The Total December Experiment

  of the couch and by the armchair-all dark sage green

  softened with a white wash.

  A large oval area carpet claimed ownership of the center of

  the floor.

  The focal point of the room was an amazing fireplace.

  “Mom, I would never have imagined anything like this in a

  million years. It has to be the only one in existence in

  the world !”

  “I agree, this is unbelievable.”

  It was massive, covering the entire wall. The main body of

  the fireplace began at the ceiling, then flowed down to the

  slate flooring. It had been sculpted or formed from a

  smooth material that upon completion of building looked

  just like molten rock had been slowly poured from the

  ceiling and had dried in a freeform shape. The result was

  that of the wall of a cave formed by nature over many

  years. Even the opening to the firebox was enhanced by

  several free form icicle shapes with the appearance of

  small stalactites.

  There were cairns of smooth rounded stones built close to

  the edges of the opening which added to the illusion of a

  cave. On one side of the fireplace wall, a number of

  shallow cavities had been carved in a random pattern up the

  wall. In each cavity was a large candle.

  “Mom,” Manda whispered,”Do you suppose she was a witch or

  something ? This is really weird.”

  “Well, its definitely unusual. Now, after having made the

  understatement of the year…. I can say that I have no idea

  what possessed her. Maybe I should rephrase that….”

  Manda burst out into a belly laugh that triggered the same

  reaction in Teresa. They laughed helplessly until tears ran

  down their cheeks. Manda clutched her stomach and

  plopped onto the sofa.

  Teresa joined her and after several attempts, they managed

  to regain a semblance of sobriety.

  “My life has become so bizarre, I can’t believe it, Mom.”

  “Maybe you should substitute the word interesting. That

  might make you feel better.”

  “I think we need to have a long talk with Kate and Mr.

  Lanier. Maybe they can help us with a reality check. Maybe

  there’s a logical explanation for this.”

  This comment brought another uncontrollable round of

  laughter.

  “Lets go outside for a few minutes, Honey. I need a strong

  dose of sunshine and some recovery time before we see the

  rest of the house.”

  Manda stood and headed for the door. “I’m with you, Mom!”

  #

  Gem sat in the darkness without movement other than the

  slight rise and fall of shallow breaths. Beads of

  perspiration covered his brow and upper lip. He felt that

  his inner body was racked with quivers of both dread and

  excitement.

  He had been listening to the muffled sounds issuing from

  above his ceiling. The voices had been so faint that he’d

  been unable to understand the conversation, but the slight

  current running through his body had told him that it was

  she.

  I wonder if she feels my presence as I feel hers. Should I

  stay here or move to one of my other rooms ?Being close to

  her could be a tremendous benefit to me. I just have to be

  very careful to keep my existence here unknown. I need to

  think this through. A slow smile tipped the corners of his

  dry lips as he continued to sit in the darkness.

  #

  After a deep breath, Manda looked at her mom.

  “Well….are your loins girded for the rest of the tour ?”

  “If yours are, Hon”

  “Let’s get to it then.”

  They reentered the cottage and walked down a short hall

  toward a bright, sunny room.

  The room was quite large, stretching the complete width of

  the house. Along the entire back wall that overlooked the

  back yard, were windows. The left side of the room was a

  spacious kitchen area. Cabinets of cherry wood supplied

  ample storage and counter space. An island stood in the

  room’s center. The color scheme was wedgwood blue and

  white with copper accents. A copper rack over the recessed

  range held matching cooking utensils. The back splash above

  the counter and the wall behind the range were of sealed

  slate to match the flooring. The counter tops were white

  with fine etchings of wedgewood. On the right of the room

  was a floor to ceiling deep bay window. Before it

  stood a round table with chairs of cherry. A matching

  breakfront stood on the opposite wall. A corner étagère of

  white wicker held copper, white, and blue collectibles.

  Between the kitchen and dining area was a Dutch door which

  opened onto a terrace of meandering flagstone.

  Manda could see that flagstone paths wound through beds of

  riotously blooming flowers, shrubs and trees.

