THE INHERITANCE - part six

THE INHERITANCE – part six ………

Welcome home

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Kate Sullivan inherited the house that once belonged to her great-grandmother. The old stone house sat on the edge of a ten-acre plat of land in Aughacasla, Ireland. Two weeks ago, she’d never heard of the small town and now, she owned a piece of it.

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On the suggestion of the local banker, she drove to the home of a nearby neighbor, Maureen Reilly who invited her to stay for supper. Kate had many questions and with a gleam in her eyes, turned to Kate and said, “Kate, this is the land of magic. I can’t explain how your great grandma chose you for her inheritance, but just meeting you, I can assure you that she chose well.”

They heard the stomping of feet descending the stairs.

“And here are the boys. Okay, then, let’s eat and talk. There’s much to be said.”

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As the sun was setting, with her mind buzzing with information, Kate drove back to her cottage. “Wait, MY cottage? Have I really gotten to that point where without a second thought I’m considering it as MINE?”

She smiled at the thought. “Yes, I guess I am at that point.”

She pulled up along the fence, and once again, struggled to open it. “First thing on my list for tomorrow is to get that gate fixed.” She thought as she drove through the opening towards her front door.

After opening the trunk of the car, she pulled out a few small boxes that Maureen Reilly had given her, balanced them in her arms, and walked to her front door.

“Great-Grandma, I’m home. Can you unlock the door please?”

She heard nothing. The lock didn’t click open as she anticipated.

“Darn,” she thought. “I really am not a fan of calling the building ‘house’. There’s got to be a much be a better name. Oh well, I’ll think of it tomorrow. In the meantime, here we go. House, please unlock the door.”

She heard the distinct sound of the lock opening. Trying not to fumble with her boxes, she managed to open the door and walked to the table and said, “Light on.”

The light on the table lit as Kate placed the many boxes on the small kitchen counter. “Mo said she’d given me enough suppers for a week. She didn’t have to do that, but she has no idea how much I appreciate it.”

Each box was labeled; therefore, Kate didn’t have to guess as to its contents. Looking around, she realized she had no refrigerator. “Holy Moly!” she exclaimed. “Grandma’s storage room. Bet it’s nice and cold.”

After walking around the back of the stove that still didn’t work, she came face-to-face with the decorative rock wall, placed her hand on its center and gave a slight push.

“Holy Moly, double time,” She almost shrieked as the door pushed out about two inches and slid to the side. “Great-Grandma, you sure are full of surprises. Wow!”

The room was tall enough to stand in, but only about three-and-a-half feet square with shelves placed on each of the three walls. To Kate’s surprise, the room was self-illuminating and was, indeed, cold. Not chilly, but as cold as what she thought a refrigerator should be.

“Great grandma, you certainly outdid yourself here. I love this,” she said aloud as she began to place the food Mo had given her on the shelf facing the door.

As she walked out of the cold room, as she called it, the light automatically extinguished, and the door instinctively closed.

She was awed and knew calling her beloved new home, “house” just wouldn’t do.

The sun had set hours ago, and Kate felt the fatigue creep through her body. “Oh, my lord, where should I sleep? I forget to check the trunks for any kind of bedding. First things first.” She ascended the stairs and found a quaint bedroom off to her left. Taking a gander on her great-grandmother, she called out, “Light on,” and immediately noticed a small table in the corner upon which sat an incredibly old lamp, which was now lit.

Opening the door, she stood mesmerized at how large it was. “Sure doesn’t look like should fit in this house.”

The bed still supported a thick mattress that seemed to call her name. Opening the closet door, she found the bedding she’d need, all wrapped in clear, plastic. Taking out only what she needed for the night, she placed the bed linens (and yes, they were linen) on the bed, flopped face down, and within seconds, was sleeping soundlessly.

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The next morning, Kate awoke and felt more rested than she’d felt in years. “Must be the country air; I sure do feel great.” She really did until she remembered that while the old well supplied her with water, she found no water heater. “Oh but, maybe…” she thought.

Before undressing, she walked into the bathroom and said, “Shower on at eighty-eight degrees.” To her amusement, the water, already warmed, started streaming down through the overhead faucet. She was giddy with delight.

Once she was washed, dried, and dressed, she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Piling a bit of wood in her stove, Kate put the kettle on to boil. As she turned toward the nearest trunk, there was a knock on her door and when she opened it, there stood an elderly woman, stooped over with age, her kerchief barely covering her massive gray curls.

“Sorry to bother ya, Miss Kate, but Terry at the bank sent me over. Hope you don’t mind. He wanted you to have this. He said it will come in handy for your transition to the Irish way of life.” She giggled a bit then continued, “Imagine, needin’ papers to tell you how to live! He’s got some nerve on him, don’t ya know.”

“Please, Mrs., oh sorry, I don’t know your name, but won’t you come in and have a cup of tea with me? We can get acquainted.”

“Oh, Miss Kate, that would be so lovely. My name is Siobhan O’Leary. I knew your great-grandma, Kathleen. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I told you a tale or two.”