The Inheritance

“Are you sure this is the right way?”

“I must have told you so a hundred times not, quit asking. Trust me, I know where I’m going. I might not have been back here for several years, but I still remember the route.”

“It’s just we have been on this road for ages and it doesn’t seem to lead anywhere.”

“I told you, my grandparents’ farm was very remote, didn’t I?”

“You did, but I didn’t expect it to be THIS remote. We haven’t seen another car in at least an hour. Although, that’s a blessing, really, since the road is so narrow, I’m not sure how we’d get past each other.”

“Quit worrying. We are about fifteen minutes away now.”

“I’m not sure how you can tell. It all looks the same to me.”

“Of course it would, to a city boy like yourself who has never been into the wild.”

“You never told me why you haven’t been back for so long.”

“Something happened, which I’m not ready to talk about, not yet.”

“Why do you think they left the house for you?”

“Because there was nobody else to leave it to. Trust me, if there had been anyone else, they would not have left it to me. I’m sure the only reason I’ve inherited it is because they didn’t want it to go to a stranger… My grandparents brought us up when our parents died…”

“Us. Who’s us?”

“… My sister…”

“Sister! We've been together for two years, and this is the first time you ever mention her.”

“I don’t like to talk about her because she died. And that’s when I left. That was fifteen years ago and I haven’t been back since.”

“But you could have told me.”

“I didn’t and please stop asking anymore about her. It might have been fifteen years, but it is still painful to think about what happened.”

“It might help to talk about it…”

“Well, not now, because we are here.”

“Wow. The house is… I expected nothing like this… It’s… It’s huge.”

“My grandparents were very wealthy. The emphasis on were. This house is all that’s left now. They spent all their money keeping it running and with no income the money dwindled to nothing.”

“What do you think you’ll do with the house?”

“Sell it, of course.”

“But they wanted to keep it in the family. You said it yourself, that’s why they left the house to you.”

“I have no loyalties towards the house or them. I’m putting it on the market and that’s it. The whole place just holds too many painful memories.”

“It might help if you shared them with me.”

“Be patient with me. I haven’t thought about what happened here in so many years. I’m dreading going in, seeing it all again, standing where it happened…”

“Where what happened?”

“Where my sister died. I’m not sure I can do it. I don’t really need to be here. Maybe it would be best to just get back in the car and leave. I’ll find someone to clear the house and sell anything valuable before I put it on the market. I don’t even want any money from the sale of the house. It can all go to charity. Everything about this place is just…”

“Hey, don’t cry. You’ll be alright. I’m here with you, aren’t I? Here take my hand.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you are here. There’s no way I could have faced this alone. Come, careful with the third step. There was always a loose plank there, and I doubt they would have fixed it after I left.”

“The door could definitely do with some grease. The hinges are going all rusty.”

“Whoever ends up buying the place can do all that. There should be a light switch here on the right. Found it. Now we can see better.”

“Wow, absolutely wow. It’s even bigger than it looked from outside. Look at those stairs and the ceilings. It’s like a cavern. Hello, listen how my voice echoes in here… Sorry, I forgot myself there for a minute. Hey, you're shaking. Here take my coat.”

“It’s not the cold, it’s this place. All the memories. Her lying there. My grandmother screaming and grandfather shouting at me. It’s too hard. I can’t…”

“Yes, you can. You didn’t come all this way to just turn back. I think you clearly needed to see this place again and deal with the memories you have of this place. Look, what I got here.”

“You brought a litre bottle of vodka with you?”

“Yes, so dry those tears and show me to the kitchen where I can fix us both a stiff drink.”

“Fine, but we are only staying one night. Tomorrow we inspect the house and then we get out of here.”

***

“Hey, I woke up, and you weren’t in bed. What are you doing standing here? It’s the middle of the night and freezing. You’ll catch a cold.”

“That’s where she lied, bleeding. Right there at the bottom of the stairs. There was nothing I could do, there was so much blood. And her eyes… Her eyes just stared, they were like glass. Reflecting everything. I could see the horror in my own eyes as I bend over her. Tried to talk to her…”

“Come back to bed. It’s too cold to stand here. You can tell me everything when we’ve got you warm again.”

“My grandparents were out visiting a neighbouring farm. I'd invited a couple of guys who used to work at the farm to have a drink with us. My sister wasn’t happy with it. She said we’d get into trouble. But I didn’t care. I just wanted to have some fun because our grandparents were always so strict. The plan was to get rid of the boys before they got back and we got caught out. How could I have known that things could go so wrong?”

“I’m listening, but you need to get yourself under this duvet now. Your hands are like blocks of ice. Rest your head on my shoulder and I can rub your hands warm. Now, tell me what happened.”

“I was in the kitchen with two of the guys. We were helping ourselves to my grandad’s whisky when suddenly a shot ran through the house. It shook the house, and it shook me to the core. I knew something had gone terribly wrong, and I ran out of the kitchen and into the entrance hall. That’s when I saw her. My sister was lying at the foot of the stairs, her blood pouring out of her.”

"How? What happened?"

“One of the guys stood near the doorway with my grandad’s rifle in his hands. My grandad had several weapons and seeing how remote the farm is, and he never locked them away. He didn’t see the need to. The farm help, Andy his name was, wanted to look at the rifle. But he didn’t realise it was loaded. And when he pulled the trigger…”

“He shot your sister.”

“Yes, but it was an accident. I was screaming at them to call an ambulance even though I knew it was too late when my grandparents returned. I still hear my grandma’s scream and my grandad shouting at me.”

“What happened next?”

“Grandad called the police. The police arrested Andy, but released him the next day since it was an accident. My grandparents didn’t blame him either. They forgave him. I saw grandad tell him so at the funeral. They blamed me for her death. And they were right. If I hadn’t insisted on inviting the boys in, my sister wouldn’t have died. And I thought they were right. That it was my fault, and they were right not to forgive me. That’s why I left. Because of my guilt.”

“But you must know it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t put the rifle in his hands.”

“I know I didn’t, but that’s why I couldn’t come back while neither of my grandparents were still alive. I couldn’t face the blame in their eyes.”

“Shh, I’m sure they forgave you in the end. Try to sleep now…”

***

“Are you all set to go?”

“Yes, it’s time to leave this place behind me for good.”

“I know you said you didn’t want to take anything from the house, but while you were still asleep, I had a little wander and I found this. That’s you and your sister, right?”

“Yes, my grandad took the picture about a year before she died. We were on a rare holiday to the seaside. Look how happy and smiley we are.”

“I didn’t mean to make you cry again.”

“It’s alright. It’s a happy memory for once. I’m glad you took the picture.”

“Are you alright, though?”

“No, but I will be. I realise now that it was an accident. That it wasn’t my fault. And I know she wouldn’t have blamed me either.”

“I’m glad. So coming here was a good thing after all.”

“Yes, it was. I feel like I've finally shed the guilt I've carried all these years. Now, take me home.”