Page 17 of Heir to a Curse

“I have a new sewing machine. I was using it to make masks but we have lots. So now I am going to buy lots of fabric. Make my own things.” Rosa was a bit of a style queen and very crafty.

“Can’t wait to see what you pick.” I headed toward the fountain, which was now running, water clear, pool basin clean. “Looks like your dad got the motor running.”

“We had to fill it with water. Uncle Mike had to come out and fix a rain thing,” Rosa pointed toward a pole that went up into the ceiling. “That is supposed to balance out rain flow so it stays at a steady level. I guess it was clogged so long that got messed up too. He put a net on the top, to stop gunk.”

“We didn’t have to clean that,” Leigh stuck out her tongue. “That was gross.”

“I bet,” I agreed. The fountain easily took up half the space, surrounded on all sides by shelves of urns or plaques of names. Overall, it was a peaceful place. I glanced down into the water and wondered again if I’d really seen a face earlier. Probably not. Probably just too much in my head from all the changes. “Well, you ladies call if you need me. I’m going to be at the cabin working on some updates. New lights and a new toilet to install. Furniture coming later too. Thank you for cleaning in there, it’s beautiful.”

“It’s tiny,” Leigh said.

“You’re going to live in there all by yourself instead of at the big house?”

“It’s bigger than the space I have at Addy’s,” I reminded them. They’d cleaned that a time or two as well.

Rose wrinkled her nose. “I guess. But you have a mansion now.”

“What do I need with a mansion?” I asked her seriously.

“You’re kind of gigantic.”

I put my hand on my chest in mock shock. “What? Me? A giant? You must be mistaken, miss.”

They both giggled.

“Back to work with you. I have my own work to do,” I tried to be stern, but they grinned, not at all moved by my orders. “Fine, fine. I’m off to do the dirty work. Toilets to install and all that.”

“Ew,” they both chimed in.

“It’s new!” I protested. “Not ew yet.”

They looked at each other, nodded like they knew things I didn’t, and said “giant turd,” in unison.

“Wow. Ow. I’m hurt. Is that all you think of me?”

They giggled at my mock outrage and returned to their cleaning. “Out, Uncle Zach. We have work to do.”

“Rude much?” I grumbled at them as I left, and headed across the bridge, their laughter and joy warming something I hadn’t realized had frozen in me.

Inside the cabin I got to work, installing lights, ripping out the old toilet, and preparing the plumbing for the new bathroom cabinet that would be arriving. The shower area was one of those traditional old school Japanese styles that was little more than a tiled floor with a hose on it. So I mounted a shower-head up on the wall and tried to think of a way to include a barrier for the water that didn’t enclose the entire tiny bathroom.

The light in the main room flickered. I glanced up, wondering if someone had come in? I didn’t hear anyone, but maybe the folks from Madison’s shop were here already? Or one of the girls?

I stepped out of the bathroom expecting to find someone, but the room was empty. The new light/ceiling fan I’d installed seemed to be working fine. I’d had to install a new support box into the ceiling to hold the weight, but the airflow was nice. I even planned to order screens for the windows to keep the bugs out, but let the fresh air in over the nicer months. The small space made air flow easy, and the new fan was one of those that looked a bit like leaves. The wall heating and cooling unit looked only a few years old, but maybe I’d upgrade that too. The newer versions were much more power saving and eco-friendly.

I stared at the light for a few minutes trying to tell if it flickered. A loose wire could do that easy enough, though I’d taped them all to keep that from happening. Nothing happened. Maybe it had been from outside? A cloud overhead?

Returning to the bathroom, I decided on a narrow glass edge to keep the water off the new basin, and measured out the size. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to order a custom piece. The toilet worked fine, and I left the area for the basin tied off so I could throw together the under-sink plumbing. Madison had convinced me to buy a handful of shelves I hadn’t known what to use for until now. But they would make a good storage place for towels and toiletries.

A chorus of girlish screams shattered the silence of the small cabin. I was out the door and running across the bridge before I realized I was even moving, concern for the girls superseding everything. I darted into the shrine, ready for battle. They were huddled together in a hug inside the shrine. I looked around, expecting I don’t know what, ghosts? But found nothing.

Half breathless, I asked, “Are you okay? What happened?”

“The door opened,” Rosa said pointing at the door.

“All by itself!” Leigh added.

“It’s been sticking all morning,” Rosa said. “We closed it.”