Dearest Rachel –
Part of me can’t believe it’s been eighteen years since you took this footage as we scoped out the cottage you used to refer to as “Miz Fay’s place” back when your family were still staying at the Bretz cottages a short wade further north.
Another part of me can’t believe I’m saying this, but eighteen years doesn’t seem like such a long time anymore. Sure, the place looks a little different, but not that much.
I suppose that was the whole point of going back to the island, year after year; no matter how many years pass, nothing much changes from year to year. You never were a big fan of change; at least, not unless it was on your terms, or so gradual that you couldn’t notice it.
The thing is, there have been changes; given enough time, everything changes, even here. Granted, the biggest change is your absence (and your parents’, and Sir Silk’s, but let’s set that aside for a moment), but at least that’s not something that you have to perceive. Meanwhile, while it pains me to point it out, it’s not as if the locals notice that. For them, life goes on, just like it does on the mainland. It kind of has to; like at home, it’s not as if things grind to a halt just because you’re gone. Meanwhile, the cottage is host to a family of new owners, and while they’ve kept it mostly as we remember it, they’ve also upgraded it to feel more like home for themselves (which, as it happens, doesn’t really interfere with our ability to enjoy the place, either.
I don’t have that much to add to this particular letter, but as Daniel is taking a nap at the moment…
…I thought I’d take a moment to sneak out to the general store and let you see, on a side-by-side basis, how the place looks, and you can judge for yourself what has changed from one moment eighteen years ago to now.
Anyway, I shouldn’t be gone long; I don’t know when he might wake up, so I’ll keep this short otherwise. As always, keep an eye on us, and wish us luck. We’re going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 