A Peaceful Retirement

A Peaceful Retirement

"I can't believe they finished our room addition. They estimated it would take almost three months!" Lisa said while hugging her husband, Michael.

They both stood on the gravel pathway leading up to their new house on the outskirts of Hatherleigh village in Devonshire, England. It was the glorious memory of a visit she'd taken nearly twenty years ago that made her want to live near the village. The deep, inviting greens of the lawn and surrounding meadow; the low shrubbery neatly trimmed and bursting with life; the trees off in the distance that lined the road leading back into the village. It was perfect for retirement.

"Yes, they did do a good job, I must say. I guess the extra 1100 pounds I dished out helped out quite a bit too."

Lisa leaned back and gazed up at Michael. "Darling, how much is that in U.S. dollars?"

"Somewhere around $1500."

Lisa's eyes grew wide. "Why would you pay them so much?"

"Because I love you, and you wanted it. Besides, it won't affect our bottom line. We've been quite frugal since moving here. And why not give the blighters a bit of incentive to get the job done in a hurry." Lisa smiled and hugged him again.

*****

That evening, after dinner, Lisa entered the room addition carrying a chair and placed it where she thought she wanted to place a comfy upholstered chair in the near future. She sized up the room envisioning where the other sticks of furniture might go. She would have appreciated it if Michael helped, but he was busy doing the crossword puzzle. Do not disturb was written on his face.

She sat down and gazed around the room with only the light of a few candles to illuminate the area. The walls looked solid. The workmen did a very good job, but she regretted not installing a window. A view of the meadow would be nice. Maybe they can hire the same crew to install the window.

The flame on one of the candles flickered and she gazed down. It shouldn't do that. There was no draft in the room. The candle went out.

"Dammit! Michael?" she called out. "Can you bring in some matches?"

In the distance, Michael answered, "What was that hon?"

"Matches. Bring me some matches. A candle burned out." The second candle flickered. She wished he'd hurry.

About a minute later Michael entered the room. Lisa was slumped in the chair. A single candle remained lit. He ran to her side calling her name but she didn't respond. When the last candle snuffed itself out, Michael heard soft speaking. It was all around him and coming closer.

*****

The next morning, a couple strolled by the house and pointed. "See dear," the man pointed. "That's the new addition to their house. Can you believe it was built using those old wooden coffins from the cemetery they found a month ago just up the road?"