It had been a while since they restocked the kitchen. but Jenny was sure there had to be at least something to eat at the lake house. I mean it was a lake house, a place where fancy people come to spend the days they don’t have to work. There had to be food. And yet as much as she looked everywhere she couldn’t find anything. The fridge was empty, thankfully. And the pantry had all these empty boxes in it but nothing inside them. She couldn’t figure out if her aunt had left them all like that to seem like there was food, or if there were some small furry inhabitants that had a feast on all their contents.
Thinking about her aunt was tiring. Gelila had always been a nice but sorta strange person when Jenny was young. But the older she got the more she wondered what was going on in that woman’s head. I mean she made a will and dispersed her assets for no apparent reason. The whole family assumed she must have some terminal illness so they paid for the best doctors in Toronto to come to check her out. But they had all agreed she was in perfect health. Maybe she was looking for a new life, they thought, but no she stayed in her apartment and kept her job. Kept her same routine, hanging out with the same people. At first, no one used her gifts in case she decided she didn’t really want to part with them yet. But it had been two years and she was still adamant that the will was legally binding. So Jenny finally came to check out her new lake house. Which may or may not have mice.
Better she thought, better mice than some secret buried body. Or a stash of illegal drugs. Both had been suggestions from her brother on why she got the lake house. “ You’d be the least likely to rat her out to the police” her brother joked constantly.
It was a really beautiful house. Floor to ceiling glass windows that overlooked the lake. A hot tub outside on the edge of the water. Beautiful art hanging from the walls. And as Jenny discovered not a single piece of silverware or plates. Maybe she never cooked here. But then why did she have so many fancy pots and pans? so many fancy and definitely used pots and pans.
Maybe her aunt had left her the house to make her think or to slowly lose her mind. That seemed like Gelila. Always wanting the family to join in for strange brain puzzles that made her laugh and left everyone else confused for the next few days.
Well screw it, Jenny decided, I’ll just go buy food and enjoy my new beautiful lake house.
She thought about how she always promised she’d bring Quinn here. If Quinn hadn’t left her. Ugh, why did she still have to think about that? Quinn had been gone for almost a year now. and still, she kept picturing all the things she could take her to.
Shaking her head she got back to her task. checking around the house for whatever else she might need to buy.
The bathrooms were covered in beautiful tile, with flowers still drying in these ornate yet stylish vases. They had enough toilet paper to last an apocalypse. But there were no shower curtains and even more strange no shower heads in any of the showers. The soaps were expensive and exquisite smelling. And the mirrors all had incredible doodles around the edges painted in what Jenny could only assume was dry erase marker. Which fell apart at the lightest touch. She couldn’t help but laugh at the mixture of high class with permanent remodel feelings they gave her.
Walking into the master bedroom she once again thought that maybe this was an elaborate trick her aunt was playing on her. The bed was huge, like bigger than she’d ever seen. But instead of a comforter, there was a rug? I mean it really was a freaking rug. One of those ornate rugs with tons of colors and frills on the corners. At least there were pillows. Big fluffy pillows. Which she was afraid to touch in case they turned out to be something completely different. The rest of the room looked normal. And if she was being honest nicer than any room she'd ever had before. There was a large TV in front of the bed. A wooden dresser sitting under it. All the drawers closed in a way that was inviting, yet based on the rest of the house also terrifying.
“Okay enough, this house is just going to keep fucking with my head. let me go get food”
On her way to the car, Jenny took a closer look at the driveway. She noticed big beautiful plants lining the gravel. With shining silver edges that had originally seemed like pebbles around each plant. But no, that would be too normal. That shine was coming from the edge of cans peeking over the dirt. Yes, the nice plants were buried in what looked like soup cans.
“Why is everything so strange in this place?” She thought before getting in her car determined to not let it overwhelm her.
The idea of driving into town, where things made sense, was all Jenny could focus on. It wasn’t a huge town by any means and it wasn’t a short drive either. But the promise of food and some logic got her daydreaming. She drove past more stunning houses surrounding the lake. All beautifully decorated and full of gorgeous plants. None of which, however, seemed to be buried in soup cans. But hey maybe her aunt had her reasons. For the cans, for the lack of silverware, for the missing showerheads, for gifting her such a nice lake house. Or maybe she didn’t. Jenny couldn’t be sure. She hoped at some point she’d get an explanation for everything. But she wasn’t holding her breath.
