At the top of the stairs was a small landing, no more than three feet square. Surrounding me as I stepped onto this little space were three doors, one facing me and one on each side. I tried the one in front of me first and found the bathroom… well-equipped and fairly modern. Leaving the bathroom door open, I checked the other two. The first bedroom contained a small table in front of the window with an old-fashioned kerosene lamp on it, a rocking chair next to it, and a single bed. The second bedroom was furnished the same way, except that it had a double bed. Both rooms had built-in closets, drawers at one end and large hooked rugs beside the beds.
I walked over and drew back the quilt on the bed… no bugs… no sheets either, so I would use the sleeping bag, but it would be on top of an honest-to-goodness mattress. I sat down to test it… make that a good firm mattress. Wonderful! I opened the windows and doors of all three rooms to let the air flow through until bedtime. It was a bit cold outside but at least it would freshen things up a little.
I came back downstairs and stood still… and then I did a complete turnaround… all this was mine! Vinyl floors throughout with ceramic tile in the bathroom… no rent, no mortgage… I was a home owner. Thank God for Aunt Tilly! I rushed around, opening the ground floor windows to get rid of the unused, slightly musty smell. Then I went out to the truck, got what I needed for the night and locked it behind me. I’d deal with the rest tomorrow. I went back inside and laid my backpack and sleeping bag on the steps. Now it was time to check out what I had on the ground floor.
Removing the dust sheets revealed a sofa, love seat, lazy-boy, coffee table and end tables, and an entertainment unit with no television in the living room. There was also a fireplace that I hadn’t noticed earlier. The table and chairs were hardwood and in pretty good condition. In the kitchen area I found a complete set of dishes in the upper cabinets and a full set of cooking gear plus some extra items in the lower section. I should have guessed that Aunt Tilly would be well-stocked with kitchen ware.
I spent most of the first week cleaning and airing the place out. I managed to get the electricity reconnected. Internet and satellite connections couldn’t be installed until the following week. I could handle that, since I was busy getting settled in. The electric stove and fridge were fairly new and both still worked when I turned them on. I suspected Aunt Tilly had bought them when she bought the cottage, a few years before she died.
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