(written by Arin, edited and enhanced by Molly)
My parents named me Samantha, and we lived in the city for a while. But then my mother and father came to a decision to leave the city and move our entire Roads family to a house just outside a rural town. That's if you want to call it a town. It only had two traffic lights in it. My parents were fed up with city life. They thought it would be better for me if I had some fresh air to breathe. I soon got used to the country life but since I was eighteen and had my high school diploma, my parents wanted me to get a job and start learning responsibility. I managed to find a job that wasn't too far away, got myself a bike and used it every day to travel to work.
About a year later was the time my parents passed. My parents were wise and had the house paid off and money in the bank, more than I could guess. They'd taught me to work hard and save for a rainy day, so financially I was OK but the house, which they willed to me, seemed empty now.
Rather than waste money on gas for the car, I still used the same bike to ride into town so I could get to work. One day, I realized I could save time if I took a different road into town and started to use it.
On that road I'd go by a large Victorian home with a wrap around porch and the scary looking house gave me the creeps. For some reason, I'd started to talk to the house as I passed, saying 'hello' or 'good day' to it. I guess I was trying to allay my fears by being friendly to the spirits that probably lived there.
As the weather got warmer I started to notice an old lady (whose name I learned later was Mary Wilson), sitting on the porch and I started to wave and say 'hello' to her now, rather than the house. She'd smile and wave back with both hands. I found out that her husband had died a while ago and I felt bad for her.
I think she started to sit out and wait for me to ride by. She was there like clockwork and I looked forward to seeing her. Time passed and I began to leave home earlier so I had time to stop and talk to her, She always had a smile and even invited me in to have some ice tea. Then we'd sit on the porch, me in a regular chair and her in her rocking chair. That's when I noticed her beautiful collar but I was a little shy about asking where she'd gotten it. One day she wasn't there, then the next, and this went on for 3 days. So I stopped at the police station and explained the situation and asked them to do a wellness check. I had to leave my name and telephone number.
The policeman asked, "Are you related to this woman?"
I replied, "No, but she's a friend. We tended to chat for a bit when I passed on my way to work."
The next day, I got a phone call and was told she'd passed in her sleep. They found a letter on the night stand saying to contact her lawyer in town for instructions. I was so sad to hear this, but I hoped she'd enjoyed my visits and I'd still think of her fondly each time that I passed her house. I'd even say, "I hope you're doing OK, Mary," as I went by.
A little over a week later, the lawyer for her estate called me, and introduced himself. He stated, "The police mentioned that you were the person that asked for a wellness check for Mary Wilson, is that correct?" After I told him that yes, I was that person, he continued, "All the arrangements for her funeral had been pre-planned by Mrs. Wilson. Would you like to attend the service?" When I said yes, he said, "Wonderful. I'll meet you there." It was a sad gathering, though. Not many people came to the viewing, but she looked very nice and at peace. After that, her body was cremated and I went home, still upset that she was gone, but glad I'd attended her funeral.
The lawyer called me the following week. "Hello, Miss Roads. Would it be possible for you to meet with me on the last Friday of the month before noon? There are still some documents I'm waiting on, but they should all be here by then." A little mystified, I got his address and agreed to meet with him.
That Friday came and I was sitting in his office at five minutes after the hour. When he sat back down after greeting me, I asked, "Why am I here?"
He answered, "You are mentioned in her will, Miss Roads."
Confused, I said, "There must be some mistake. I wasn't related to her at all. I was only a friend of hers."
He read over the document in front of him and asked, "Are you Samantha Roads?"
I nodded and answered, "Yes, I am," at his insistence showing him my driver's license, which displayed my face, name, and address.
He went on, "And did you ride your bike by her house often, and often stop by and chat with her?"
"Errr... well, yes, that's true."
"Then I am speaking to the correct person. You are in her will. There is one stipulation, though, and that is that her remains should be spread over the property that she loved so much. So it falls upon you to perform this task." Then he got down to the actual bequest. "Mary has left everything to you and this accountant report says that all financial matters are in order, even my fee. I recommend that you keep the accountant, because the amount is rather large. And I'm happy to be available for any legal matters you may face in the future."
He handed me several documents and said I could read them all, or I could just skip to the last page. I skimmed through the papers. The overall amount shocked me and with the investments alone I could probably live a comfortable life. There was also a pile of keys and a sealed box. He handed them to me, saying, "These are the keys to her property, which is now yours. The box contains Mary's ashes, so please honor her last wish by spreading them in her garden."
By that point, I was in a daze. I said, "But there must be relatives, or children?"
"No, as far as I know, there are none living, and none were mentioned in the will. So even if some exist, they have no grounds to contest her will. You may take possession now."
I walked out with a pile of documents and Mary's ashes. I thought, "Wow, no relatives to mourn her, how sad that is. Mary, wherever you are, I hope you passed peacefully. And thank you for this amazingly generous gift."
I wanted to be closer to Mary in some way, so I moved into her house. I found a person to manage renting out the house that I'd received from my parents. I found Mary's house to be in great shape, but I sure missed her warm smile. In the living room there was a large portrait of Mary in a lovely formal dress. After I moved my things in, I often talked to Mary's portrait. Doing so always made me feel less lonely. Later, as the monetary aspect of things settled, I made several donations to worthy charities in her name.
Those first few days, sleeping there took a bit of getting used to, since I always thought about her at night.
One day I was really tired, and knew that I needed to get some sleep, but I fell asleep on the couch. In a little while, I thought I heard my name being called as if in a whisper. I got up and looked around, finding nothing. All was in order, but now I was a bit scared. I wondered if my mind was reminding me of Mary's last wish about her remains. The very next day I spread the ashes in her garden and said a final goodbye to her and hoped she was now at peace.
Time went by, but I always had a feeling of a presence in the house. I would find things moved from where I'd left them, or even put away.
About a month after moving in, I heard the voice again. I was on the couch reading. So I asked quietly, "Mary is that you?"
"Yes. Samantha. You are my last link with the real world and I have something more for you because of your kindness. Follow me."
I followed the voice of Mary's apparition upstairs to an unused bedroom. The closet door Mary voice said, "Open that closet door, and pull on the rear coat hook, Samantha." I did -- there was a click and the back wall moved. I slowly pushed it open and to my surprise found dimly lit stairs leading down. They went down quite a way. I realized they went down to a room next to what I thought was the basement wall. The stairway was very narrow. I guess that's why I'd never noticed the difference in the room size on the ground floor. But I felt it was very clever, hiding the entrance on the second floor.
Mary told me, "This was my husband's secret fantasy room. And he and I would play together in here for hours."
This was all rather unknown to a good girl like me. Looking around there were items I didn't recognize at all. Others I'd seen in old movies that showed damsels in distress.
There were two storage cabinets and two chests of drawers. Also, there was a CCTV camera mounted on the wall. Mary explained, "John would leave me here sometimes and watch me on the TV in the living room on a special channel. I found it quite exciting when he did that."