THE INHERITANCE ... part two

THE INHERITANCE – part two ………

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.

While Kate knew her great grandparents came from Ireland, not much was said about them, no matter how many times she asked her mother who raised her alone after Kate’s dad died in a car crash.

“Mom, tell me about dad’s side of the family.” How many times had she said that to her mom? The answer was always the same, “They came from a family of farmers in south Ireland. They died before I met your dad.” Her mother would never elaborate but Kate was sure there must be some sort of memory that her dad spoke about.

Now, ten years later, there she was driving through city of Dingle as if she had lived there her entire life.

“This isn’t normal,” she thought. “There’s no way I should know my way around. I’ve never been here before, ever heard of it before.” She thought about her arrival at Kerry Airport. The real estate lawyer back in New York helped her make the flight arrangements and car rental which enabled her to breeze through the airport, which to Kate was still amazing. “How do I know anything about this airport? Makes no sense.”

She found her great-grandparent’s cottage without even looking at a map. Again, she thought it was impossible and yet, that’s exactly what she accomplished. Now, she was on the road to Dingle. “It seems as though something or someone is guiding me along the way,” she thought as she spied the building where her great grandmother’s bank sat on the first floor.

After parking her car, she walked towards the door and pushed it open. A man who seemed to be in his early fifties, sprang up from his seat and quickly walked toward her, extending his hand, “Ms. Sullivan! Ms. Sullivan, we were expecting you. Welcome to Dingle! I’m Terrance O’Malley. Come. Let’s sit in my office.”

He led her to a glass-walled little cube of a room and invited her to sit in a plush leather chair.

“Before you ask, Ms. Sullivan, Mr. Winslet from New York notified us that you might be stopping by and asked that we might have all our paperwork in order. He seems a bit paranoid that we wouldn’t but then maybe, he was just worried that you might change your mind.”

Kate laughed. “No, Mr. O’Malley. He wasn’t worried. His office manager told me he was very paranoid when it comes to paperwork. And please call me Kate.”

“Very well, Kate, please call me Terry. Now, how about some tea? Or would you prefer coffee?”

“You know, Terry, tea sounds great. Please, black with no sugar.”

“Ah, a girl after my own heart.”

He picked up his office phone and made a call.

“While we wait for our tea, let’s get started on your inheritance. First of all, let me assure you that while we were instructed to keep an eye on your property, no one has been inside the house since your great-grandmother passed away about forty-three years ago. You’ll probably find the house and grounds in much disrepair. Mr. Winslet wasn’t sure if you’d agree to keep the property after you’d seen it, but in hopes that you would, I’ve taken the liberty of making a list of several contractors that can help you fix the place up. Ah! Here’s our tea.”

“Mr. O’Malley, oh, sorry, Terry, I guess my first question is, is there any reason why my cousins and me were offered the house and no other relations that I don’t know about?”

Kate saw a mask that seemed to grow over his handsome face and just as quickly disappear.

“Okay, Terry, what was that all about? You seem like you’re about to hide something. Please I want the entire truth. If I’m expected to live here, I need to know. Oh, and yes, I feel as though I am expected to live here.”

She told him about the note she found in the cottage.

He sighed and as he bowed his head, placed his fingers in his black hair. He raised his head and his striking blue eyes looked directly into hers.

“Okay, I hope you’re ready for this.”

Now, it was Kate’s turn to stiffen her body as she asked, “Ready for what?”

“Kate, oh my lord, how do I explain this?” He seemed a bit worried but continued, “Anyway, while your grandmother’s will was read and it indicated that all of her descendants were to be notified, she, ah! Damn, there’s no easy way to say this. She put a spell on the property that wouldn’t allow anyone but you to claim it.”

“A spell? What are you talking about? What spell? That’s ludicrous. You’re talking as though my grandmother was a witch or something.”

Terry picked up his tea and gulped every drop, wishing he’d put a splash of whiskey in it.

“Kate, I knew this would be difficult to explain and even harder to understand, but that is exactly what I’m talking about. Your great grandparents were witches. It’s all documented in the papers in this folder. You have a key to her bank box which I’ll take you to in just a minute but before I do, she left another note in this file. In her bank box, is a third key. It fits the lock on an old trunk she asked us to place in storage for you. Once you take legal possession of the house, we’ll have her trunk delivered to you. Everything you need to know, is in there.”

Kate’s body began to shake but then reality began to set it.

“Mr., ah, Terry, two questions. One, who else knew of, what? My grandparents’ powers? And two, since she “spelled” the house so I would be the only to inherit it, does that mean I am like them in every way?”

Terrance O’Malley looked deep into the emerald eyes of Kate Sullivan before he answered.