Everything Old is New

             Sure enough, Gemma and Becky woke up to several large burly men at their door, which meant they needed to scramble to get ready and finish the last-minute packing. The men were patient and went for coffee while they got ready. After all, the men were ahead of schedule.

             Once dressed and the last of the packing done. Gemma packed the new car that arrived the day before. Becky minded the movers and the closing walk-through with their landlord.

             Gemma went for breakfast for them and returned in time to see the moving truck head out, and Becky waiting on the curb for her. She jumped into the car, and they sped off towards their new home.

             “Glad you got here when you did. I think I saw Kevin’s Lincoln drive by looking for a spot to park.”

             “It’ll look good on him to pay for the street parking in this neighbourhood just to find out we’re gone. It’ll be payback for his creepy lurking.”

             “You’re so right. So tell me about this place where we’re living now?”

             “There’s the main house, Helencia Manor. The servants’ cottage, which is a fifteen-room house. There’s the old horse barn. They turned the barn into a garage for cars and equipment for the estate. There’s the greenhouse, and of course, gardens that go on forever. Everywhere you go, it doesn’t matter what corner you turn. There’s something old to discover. I could never become bored there.”

             “You really liked it there?”

             “We spent summers there for the longest time. It allowed our parents to go on a tour of the Universities to do whatever studies they were working on.”

             “You ever figure out what those studies were exactly?”

             “History of spoken lore. It’s interesting enough, but I don’t see myself ever following in their footsteps. It’s all a little too dry for me.”

             “Yeah, but what kind of spoken lore? Which countries or cultures did they specialize in?”

             “I never knew. The University took the work in their offices. Evan and I weren’t old enough to understand all that, and we didn’t have any interest in it. What’s left at home, we dropped off at Great Aunt Esme’s request to Mr. Winters and he gave it to her. I think it’s part of why she wanted to turn the Mansion into a place historians could study at. Teach visitors about the history and tell them the lore. All that I believe came from whatever our parents worked on.”

             “I have a feeling that we’re walking into a house of secrets. Crazy Aunts. Weird research. Mysterious Wills. This could make a great movie. All it needs is a murder and an art theft.”

             “Oh, hush. We have enough on our hands with a broken-down estate to fix up. Let’s not jinx ourselves. At least not yet.”

             Becky laughed between bites as they drove through the countryside on the way to the Helencia Estates. “Fair enough. Do you think we have enough space to stop and shop for food and such before we get there?”

             “Not if we don’t want to carry everything into the various buildings. The movers won’t take anything off the truck unless we’re there. So, let’s get there and have the men move things to the correct rooms first. We can head out for the shopping once these movers leave.”

             “Cool. Have you ever seen the inside of the servant’s cottage?”

             “Only from the windows. Aunt Esme kept it locked all the time, just like half the house. It was cheaper to run like that.”

             “It seems so odd that everything will be a grand mystery when we get there. I think I have butterflies in my stomach.”

             “No, that’s three breakfast sandwiches in your stomach.” Both women laughed for a bit and settled down for the rest of the trip.

             Finally, they pulled off the highway onto a dirt track. Becky wondered how the moving truck dealt with the road with all its weight.

             “Looks like we’ll need to add getting this road regraded.”

             “Oh, I second that thought. It’s that or I’m going to need all my fillings put back into my teeth. I guess this road’s not used often.”

             “No, it only leads to Helencia Gardens. All the other homes on this track are long gone, and the land is sitting on the market doing nothing, because of a lack of amenities.”

             “What?”

             “It’s too far away from everything. Which will make this place perfect for studying, because of the lack of noise and traffic.”

             “How are we going to get the tourist to come here if it’s so far out? That makes little sense.”

             “I don’t get it either. But the town has a plan. There’s the house. It doesn’t look like the movers are here yet. Let’s go see inside the house. It should be open.” They pulled up to the main house and climbed out of the car to stretch.

             “It’s huge. I know you said thirty rooms, but… This is larger than I expected.”

             “Three floors plus a basement. Come on. I’ll show you where I used to sleep.” Gemma smiled as she trod up the wide stairs and into a large entryway.

