Thy Will Be Done

I watched as the coffin of my Great Aunt slipped into the ground. I actually liked the old dear, unlike some of the so called mourners gathered here. Take her daughter, Jenny; hadn't been near the place since Great Uncle Arthur passed. Yet she expected to inherit the family fortune.

Then there was Cousin Julian. He had been fawning around the old lady for years, hoping to pick up the spoils. If only she could hear the things he said behind her back. Aunt Gertrude was no better; every time she visited some small trinket would disappear. As to the rest of those gathered here, money grabbers, the lot of them.

"We will now return to the house for the reading of the will," announced Cousin Mortimer, who was also my Great Aunt's solicitor.

The vultures were gathering. First they demolished the buffet in record time, then they started circling for the kill, each hovering over a favorite piece in the old lady's antique collection.

"If you would please gather in the hall I will begin the reading," Mortimer announced.

‘I, Agnes Maude Caruthers, being of sound mind, do hereby bequeath the following:’

You could see that each had great expectations. Some were rubbing their hands in glee. Then came a loud whirring noise and metal shutters came down over the windows and doors, sealing us into the house. Even Mortimer was taken by surprise.

"What is this?" shouted Jenny.

"This is my revenge," boomed the unmistakable voice of my Great Aunt. The wraith like figure descended the stairs and grabbed the document from Mortimer's hand.

‘To my niece Constance, I leave the Ming vase she has so admired over the years.’{/quote

The vase began to float, then it flew at Constance's head, killing her instantly. Everyone, except me, rushed to the front door and tried to get through the metal shutter.

"You're wasting your time," boomed Agnes' ghost, "Now, if I might continue."

‘To my nephew Julian, I leave the grand piano he so loved playing.’

The piano started rolling toward its victim. Julian tried to dodge it but it followed and eventually pinned him to the wall, where he was crushed to death. Some tried to make it up the stairs, but the stairs flattened into a slide and they tumbled down again.

"If you've quite finished," boomed Agnes' ghost.

‘To my sister Gertrude I leave the Indian dagger, the one piece she hasn't removed from the spare bedroom.’

The dagger flew. Gertrude, somewhat unsteady on her feet, didn't stand a chance.

‘To my nephew Mortimer, an avid reader, I leave my bookcase and its entire contents.’

The bookcase fell on top of Mortimer, killing him instantly.

‘To my daughter Jennifer, who loved this house so much she never wanted to leave …’

A pillar of concrete began to grow around Jenny's feet, her legs, her body, and as she screamed, her head, then it continued to the ceiling.

‘To my great nephew Joe, my last surviving relative, and the only one who actually cared about me, I leave my entire estate.’

With that, the shutters opened, the dead bodies faded away; all except Jenny, of course. She would stand there forever in her column.

"I love you, Joe," she said, then she too faded away.

547 words