Rosemary Spice and the Secret Game

ROSEMARY SPICE AND THE SECRET GAME
By Joseph Zumchak Jr.

Once upon a time, as many stories go, there was a middle-aged woman named Tamarind Spice; Tammy for short she was called by her family and her friends. Tammy Spice had four daughters. Their names were Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, and Rosemary.

Tammy Spice had to work very hard at the factory in town to pay for all of the things she needed for her daughters. This was because their father did not live with them anymore; and, though he was well to do and paid for some necessities, he did very little for either of the girls.

Rosemary, the youngest of the girls, was the one who loved, and needed the most amount of attention. Rosemary’s mother was very tired and busy most of the time, so Rosemary would spent much of her time with her Uncle Mace. They both seemed to really enjoy their time together. Uncle Mace would bring her lots of candy and many books to read to her. She would often sit on his lap as he read to her. Uncle Mace would sometimes hold her very tightly in a way that felt strange and unpleasant to her. Rosemary would never talk about it, though. “My Uncle loves me.” She would say to herself. “He does so much for me; he wouldn’t do anything bad to me.”

Sometimes they would go to the park and feed the ducks at the big pond in the center of the park. When no one was around, her Uncle would hold her in a way that would feel funny. “This isn’t like the way that Mommy or daddy hugs me?” she would say to herself.

On one Saturday day afternoon Rosemary was at her Uncle’s house when no one but her Uncle was there. Uncle Mace sat on the couch with her and started teasing and tickling her. Soon he stopped and asked Rosemary to play a different kind of game with him.

“What kind of game?” she asked him.

“It’s a ‘SECRET GAME’!!” he said. “You can’t tell anyone the ‘secret’, or something VERY bad will happen!”

Rosemary, at first, says she will play the ‘secret game’; not knowing what the game is all about.

Later on in the afternoon, Tammy Spice comes by his house to pick up her daughter, Rosemary. Rosemary is very quiet when her mother arrives, and remains quiet most of the time while she walks home with her.

“Did you have lots of fun with Uncle Mace today?” her mother asks.

“I guess so?” she says, sounding a little unhappy.

“Is anything wrong?” her mother asks.

“Everything’s okay.” She says; not knowing what to say, and afraid to tell her about the ‘secret game’.

When Rosemary gets home she heads for the shower and stays there for over an hour. “How long are you going to stay in the shower?” Her mother keeps on asking.

“I’ll be out soon.” she keeps on saying, Rosemary thinks she can wash away the ‘secret game’; but she can’t!

After she finally gets out of the shower and into her pajamas, she goes to her room and sits on the floor next to Tabby (short for Tabasco), her puppy. She does not speak to anyone that night, but spends most of her time with Tabby.

Soon Monday comes around, and Rosemary is walking back home from her school. She soon passes by Uncle Mace’s house. He calls her over from his porch, bends down and whispers to her “Come inside, we can play our ‘secret game’ again!”

“I don’ t like the ‘secret game’!” she says to him.

“Oh, but you have to play! “ Uncle Mace says. “If you don’ t play the game something terrible and bad will happen! You don’ t want anything bad to happen! Do you? You don’ t want anyone to be hurt now, do you?”

So Rosemary went inside the house, and they played the ‘secret game’; with Uncle Mace saying, “This is a ‘secret’! Never tell the ‘secret’! Remember, never tell!!!”

Months go by and Rosemary is behaving very different from the way she was before the ‘secret game’. Soon her mother is called in to class by one of Rosemary’s teachers. “I’m glad you could come!” the teacher says. “I’m afraid that Rosemary’s grades are getting very poor! She is not listening to her teachers, throwing things, fighting, and behaving in a very improper way with other children; particularly boys!”

“I don’t understand what is wrong with her?” Tammy says. She used to be such a good girl; and she used to be very outgoing. But, now she’s doing very bad things, and she won’t talk to anyone! She is very different now, and she won’t tell me what’s wrong!”

The teacher gives Tammy the telephone number of a very special doctor; a doctor she thinks can help little Rosemary.

