Free The Brushstroke Legacy by Lauraine Snelling Page B

measuring tape. We’ll have to buy glass for that window.”
It needs to be weatherproofed. That’s what Dad would say.
Strange how much she’d been thinking about her dad on this trip.
If only he were here. He loves fixing things. Why didn’t we come out here as a family? It isn’t that far, after all.
    “You know how to do that?”
    “I’m going to learn. We’ll ask at a hardware store. Besides, I have a book in the car on how to fix anything.”
    “Maybe Paul would help.”
    “His name is Mr. Heidelborg until he tells you differently.”
    “Sor-ry.” Erika stuffed her hands in her pockets. “I’ve seen enough for today.”
    “Let’s go on through and out that other door. They must have had a table and chairs here and used this whole room as the main living area.”
    Ragni took a step forward and felt and heard glass crunching under her shoes. Not that the broken window did a lot to bring in fresh air. If they left both doors open, the place could air out—from what she could see, the windows had been painted shut. Didn’t people like fresh air back then? She turned and looked at the stove. If they could fire that up, they could heat the water for scrubbing this placedown after they swept it out. It would be easier than heating water on the camp stove.
Next item on the list: a larger pot for heating water.
Studying the room again, she noticed a braided wire and light bulb dangling from a porcelain receptacle in the ceiling.
Wonder how long the electricity has been turned off—and if it can be turned on again.
    She followed Erika outside and filled her lungs with clean air as soon as she cleared the door. A shallow ramp instead of steps led into the once-fenced area.
Had someone been wheelchair bound?
    “You think this was a flower garden?” Erika asked, studying the overrun patch.
    Ragni raised her face to the sun and breathed deep again. Closing her eyes, she saw a woman bent over weeding in the garden. Pink hollyhocks bloomed along the rail fence, and a yellow rose climbed in the corner. The woman wore her hair in a bun. She was bending over with her dress hiked up, revealing the backs of her knees; a faded blue apron crisscrossed straps between her shoulders and a bow tied at the waist. She stood and stretched, kneading her back with her fists, then lifted her face to the sun.
    Just like I’m doing now.
Ragni’s throat dried. She blinked, and the riot of color disappeared. Now the fence stood broken in places and buried under weeds and grass in others. But the sun shone the same, and the blue sky vaulted overhead. The breeze felt cool against her face.
    “What’s with you?” Erika asked.
    “I-I don’t know.” Ragni blinked again. The dream, or whatever it was, didn’t return. Surely she just had an overactive imagination. The dress hadn’t been long enough for…
Cut it out. What movie did you see that brought that picture to your mind?
    Erika stood facing the house, her back to the sun. “Ragni, have you looked at that hole yet?”
    “What hole?” Ragni glanced around.
    “The one under that ramp. Something has dug a big hole under the house.”
    Ragni stepped off the ramp and followed Erika’s pointing finger. “Oh my.” She could feel her eyes growing to match Erika’s, both of them with their mouths hanging open. Snapping her mouth shut, she took a step back. A mound of dirt at the entrance said the digger had been at it recently. “You could stuff a basketball in that hole.”
    “Uh huh.”
    “I wonder what kind of animal it could be?”
    “Snake?”
    “Snakes don’t dig holes.”
    “But they might live in them after something else dug them.”
    Ragni shrugged. “Maybe.”
    “I don’t think I want to meet whatever is living in there.” Erika glanced toward the car.
    “Animals are more afraid of us than we are of them.” Her mother had told her that often enough to make it stick in her mind.
    “Ha!”
    “Think I’ll walk around the cabin and see what else I need