The Legacy

“Hey, wait! Wait for me!”

“Well, hurry up, twerp. We ain’t got all day.”

“I know, I know, but I stepped in somethin’ yucky.”

“Well, of course, you did. Nobody else but you would find somethin’ to step in.”

“I didn’t mean to. It was just there and I. . .”

“OK, OK. Don’t worry ‘bout it. We’ll clean it off when we get there.”

“Where is it, exactly, that we’re going, anyway?”

“You’ll see. Through those trees and we’ll be there.”

“Toby, what is this place?”

“What’s it look like?”

“Looks like it used to be a barn, but I don’t know what you’d call it now.”

“It‘s still a barn, silly. It’s just that now it’s an old barn. It does sorta lean a little cattywampus, though, don’t it?”

“THIS is where we’re going? You said we were goin’ someplace cool.”

“It IS cool. Used to be anyway. I’ll bet it still is inside. C’mon!”

“Is it haunted?”

“What? Nah. Why do you think it’s haunted?”

“Cause it’s kinda creepy-lookin’ and the doors all screechy and . . . Whoa. Cooool!”

“Told ya so. Feels like church, doesn’t it? The way the light comes down through the holes and all those sparkles dancing around and the pigeons cooing way up there in the rafters.”

“It does. It really does . . . but, well, are you sure this place isn’t haunted? A church could be haunted, couldn’t it?”

“What? Why do you think it might be haunted?”

“That hanging rope up there. That’s why.” (Noose from rafters)

“That’s not what it looks like. It’s one of the cool things. C’mon. I’ll show you.”

“Somebody gettin’ hanged up there is “cool”?

“Nobody got hanged, doofus. I think this ladder is OK, but let me go first.”

“Ummm . . . you go on. I’ll stay down here.”

“Scairty cat, are you? You can stay right there if you want, but I’ll show you nobody got hanged.”

“Are you watchin’? This is the hay door and you lift it up and then this hook right here on the door goes in that loop and holds this door open like this and . . . oh, wow.”

“Oh, wow what? What is it? Can I see, too?”

“Yeah. C’mon up. The ladder’s safe enough.”

“What about my shoe?”

“Yeah, Yeah. We’ll clean up your shoe, too.”

“Show me the wow.”

“Right out there . . . look.”

“Wow.”

“Did I tell you or did I tell you?”

“I can see forever!”

“Look over that way. You can see the creek and the pond and . . .”

“I see the house! I can see Gramps’ house and all the cars! They look like toys!”

“Yep.”

“You were right. This really is way cool. How did you know about it?”

“Gramps. He brought me up here sometimes.”

“Did he bring me, too? Why don’t I remember?”

“Nah. It’s been a long time and you were too little.”

“Oh. I wish . . . I wish Gramps was here right now.

“Yeah, me, too.”

“We’re gonna miss him, aren’t we?”

“Already do miss him. I’ve only ever been here with Gramps. Feels kinda weird.”

“Why did he bring you here?”

“I’m not sure. He never really said, but I think maybe it was a special place for him.”

“Special how?”

“It was like a place where he remembered stuff from a long time ago, when he was a kid.”

Giggle It’s hard to see Gramps being a kid. He is . . . I mean, he was, so old!”

“Everybody was a kid once upon a time. Oh, there’s something else . . . stay right there. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t leave me here!”

Pffft. Don’t be a baby. You’ll be fine. Here, sit on this bale and start cleaning your shoe. It stinks!”

“But where’re you going?”

“Just over there. I’ll only be a minute.”

“Rats! I can’t reach it.”

“Reach what? What is it?”

“Up there, way back in that dark corner of the rafters. See that box?”

“Uh-huh. What’s in it? Is it treasure?”

“I don’t remember too much except it was kinda neat. Come here and let me boost you up.”

“Akkk. Take that stinky shoe off! Mom’ll have my head if I get that stuff on my good shirt or pants.”

“But, I’m wearing a dress. How’re you gonna boost me and me wearing a dress?”

“Pffft. I’m your brother so it’s no big deal. I’m just gonna hold your legs and I promise I won’t look.”

“You promise.”

“Yep. Cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die promise. Climb up on this bale and I’ll hold your legs and lift you up.”

