THE INHERITANCE - part three

THE INHERITANCE – part three ………

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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Kate didn’t know what to make of the news the bank’s manager, Terrace O’Malley just gave her.

Her great grandparents were witches? While her common sense told her that was impossible because witches didn’t exist, another part of her began to understand the strange things that had happened throughout her entire life.

She finished the tea Mr. O’Malley had given her, and after a two-minute silence to absorb what she heard, said, “Terry, there’s so much to think about and I’m sure it’ll lead to so many questions. In the meantime, let’s go invade my grandmother’s bank box.”

The safety box was much larger than she anticipated. “Good thing I brought my old satchel with me,” she thought and opened it to its widest. Then made the decision to put off going through everything until she was back in the cottage. The only thing she was determined to find was the key to the mysterious trunk.

“Ah! Found it,” she said holding it high as if in triumph.

“Wow, Grandmother,” she said whispered, “you sure did pack this box tightly. Hope I have enough room in my satchel for everything.”

She found she needed to cram many of the papers inside and still needed to ask the bank manager for a small office box for the rest.

Once her grandmother’s papers were gathered, she walked outside the vault to meet Mr. O’Mally. “Well, Terry, I believe my grandmother was a bit of a hoarder.”

She placed the carboard box on his desk. “I need to hit the market before I go … hmm, I guess you could say ‘home’, but in the meantime, here’s the key she mentioned in her letter.” She handed him the small white envelope addressed only to Kate Mary Sullivan.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to trust you to ensure that whatever she has in her storage container gets delivered to the cottage. I want to go there now and begin sorting out these papers, but before I head back there, I’m going to visit the market and pickup a few supplies.”

“Of, course, Kate. I’ll take care of it and should there be anything you need, just call. Here’s my card. Let me carry this box to your car. Oh, since you’ve been in the cottage, you obviously noticed there is no telephone. Your grandmother didn’t believe in those, “contraptions”, as she put it.”

He smiled and Kate said, “Not a problem. I have my cell phone,” she said as she waved the small device in the air, “and yes, I will be calling you as I’m sure you’ll be a significant help to me in sorting out all these papers.”

Finally, back in her new home, she realized there was no electricity. Looking around, she said aloud, “I need to make a list of things I need to do here. First thing is to arrange for power. I need to get the lights on.”

She jumped in fright as the lights in the cottage flickered on. “Whoa! What the hell just happened?”

Kate looked around for a light switch but didn’t find any. There was a solitary lamp that sat on the kitchen table, now illuminated.

“Okay, that was weird. Huh!” Cautiously, she said, “Lights off!” And with that, the light turned off.

She sat on the wooden chair that was placed near the old stone hearth and said, “Well, Great Grandmother, when your Will said you placed a spell on this house, I guess you really meant it. I have a feeling this is going to be fun and yet “trial and error” find out what other surprises you have in store for me.”

Kate really wanted a cup of tea and one of the teacakes she purchased at the market but when she tried the stove, found it didn’t work. After examining it, realized it was a wood burning stove. “Okay, I can make do with this until I upgrade the appliances. Oops, Grandmother, would you have any objections to upgrading your home?”

She didn’t expect an answer and wasn’t disappointed when she received none.

Kate ate one of the teacakes and washed it down with a bottle of water, then began examining the small cottage. She needed to know what worked, what didn’t, and what needed upgrading.

She was making her list when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to find a very strong-looking man with a clipboard in his hand.

“Ms. Sullivan? We have your trunks and boxes. We understand you only just moved in so is it alright if we just put these things in the kitchen?”

“Trunks and boxes? How much stuff was in that storage area? Will I have enough room?”

“Don’t worry, Miss. You’ll have plenty of room.”

Four muscled men carried in the Kate’s new belongings and found a corner where everything fit.

As they headed toward the door, Kate reached for her purse. “Oh, no, Ms. Sullivan. No tipping, please. It’s a pleasure to see this old cottage in use again.” He handed her a card with his name and phone number, “I’m Shaun O'Reilly and if there’s anything you need, even if it’s to move something heavy, you just call. If I’m not available, one of my boys will come.”

“Thank you so much,” Kate said and smiled at the eagerness everyone displayed at having an outsider moving into a house that so many people seemed to have loved.

She wondered, “Is it the people? The house? My great grandmother? Or all of it?

Very perplexing.”

She took out her phone and sent a text to the New York Estate Lawyer: Dear Mr. Winslet. I am home! Really home! Would it be too much of a bother to ask you to arrange the cancellation of my Long Island lease and have my things sent to me? As you can interpret, I have happily taken full possession of the house in Aughacasla. Thank you for all you’ve done, and I hope you don’t mind if I keep in touch and let you know how my new life takes hold. Sincerely, Kate.”

She smiled her widest, and said, “Light on.” Then sat in the old wooden chair near the fireplace.