Thinking about her aunt was tiring. Gelila had always been a nice but sorta strange person when Jenny was young. But the older she got the more she wondered what was going on in that woman’s head. I mean she made a will and dispersed her assets for no apparent reason. The whole family assumed she must have some terminal illness so they paid for the best doctors in Toronto to come to check her out. But they had all agreed she was in perfect health. Maybe she was looking for a new life, they thought, but no she stayed in her apartment and kept her job. Kept her same routine, hanging out with the same people. At first, no one used her gifts in case she decided she didn’t really want to part with them yet. But it had been two years and she was still adamant that the will was legally binding. So Jenny finally came to check out her new lake house. Which may or may not have mice.
Better she thought, better mice than some secret buried body. Or a stash of illegal drugs. Both had been suggestions from her brother on why she got the lake house. “ You’d be the least likely to rat her out to the police” her brother joked constantly.
It was a really beautiful house. Floor to ceiling glass windows that overlooked the lake. A hot tub outside on the edge of the water. Beautiful art hanging from the walls. And as Jenny discovered not a single piece of silverware or plates. Maybe she never cooked here. But then why did she have so many fancy pots and pans? so many fancy and definitely used pots and pans.
Maybe her aunt had left her the house to make her think or to slowly lose her mind. That seemed like Gelila. Always wanting the family to join in for strange brain puzzles that made her laugh and left everyone else confused for the next few days.
Well screw it, Jenny decided, I’ll just go buy food and enjoy my new beautiful lake house.
She thought about how she always promised she’d bring Quinn here. If Quinn hadn’t left her. Ugh, why did she still have to think about that? Quinn had been gone for almost a year now. and still, she kept picturing all the things she could take her to.
Shaking her head she got back to her task. checking around the house for whatever else she might need to buy.
The bathrooms were covered in beautiful tile, with flowers still drying in these ornate yet stylish vases. They had enough toilet paper to last an apocalypse. But there were no shower curtains and even more strange no shower heads in any of the showers. The soaps were expensive and exquisite smelling. And the mirrors all had incredible doodles around the edges painted in what Jenny could only assume was dry erase marker. Which fell apart at the lightest touch. She couldn’t help but laugh at the mixture of high class with permanent remodel feelings they gave her.
Walking into the master bedroom she once again thought that maybe this was an elaborate trick her aunt was playing on her. The bed was huge, like bigger than she’d ever seen. But instead of a comforter, there was a rug? I mean it really was a freaking rug. One of those ornate rugs with tons of colors and frills on the corners. At least there were pillows. Big fluffy pillows. Which she was afraid to touch in case they turned out to be something completely different. The rest of the room looked normal. And if she was being honest nicer than any room she'd ever had before. There was a large TV in front of the bed. A wooden dresser sitting under it. All the drawers closed in a way that was inviting, yet based on the rest of the house also terrifying.
“Okay enough, this house is just going to keep fucking with my head. let me go get food”
On her way to the car, Jenny took a closer look at the driveway. She noticed big beautiful plants lining the gravel. With shining silver edges that had originally seemed like pebbles around each plant. But no, that would be too normal. That shine was coming from the edge of cans peeking over the dirt. Yes, the nice plants were buried in what looked like soup cans.
“Why is everything so strange in this place?” She thought before getting in her car determined to not let it overwhelm her.
The idea of driving into town, where things made sense, was all Jenny could focus on. It wasn’t a huge town by any means and it wasn’t a short drive either. But the promise of food and some logic got her daydreaming. She drove past more stunning houses surrounding the lake. All beautifully decorated and full of gorgeous plants. None of which, however, seemed to be buried in soup cans. But hey maybe her aunt had her reasons. For the cans, for the lack of silverware, for the missing showerheads, for gifting her such a nice lake house. Or maybe she didn’t. Jenny couldn’t be sure. She hoped at some point she’d get an explanation for everything. But she wasn’t holding her breath.
Patricia Ramos Copyright © 2021