“I can’t reach it!”

“Stretch your arms as high as you can.”

“OK. I think I’ve got it. Ohhhhh, NO!”

“Hang on! Don’t drop it!”

“Eeeeee!”

“Arrrrrrgh!”

“I didn’t drop it! I didn’t drop it!”

“Uggh. Get offa me.”

“Ick. I got hay in my socks!”

“Pffft. I got hay in my shirt.”

“But we got the treasure box and I didn’t drop it and what’s in it?”

“Let’s get it over there where it’s light.”

“It looks really old.”

“Yeah, it does. I remember Gramps said he was a little older than me when he had it.”

“Gramps was really old so it has to be old, doesn’t it? Open it!”

“Simmer down. I’m workin’ on it. This latch is all rusty. Good thing it doesn’t have a lock on it. Ha! Got it!”

“Huh.”

Whatta ya mean “Huh”? What’s in there? Let me see, too.”

OK, OK. Let’s look together and figure out what all is in here. There’s a whole lot more here than when Gramps showed it to me.”

“When did he show you?”

“It’s been a few years. I was maybe about your age when Gramps let me come up here with him. Seems like a whole longer time ago, now that he’s gone. Anyway, this doesn’t seem the same. Most everything here is different.”

“Maybe you’re mis-remembering.”

“Maybe. But I absolutely know, positively that this wasn’t here before.”

“What is it?”

“An envelope with our names written on it?”

“OUR names? Like both me and you?”

“Look! What’s it say?”

“James and Sarah. What’s inside?”

“Looks like a map. But it isn’t any kind of a map I’ve ever seen. There aren’t any words. Just lines & squiggles & odd picture drawings. And there’s something else . . . it’s a letter, to the both of us and signed James Alexander Marshall.”

“Who’s James Alexander Marshall?”

“That was Gramps name. Here. See if anything on this map makes sense to you and I’ll read the letter.”

Dear James and Sarah,

I’m so sorry I have had to go away, but I hope you won’t be too sad. You do know we will meet again one day in God’s heavenly realm. Hallelujah!

This is one of my last tasks: to pass on a historical legacy to you, my only grandchildren – a legacy with roots that began about 170 years ago. That is clue # 1 in a search to discover the exact nature of that legacy: that long ago time. What year was it? What was important about it?

Clue # 2 is . . . .

“I know! I know! Clue #2 is right here! THIS is clue #2! Right here! This very old barn! Look!”

“Well if you’d stop waving that piece of paper around may I COULD look! Anyway, I don’t need to look ‘cause the letter says “Clue # 2 is right where you are sitting, right now.” And since we’re sitting right here in the barn, well, duh.”

“How many clues are there?”

“Twelve.”

“That’s how many circled X’s there on this map.”

“What’s the last one? Does it look like treasure? Money or something?”

“I don’t know ‘cause the rest don’t have numbers so I can’t tell which one is the last one. But none of them look anything like treasure.”

“Treasure, my left foot! James Madison and Sarah Elizabeth, you get yourselves down here right this very minute. We have been looking and calling and shouting for-for-forever trying to find you two!”

“Dad!”

“Daddy! Daddy Gramps left us a . . .”

“A box and a map. Oh, trust me. I know all about it. And I know it’s all gibberish from a senile old man. Now, leave the box and come on down. Everyone is about to leave and they especially want to see the two of you. Come on, now.”

“But, Dad . . . “

‘No. Just . . . no, Jimmy. This isn’t the time. It’s only been a few hours since we lowered Gramps into his grave. So, please, not now.”

“Okay. Sarah, grab your shoe and go with Dad. I’ll be down as soon as I . . . I’ll be right down.”

Whispers “Will we come back?”

Whispers “Shhh. Yes. Later.”

From a high, dark rafter, one golden eye watches the boy carefully fold two pieces of paper and tuck them in his pocket; close and latch the loft hay door, then carefully place the box on a hay bale along the back wall. Once he has climbed down and walked out with the man and little girl, the owl fluffs and ruffles his feathers, goes back to sleep while waiting for the night.

Part 2 to be continued in ADVENTURE . . . . . . . .