to
himself through his early years and rarely did he make friends or
interact with others. Despite being shy and reserved compared to
other children his age, he displayed artistic talent well beyond
his years. His teachers would often praise him by saying, “Ben you
are very creative.”
    Ben’s heart
nearly skipped a beat when he read the line. The story had obvious
parallels between his life, but never once did he think it was
about him. Since he did not remember many of the early details of
his life, he had not made the connection.
    This has to
be a coincidence , Ben thought as he scooted to the edge of his
seat.
    Once he
actually thought about it, the full picture came into scope.
Charles must be referring to Charles Gringer — my grandfather.
    Being
completely enthralled with the text, Ben continued to read. He
breezed through the next nine chapters, which contained incredibly
detailed accounts of his childhood. Throughout the chapters, there
were several points where the story described events he actually
remembered. Any previous doubt had been eliminated; he now knew
this was the story of his life. As to where it came from and who
wrote it, that was a mystery that had yet to be solved. The strange
thing about it though, was the narrative was written in the third
person, almost as if it were written by the hand of God or some
all-seeing observer.
    He spent the
next few hours flipping through the pages at a rapid pace. He was
learning so much about himself — where some of his behavioural
patterns came from, his commitment issues, and his insecurities. He
realized he had the unique advantage of having nearly every detail
of his life documented and laid out for him to analyze. Presented
in such a manner, it was easy for him to recognize the error of his
ways.

Chapter
Nineteen
    Morning came
and Ben woke up still clutching some of the pages of the unbound
manuscript, while the rest lay scattered on the floor. He rubbed
his eyes and wiped the drool from the corners of his mouth. Unsure
what time it was or how long he had dozed off, Ben rose from the
couch and reassembled the manuscript.
    Ben exited the
room and walked back down the long winding corridor and through the
fireplace. On his way upstairs, he saw sunlight pouring through