Later on in the evening Pepper, Rosemary’s older sister, goes into Rosemary’s room when no one but Rosemary is around. For a long time now she has seen the way Rosemary has behaved with other people, by herself, and with her puppy dog. Pepper is very sad and frightened by what she has seen and sits down with her and talks to her.

“Rosemary, “ she says. “You’ve been very upset lately, and I think I know why! Please tell me the truth, Rosemary; has Uncle Mace been playing his ‘secret game’ with you?”

Rosemary is very surprised right now. “You know about the ‘secret game’? How do you know about the ‘secret game’?”

Pepper is very nervous right now and seems to have a hard time talking about it. But finally tells Rosemary that Uncle Mace used to play the same ‘secret game’ with her, and how bad it made her feel!”

“I use to think that I did something to make him do that to me!” she tells Rosemary. “I know now that I was not bad; Uncle Mace was BAD!!”

“We can’t tell anyone about it!!” Rosemary begs her sister. “Something terrible will happen’!”

“Rosemary, we HAVE to tell! This secret is a VERY BAD SECRET!! Our Uncle says he loves us, but he really has hurt us! This is BAD!! The ‘SECRET GAME’ is BAD!!! Uncle Mace mustn’t hurt anyone else again! He mustn’t hurt YOU ever again! !!

Rosemary and Pepper both go to their mother and tell her all about Uncle Mace and the ‘secret game’ he had played with them Her mother is very upset and angry at Uncle Mace; but then she gets on her knees and hugs little Rosemary and says, “Uncle Mace will never do that to you again! We will tell the policemen, and they will make sure of that! Nothing terrible will happen to you, EVER! Uncle mace will never hurt anyone ever again!!”

The next day the police came to Uncle Mace’s house and took him someplace where he could never hurt anyone again!

Rosemary didn’t go to school that day. Instead her mother thought it would be better for her to go to see the doctor that her teacher told her about.

Once inside the doctor’s office, Rosemary started feeling a little scared. She didn’t know the doctor, and what happened with Uncle Mace and the ‘secret game’ is a very personal and private matter; but the doctor was very kind, and very smart!

“I know you feel bad.” The doctor says. “What happened to you was a very bad thing! But you are not a bad girl, Rosemary! Telling us about the ‘secret game’ was a very good thing to do! Some secrets are very bad, and should be told! You did the right thing by telling, Rosemary! Your Uncle lied to you and hurt you, but now he can’t hurt you anymore! ! No one will ever hurt you again!!! You must always remember, Rosemary; no one may touch you in a way that you don’t want, not even someone in your family! Not even someone you think is your best friend. Friends don’t play that way!! If you’re playing with someone, and something does not feel right, you stop and tell your Mommy, or a grown-up that you can trust! Don’t feel bad, or be afraid of getting in trouble! If someone tries to make you do anything that you think is bad, then just remember these two words: RUN and SCREAM!!! Run to the nearest grown-up. If you can’t run then you scream and kick as hard as you can, and don’t be afraid! Someone will come to help you!”

“What will happen to Uncle Mace?” Rosemary asks.

“He will be kept in a place where he will never hurt anyone,” he says. “And there he will have to learn not to ever again play the ‘secret game’.

Rosemary and her mother leave the doctor’s office, thanking him greatly. “I will always be here for you!” the Doctor says.

Late that night, Rosemary sits down in her mother ‘s lap and they give each other a big hug! “Mommy” she says. “I’m sorry about Uncle Mace and the ‘secret game’. Are you mad at me?”

“No, honey!” her mother says. “I love you! If anyone ever again does anything bad with you, even if it’s someone we know, you can always come to me! I won’ t ever be mad at you! You and your sister’s are more important to me than anything else in the world! I will never let anyone hurt you or let anything bad happen to you again!!”

Rosemary is happy now as her mother sings her a little, soft song; a song about happy things, and a happy place. With Tabby in her arms she falls asleep in the arms of her mother, and dreams a happy dream!

THE END