  “Nanny was an child of nature,” observed Teresa.

  “Yes, isn’t all this fantastic ! We’ll have to take a

  stroll through the garden before we leave.”

  “Absolutely, Sweetheart.”

  They retraced their steps to the small foyer where there

  was a closed door across the hall from the living room.

  Manda swung the door open to reveal a bedroom.

  “This has to be Nanny’s room. Based on the theme of the

  rest of the house, except the weird fireplace, this looks

  like what she’d like for her room.”

  The walls were a soft medium shade of wedgwood; the molding

  white.The slate floor was covered with a plush gray blue

  carpet.

  The windows had no curtains. Nanny had chosen instead to

  have white shutters mounted at the windows to close the

  darkness out at nightfall.

  “Manda,look ! Isn’t this adorable?”

  Teresa had closed the shutters to find that a vine with

  leaves of ivy had been stenciled on them.

  “She even had a pretty window view at night.”

  “I think I’ll put a pot of ivy under each window to match.

  What do you think,Mom?”

  “Perfect,Hon.”

  They turned and gasped with surprise and pleasure.

  The full sized bed rested on a frame that didn’t require a

  head or footboard. It was covered in a white eyelet duvet

  over a matching bedskirt. Pillows in colors of Wedgwood,

  sage, lilac and purple to coordinate with the color scheme

  of the rest of the house were tossed on the head of the

  bed.

  The wall above the bed was decorated with vintage woman’s

  finery.

  A wide brimmed straw hat with lilac satin ribbons trailing

  down had been hung on the wall…an old fashioned pair of

  opera length white lace gloves had been stiffly starched

  and affixed to the wall with a large pearl brooch…a triple

  strand of pearls hung from a small decorative hook…a small

  purple satin evening bag…several starched delicate

  crocheted doilies of white with crocheted
purple and blue

  pansies on ruffled edges…an antique fan opened and mounted

  at a jaunty angle…a small grapevine wreath with flowers

  and ribbons of pink and sage. Framing this fanciful

  arrangement were vines of ivy stenciled to drape across the

  upper wall at ceiling height and then cascade down the

  wall on either side.

  “Your great aunt was a very unique and talented

  woman,Manda.”

  “I know. I just can’t believe all this. A fairy home for

  sure.”

 

  A pair of cherry bedside tables were graced by small

  boudoir lamps with eyelet shades.

  A matching small size chest of drawers and vanity completed

  the furnishings.Displayed on the chest were elaborate tiny

  trinket boxes, a vintage quilted satin handerchief box

  opened to display delicate hankies, and several photographs

  in silver frames. Colorful antique perfume bottles and a

  lovely mirror, brush, and comb set with mother of pearl

  handles rested on the vanity.

  Beyond a door in the bedroom was a small beautifully turned

  out bathroom with state of the art furnishings fashioned to

  appear to be of an earlier era. A claw foot tub with a

  circular curtain, a pedestal sink, and a commode

  with..believe it or not..a chain pull. A small white wicker

  étagère held towels, washcloths, and a few knick knacks. A

  tiny window, also with shutters., opened to let the sun’s

  rays pour through.

  As they turned to leave the bedroom, they saw an elaborate

  wrought iron cross with a white distressed finish hanging

  over the bedroom door.

  A gray blue carpeted staircase at the end of the hall led

  upstairs to two small bedrooms and a shared bath. Both were

  gorgeous but tricked out to satisfy the taste of both men

  and women.

  The upstairs rooms were done in neutral colors with bold

  accents of bright terra cotta and brick red in one; bright

  blue and gold in the other.

  The windows had shutters like Nanny’s room but with no

  design painted on them.

  The two women returned to the kitchen.

  “Mom, I’m going to check the kitchen out and make a grocery

  list for the basics. It shouldn’t take long.”

  “Ok. I think I’ll start through the garden.”

  “I’ll catch up in a few minutes.”

