A Legacy of Life

A Legacy of Life

The house exhaled its loneliness as Josh and Rebekkah stood in the dim foyer.

"I can't believe she's gone." The teary voice of Rebekkah broke the silence.

The house felt almost prim, reminding Josh of his grandmother and bringing back the feeling of loss.

Grabbing empty boxes, Josh said, "C'mon Bek. Might as well get started," as he headed up the stairs.

Millicent Gardner's bedroom was pleasant but spare. "This shouldn't take too long," said Rebekkah. "Grandma wasn't sentimental so there shouldn't be much to go through."

"Oh yeah? Then what's this?" came Josh's reply. He was standing at the closet where stacks of magazines were piled from floor to ceiling.

"That's odd," said Rebekkah, coming over and lifting one off the stack. "Oh my God! It's a girlie magazine!"

Josh pulled another one off the paper tower. "So's this one."

"Now why would she...?" Rebekkah's question was cut off.

"Look at this!" Josh's voice broke in.

The centerfold was a photograph of a young woman posing in a field of flowers. In spite of the well placed shrubbery, it was apparent she was nude. The beatific smile couldn't hide the identity of Millie Gardner.

"Grandma!" squealed Rebekkah.

Looking to Josh, she saw a grin spreading across his face and within moments both were laughing, tears flooding their eyes as they gasped for air.

"Grandma, what big...," Josh started to choke out.

"Don't you dare," Rebekkah managed over her giggles.

Gaining some composure, Rebekkah asked the silent question that had been hanging in the air. "What do we do now?"

Josh was silent a moment and then said, "We box everything up just like she asked and then, I don't know about you but I have some reading to do!"

The house inhaled life at the sound of their laughter.


Notes

Word Count: 300 exactly.

An entry for April 22 "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  [13+]
Prompt: Write a story about a visit to Grandma's house.

I took your prompt literally

Thank you for taking time to read my words. I would appreciate it if you took a moment and left a comment. Your reaction, impressions, criticisms, - yes, even praise are all equally welcome.

Ken