             “This is the main entryway. Through those doors is the morning sitting room. The afternoon sitting room is through there. The library is to the left. The door beside the stairs leads to the kitchen. The dining room is through the far right door. The basement is off the butler’s pantry, which is accessed through the kitchen. Aunt Esme did laundry in there, if I remember correctly. My room and the nursery are up these stairs. Come on.”

             Every room had a door, so Becky saw nothing inside the rooms. “You think they’ll put nameplates on the doors so people can find their way around?”  

             “We can check. But you’ll figure this out in no time. Here it is.” Gemma threw open a door. “The nursery. That door leads to the bathroom. That was Evan’s room, and this was mine. I’m itching to find out if those things are still there after all these years.”

             “Oh? Do you mean the mirror? It was a mirror, right?”

             “Yeah, a mirror and a book. I think it might be a diary now, though back then I didn’t know what it might have been.”

             “Mystery and intrigue. I’m curious now to see what’s inside it.”

             “Well, let’s see if we find it before anyone interrupts us.” They could hear workmen doing something further on inside the house. Once inside the tiny bedroom, Gemma could see everything was still in its place. The dolls were still in the same rooms she’d left them in. The building blocks from when she’d been a toddler were still on their shelf spelling out ‘you are beautiful,’ something Aunt Esme often told her. The air may be stale and the bedcover dusty, but the hint of potpourri still lingered to bring back memories for Gemma.

             “Gemma?” Becky tapped Gemma on her shoulder to pull her attention from the flood of childhood memories she experienced.

             “Oh, yeah, right? Sorry, I can still smell the potpourri Aunt Esme insisted on keeping in all the drawers. It’s somehow comforting. The board is over here.” Gemma knelt down and struggled for a few minutes to pry up the old floorboard.

             Sure enough, under a layer of grey dust lay a cracked mirror and an old leather-bound book. “Oh, wow. I see what you mean by it looking creepy. That book reminds me of the book from the movie Evil Dead, but smaller. You think it’s a diary or a grimoire?”

             “A what?”

             “A grimoire. A witch’s spellbook. Like a cookbook for spells and potions.”

             “I don’t know.” Gemma handed the book up to Becky and set the mirror on the bed carefully. “Mind the mirror, it’s broken in the corner.”

             “I think I hear the moving truck. We should show them where to unload.”

             “Yeah, and we’ll need to let someone know we’re here, too.” With that, Gemma opened her purse, and they tucked the items into the large bag.

             “For once, your monster bags come in handy.”

             “It has before. Remember snacks for the movies? Alcohol for the end-of-school bonfire party out near Old Man Phillip’s fields. Admit it. You want one.”

             “I’m too short to carry one and you know it.”

             “Yeah, I know pocket person.”

             The two women left the room and encountered a white-haired man coming from the attic. Dust and cobwebs covered his wispy hair and old blazer.

             “Excuse me, but who are you and what are you doing in here?”

             “Hello, I’m Gemma Conlin, the new caretaker, and you are?”

             “Oh, right, you’re supposed to be here today. But what are you doing in there? You could damage something.”

             “I was showing my assistant and friend where I used to live. Who are you?” That stopped the man in his tracks.

             The old man blinked in confusion. “Oh, uh, Professor Digby. Benjamin Digby. I’m heading up the restoration for you.” He stumbled a little over his words. But Gemma figured he rarely encountered a living person who lived among the antiquities he studied.

             “Well, hello Professor Digby, it’s a pleasure to meet you finally. Now I believe the moving truck with our things just pulled up the drive. We should show them where the servants’ cottage is so that they can unpack and leave before they accidentally damage something or put boxes in the wrong place.”

             Her words carried a transformative effect on the scholar. Regarding his title and concern for the valuable objects around them, she won him over quickly.

             “Yes, of course. I hope you don’t mind. I’d like to come with you and show you what we’ve done for you there.”

             “We’d be happy to have you come with us.”

             The old man tried to dust himself off, suddenly releasing a cloud of dust and cobwebs into the air. “I’m sorry I was in the attic taking stock of some things. Why don’t we start with settling you in and tomorrow we can take an accounting of the estate?”

             “That would be perfect.” The small group moved down the main stairs. Gemma’s bag didn’t quite make a complete turn around the banister railing and the dull thunk of the mirror coming in contact with the hardwood was concerning to the women. It made them stop for a moment, and their eyes met with concern.