  Teresa left through the dutch door as Manda began to

  inventory the contents of the cabinets and pantry. There

  was a good supply of food staples, cleaning supplies, and

  paper products so she just had to worry about perishables.

  That wasn’t much of a chore. I’ll go find Mom and check out

  the garden with her.

  Later this evening, maybe we can pack and be ready to move

  in tomorrow.

  She was so excited that she didn’t think she’d be able to

  sleep at all tonight.

  She shoved her list into her purse and followed Teresa.

  When she went through the door, to her left was a circular

  garden shaped like a pie with slices. Between each piece of

  the pie was a narrow path and different plants grew in each

  piece. Marigolds were planted around the perimeter of the

  circle.

  She followed the circuitous flagstone path that threaded

  through the garden. Each curve of the path revealed a new

  and different vista. In each area was a decorative garden

  bench. Small concrete statuary seemed to be everywhere.

  Cheerful elves peeked from beneath shrubs and clusters of

  flowers. Fairies perched on small boulders and were affixed

  to the limbs of trees. Manda passed a fish pond with a

  small splashing waterfall. Pink and white water lilies

  floated on the water and goldfish and koi could be seen

  darting about just beneath the surface. Dragonflies in

  shimmering colors skimmed the surface of the water. A

  Mulberry tree providing shade stood there by the pond with

  a bench tucked amidst the weeping branches. Verde gre

  garden lamps with tulip shaped shades followed the pathway

  to provide lighting for strolls after the sun had gone

  down.

  Mounds of flowers were everywhere as were shrubs and trees.

  Birds flew among the trees attracted by bird feeders hung

  from tree branches. They scolded her as she passed.

  Butterflies flit about and lit on flowering scrubs.

  Manda was in awe of the beauty. She breathed air scented by

  flowers.

  This is absolute paradise,she sighed.

  Someone works very hard on all this. I don’t see a weed

  anywhere…just beauty.

  As she walked around the next curve, she began to hear the

  murmur of voices.

  Curious and a little apprehensive, she quickened her pace.

  Her mother came into view, standing in the company of a

  man. They turned toward Manda. Teresa smiled and stretched

  her hand toward Manda.

  “Sweetie, I want you to meet Jesse. He’s the head landscape

  artist here.

  Jesse, this is my daughter, Manda Harris.”

  Manda reached to shake his hand but he stuffed them into

  his pockets.

  “I apologize,Miss Harris, but my hands are dirty from

  working.

  Teresa glanced at him with an odd expression.

  Manda took in his appearance. A few inches taller than she,

  he was lean but muscular. He was very tan from working in

  the sun. He wore cut off jeans and a tee shirt. A baseball

  cap was pulled low over his forehead and he wore dark

  sunglasses. He had a slight frown on his face. She couldn’t

  tell what he looked like except for a few strands of dark

  curls edging from beneath his cap. He stepped back and

  began to turn away.

  “I better get back to work.Nice meeting you,Miss Harris.”

  He walked away at a rapid pace.

  Manda looked at her mom.

  “Not very friendly,is he ?”

  Teresa still wore a puzzled look on her face.

  “He was fine until he spotted you,Hon. He really tensed up

  then. Maybe he’s uncomfortable around beautiful women.,”

  Teresa ventured a teasing look toward Manda.

  Manda laughed at Teresa.”Yes, I could tell that he was

  bowled over by my looks. Mom, you are hopeless !”

  They began wandering back toward the cottage, stopping here

  and there to admire points of interest.

  “Mom,how about I lock up and we’ll take a little tour of

  the grounds. Then we can have an early supper. I’m getting

  a little hungry.”

  “ Sounds like an excellent idea.”

 

  PULLED FROM SHORTCUT TO PART 2 ICON ON DEASKTOP

  Jesse walked about 10 feet into the grove of young trees and sat on the ground. He flung his cap to the ground, took the bandana handkerchief he held, and began to mop the beads of moisture from his brow and upper lip. He drew up his knees, crossed his arms over them and leaned his forehead on his arms…staring down at the grass.