(I return from holidays a little refreshed and ready to kick off 2020. I hope everyone had a happy and restful time. Thought I would switch gears from the long, sci-fi and jump back to some shorter, spooky stuff. This is a horror/ghost story with just a hint of mystery thrown in. Hope you enjoy.)
“You have been putting this off for forever, Colin,” Macy nagged playfully. “Like so many other things.”
Colin was getting used to the nagging; it was growing more frequent as the wedding day approached. He put up with it, on account of the bigger picture. “The old house isn’t going anywhere, so a few more minutes will be okay.”
“I guess so,” she agreed, keeping things playful.
The car was already packed and ready for the short drive to the Hardwick House. Even though he had only brought up the family house recently, the trip to see it was high on both their priority lists. Macy already knew she liked Colin; he fit her check list so well that it sometimes scared her. His family had dwindled from several accidents and tremendous ill luck, true, but that also meant fewer in-laws to interfere or quarrel with. Colin was a junior partner in a mediocre law firm, clean cut and God-fearing. He was a little older than she had hoped for; that being the worst thing about him. He had not immediately told her about the family estate in the heart of New England he had recently inherited, perhaps concerned that she was a gold digger, yet this seemed a reasonable precaution to her. She had not accepted his proposal for his money, but the additional security it provided was welcome.
For Colin, the house had some value beyond childhood memories. He had been raised there until he was nine, when his father whisked Colin and his mother away to New York City. Life had been good at the Hardwick House, a remote, Victorian mansion in a magnificent state of upkeep; especially compared to a busy, loud and crowded New York City. Twenty five years later, Colin was in a tight spot. Despite relative success as a business lawyer, his lifestyle and some questionable investments had set his finances back. Debts were crippling, nearly to the point of breaking. The family estate came to him as an early surprise; the recent passing of an estranged uncle being the last in a string of unusual deaths. The place was worth a fair chunk of change; at least, enough to pay his mounting debts and give him a fresh start. Still, there was always a price, even for an unexpected gift.
The plan was to spend Saturday night at the house in order to check it out. Colin’s Uncle Cyril had been keeping the place as a summer residence. Uncle Cyril had been carrying out some upkeep toward selling the place, so the property would keep them dry enough for a weekend. They brought camping gear, just in case.
“How long since your uncle stayed there?” Macy asked as they got underway.
“Almost a year,” Colin said, sure he had told her before.
“I still can’t believe it took so long for the will to go through,” she said, mostly to make conversation. Colin had only told her about it a month ago. She had been dying to see Colin’s childhood home ever since.
“It was a pretty screwy will,” Colin said, playing along with the idle conversation. “I think he probably didn’t want the place going to me. He did everything except exclude me from the will. If he had, there would be an auction right now.” Cyril had willed his entire estate to a series of friends who turned out to have passed away or disappeared. The will was clearly old; the old man had not expected to kick off so soon. When it was clear that no one in the will was available to take it, Hardwick House passed to the next available family member.
“You were kind of vague about his break with the family,” Macy went on. “He didn’t get along with your dad, somehow?”
“The reason I was vague is because I never had it explained to me, either,” Colin explained. “No one talked about it, really. What I know came in bits and pieces. Mom and dad were already dead before I left law school, so there wasn’t a lot of adult discussion of family politics. Who knows, they might never have told me, anyway.”
“Your uncle was mad that your dad left the estate,” Macy probed. “Seems like a weird thing to fight over.”
Colin smiled. He had wondered about the full connection to his own understanding of the house and Uncle Cyril’s rift with his father. “It could be anything, I guess. For all I know, dad left because of the fight. The bits and pieces suggest Cyril felt dad owed it to my grandparents to stay. I just don’t have enough information to say, really.”
Macy smiled and put her hand Colin’s shoulder. “You’re funny,” she said, almost giggling, “with your legal need to have it all evidenced out. You don’t even want to try a few theories?”
“Not really,” Colin said, really not caring about the details of an event that no longer mattered.
“Okay,” she said, trying to find a new angle to keep the conversation going. “What did your uncle do for a living?”
“He was a building contractor,” Colin said. “As far as I know, that was all he ever did.”
Macy nodded. “And did he have much money of his own? He was keeping up a pretty expensive property for a few years.”
“He was planning on selling it in a few years, according to the paperwork. His contracting business didn’t make a ton of money, but he seemed to manage. For all I know, he was selling family heirlooms to make the difference. As it stands, I already sold his business to one of his senior employees to cover the legal costs related to the stupid will. He was worth that much, at least.”
“Hopefully he kept the plumbing up,” Macy said, looking to lighten things. “I don’t really want to do my business in a pot all weekend.”
“I think the place is livable, including plumbing,” Colin said, checking his blind spot as he pulled onto the interstate. “A local caretaker was keeping the place up until a couple of weeks ago. Another provision of the will.”
“Why did he stop?” Macy asked. A caretaker was news to her.
“A short term contract provided for in the will,” Colin said. “It’s part of why I wanted to see the place now. If the place is good enough to sell, as is, I may hire him on again until a deal closes.” He had already explained his intention to fix the house up, if needed, to maximize the price.
“Would you ever consider keeping it?” she asked. She had brought it up before, briefly, but never really discussed it beyond that.
Colin smirked. “Part of me wouldn’t mind. The truth is that my life is based in the city. The commute is almost manageable, except for the winters. I couldn’t justify the place as a summer residence, considering what year round taxes and insurance would cost. Besides, just keeping the place up would be a job. There must be a dozen bedrooms alone.”
Macy smiled again, suddenly feeling close to him. “Maybe, when we finally stop waiting to do the deed,” she said, half serious, “we could work on filling those rooms.” She had casually referenced their state of celibacy. Macy was not altogether the most religious girl, however she had a strong desire to remain celibate until her wedding night; which was, for Colin, the only thing that mattered.
Colin looked away to hide the look crossing his face, obvious sadness and regret. When he turned back, smiling, she seemed not to have noticed. “That’s a lot of rooms,” was all he said.
The expressway gave way to a short run on a secondary highway before leading to a genuine side road. The road was hilly and winding at stops, seeming to hug the landscape. Irregular intervals of houses and farms quickly gave way to trees and brush. For Macy, a true city girl, they were suddenly in a wilderness; and she was uncomfortable with it. They had been fairly quiet for a while, and she needed the comfort of conversation.
“You weren’t kidding about the place being in the middle of nowhere,” she said, hoping he would converse.
John Settger 