Agnes stepped out of her 49' Buick convertible & gazed up at the weathered brick fortress that stood before her. It was exactly as her dreams had recalled it to be, just slightly more aged than her imagination and memory could perceive.
She retrieved the antique key that was left for her in the mailbox by the real estate agent she had spoken to hours ago.
Tentatively she pushed against the front door. It creaked loudly as if it groaned in annoyance to be opened after so many years. She fumbled awkwardly in the dark dusty hall until she found the nearest light switch. The lights too seemed disturbed at her entry and sluggishly shone their light around the vast rooms. She stood there in the doorway for a moment taking it all in. She felt her eyes begin to fill with tears she didn't think she was capable of producing. She was dangerously close to an emotional breakdown. She fought the urge to slump to the ground and bury herself in sorrow. Slowly she willed herself forward.
In a room nearby a grandfather clock struck noon, it's momentous chiming echoed off the surrounding walls. All her life, she never felt more painfully lonesome than this moment. With no one around to offer comfort, she hugged herself as the familiar ghosts of her past came back to haunt her. She closed her eyes, released tears & was flooded with bittersweet memories...
*To be continued...
