LJ Idol- Week 11- Wild Goose Chase
Everyone was there for Aunt Josephine's funeral- sister, brother, all the nieces and nephews. No one was going to miss a chance to say goodbye to their lovely and eccentric aunt, and no one was going to miss the opportunity to snoop around her home after the burial. They'd all heard Josephine's stories- the hidden money, the jewels, the fortune she'd never mention in her will. Well, not everyone had heard the exact same story. It was known to change from time to time and from person to person, but the gist of it was the same. There was something in those floorboards! There had to be. Josephine had promised it to all of them.
The family came together in the living room, snacks and drinks scattered around the first floor of the house because each person was attempting to unobtrusively look for clues while they set out the meal. Each person wondered if someone else had a little extra information that might tip the search in the right direction. Alas, it did not seem that way. Dress shoes clanked against the hard wood floors back and forth like a stampede as the family members got more and more frantic that they might not be the ones to find Josephine's fortune, but still, no one said anything about it out loud.
Jerry used his four year old to scope out divots in the floor- making it seem like he was just "playing robots" in each corner of the room. Finally, it was Suzanne who noticed what looked like a mouse hole in one of the corners of the dining room. She was too afraid to reach into the dark spot herself, so she sent her husband crawling onto the floor. Steve pulled a small ziplock back from the hole and pulled a lined piece of looseleaf from the bag. The room stood still. No one could take their eyes off of the retired school principal as he unfolded the paper and read it aloud.
"Well, it says 'the treasure lies with sugar.'" Everyone looked at him quizzically. Certainly this meant there was some unfound fortune, but no one expected a wild goose chase to find it. Gasps were heard around the room. Jerry took off into the kitchen, determined to find the sugar bowl first. Unfortunately, nothing was found by the sugar bowl, the sugar spoons or the bags of brown, white or powdered sugar in the pantry. The family spread out around the house looking for any other item that may involve sugar. Steve consoled himself by eating all of the mini hot dogs and started to feel sick to his stomach.
It was Caroline who peeled herself from the crowd and went into the backyard, remembering that one of Josephine's beloved cats was, in fact, named "Sugar." She found herself in the rear of the yard wondering how far she would go to find the box of treasures that her aunt had been touting since she was a child. Could she dig up the remains of Josephine's old cat? Jerry noticed that Caroline was back by the fence and came to the same realization about the cat. He ran out and stood next to his sister.
"You don't think," he grimaced.
"I mean, at this point..." she winced.
Steve and Suzanne joined the fray- each one of them scowling at the idea that they may have to dig into the pet graveyard. "She wouldn't have," Suzanne said. Steve started to feel even more ill. He leaned onto a small fountain next to the grave markers and used his other hand to grab his woozy stomach. As he began to keel over, the fountain tipped and fell right into the graveyard, and another ziplock baggie fell out. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Jerry motioned for Caroline to pick it up. "You thought of the cat first- you read it."
Caroline opened the paper to find Josephine's elegant handwriting. It read:
I have promised you all a fortune, and for that reason, I expect you'll all be together when you read this. I had no children of my own, and so my nieces and nephews have always been my legacy. Regrettably, I leave you no money. I tried to hit the lotto jackpot, but our dear God did not see it in my cards and so I cannot enrich you all financially. I hope to have given you a great adventure in my absence though, as I always tried to encourage your endeavors and imaginations when I was alive. The greatest fortune you will ever have is each other, and I know that each of you is a treasure. Be good to each other, as I have always tried to be to you. Love forever, Josephine
Suzanne didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry, so a sobbish sound came from her mouth that was a little of each. The cousins gathered together and hugged, and with the family treasure drama behind them, felt more compelled to tell funny stories about their aunt and her antics, and each of them, unbeknownst to each other, decided they may want to plan a treasure hunt of their own for their descendants. This was a lesson that should be carried on after all.
The family came together in the living room, snacks and drinks scattered around the first floor of the house because each person was attempting to unobtrusively look for clues while they set out the meal. Each person wondered if someone else had a little extra information that might tip the search in the right direction. Alas, it did not seem that way. Dress shoes clanked against the hard wood floors back and forth like a stampede as the family members got more and more frantic that they might not be the ones to find Josephine's fortune, but still, no one said anything about it out loud.
Jerry used his four year old to scope out divots in the floor- making it seem like he was just "playing robots" in each corner of the room. Finally, it was Suzanne who noticed what looked like a mouse hole in one of the corners of the dining room. She was too afraid to reach into the dark spot herself, so she sent her husband crawling onto the floor. Steve pulled a small ziplock back from the hole and pulled a lined piece of looseleaf from the bag. The room stood still. No one could take their eyes off of the retired school principal as he unfolded the paper and read it aloud.
"Well, it says 'the treasure lies with sugar.'" Everyone looked at him quizzically. Certainly this meant there was some unfound fortune, but no one expected a wild goose chase to find it. Gasps were heard around the room. Jerry took off into the kitchen, determined to find the sugar bowl first. Unfortunately, nothing was found by the sugar bowl, the sugar spoons or the bags of brown, white or powdered sugar in the pantry. The family spread out around the house looking for any other item that may involve sugar. Steve consoled himself by eating all of the mini hot dogs and started to feel sick to his stomach.
It was Caroline who peeled herself from the crowd and went into the backyard, remembering that one of Josephine's beloved cats was, in fact, named "Sugar." She found herself in the rear of the yard wondering how far she would go to find the box of treasures that her aunt had been touting since she was a child. Could she dig up the remains of Josephine's old cat? Jerry noticed that Caroline was back by the fence and came to the same realization about the cat. He ran out and stood next to his sister.
"You don't think," he grimaced.
"I mean, at this point..." she winced.
Steve and Suzanne joined the fray- each one of them scowling at the idea that they may have to dig into the pet graveyard. "She wouldn't have," Suzanne said. Steve started to feel even more ill. He leaned onto a small fountain next to the grave markers and used his other hand to grab his woozy stomach. As he began to keel over, the fountain tipped and fell right into the graveyard, and another ziplock baggie fell out. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Jerry motioned for Caroline to pick it up. "You thought of the cat first- you read it."
Caroline opened the paper to find Josephine's elegant handwriting. It read:
I have promised you all a fortune, and for that reason, I expect you'll all be together when you read this. I had no children of my own, and so my nieces and nephews have always been my legacy. Regrettably, I leave you no money. I tried to hit the lotto jackpot, but our dear God did not see it in my cards and so I cannot enrich you all financially. I hope to have given you a great adventure in my absence though, as I always tried to encourage your endeavors and imaginations when I was alive. The greatest fortune you will ever have is each other, and I know that each of you is a treasure. Be good to each other, as I have always tried to be to you. Love forever, Josephine
Suzanne didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry, so a sobbish sound came from her mouth that was a little of each. The cousins gathered together and hugged, and with the family treasure drama behind them, felt more compelled to tell funny stories about their aunt and her antics, and each of them, unbeknownst to each other, decided they may want to plan a treasure hunt of their own for their descendants. This was a lesson that should be carried on after all.