Flash Fiction: The Secret

I’d always been told to keep it to myself.

Keep it locked away.

What might happen if it fell into the wrong hands? I didn’t want to know. That could be catastrophic. A disaster great enough to dissolve worlds and destroy life as I knew it.

Securing the door–all eight locks–I made sure nothing could escape, no matter how hard it tried. It was mine to protect, mine to hide. The air was thick and musty, like the lingering heaviness after a storm. An unbearable stillness filled the room and the banging from inside the door echoed like long forgotten thunder.

Let me free, it screamed.

I stopped, wondering if anyone was privy to the truth. Did they know what was hidden here?

Behind the door, there were murmurs. It was rowdy and unrelenting, in constant demand of being let loose. The screams and shouts might be muffled, but they still pleaded for attention. Begged for it. All I could do was pretend they were but memories from another time and will myself to forget.

Let me free, it screamed again.

If somehow it was unleashed…Could it be?

I stared, wondering if there was a way to unhinge the locks and let it out as it wished. Perhaps then it wouldn’t yell so much, wouldn’t cry so much, or cause me such worry. But this was earth-shattering, something that could break walls and create them just as easily. Letting it escape wouldn’t be so simple. It would be a challenge unlike any other, too difficult to handle, too much for me to take.

So, I stepped away, letting its howl sear into my brain.

I’d keep it locked up like I’d always been told.

Hidden from everyone but me.