Merriton

“So far, so good,” Sierra said the words aloud, nodding at Random and June. She waited uncomfortably for Mira’s sister to come and sign the papers for the Bowen House. She was torn. The thought of finally ridding herself of that damned house made her giddy and hopeful for her future. The thought of unloading the house on the sibling of an old work friend made her feel guilty. She ran her fingers along the stack of papers, hoping they would assuage her guilt.

“I don’t think I can ever forgive Mira for dumping Kevin like that.” It was as if Random could read her mind. He was trying to give Sierra a reason that it wasn’t so bad to sell this house to Katherine or Kit Kat or whoever she was. It wasn’t enough, though. Just because Mira had treated their friend horribly didn’t mean that her sister deserved a prison term in that house.

“Oh, that’s funny. I forgot that Samson’s real name is Kevin,” June broke the silence. She placed a hand on Random’s forearm. “Nobody here calls him Kevin anymore. Not since he saved Lobo from that avalanche.” Sierra answered, “Kai-shek.” June turned her perfectly coifed hair to the side and gave her a quizzical look. Sierra continued, “Samson’s legal name is Kai-shek Tso. Kevin was just an American name that he chose when we were in high school.” She turned toward Random and nodded. “That’s why it doesn’t matter whether he goes by Samson or Kevin. Neither one is his real name. So we should be calling him Samson now, remember?”

Random shook his head and then nodded. He folded his arms and made a grunting sound. This trip was supposed to be a break for the two of them. The Tso Speed Tech that Samson had developed and Random had marketed had become the defacto method for speeding up the Internet. Every ISP had adopted it and every ISP paid them a small sum to use the technology. It had kept Random very busy over the last two years. He needed a break, but a trip to Merriton to sell this cursed house wasn’t exactly what either of them had in mind.

This hadn’t been their first trip back to Merriton. They visited once or twice a year for skiing, always staying with Samson at his house instead of in their own home. They had also attended the Onion Festival, but last August’s festivities were so sparse and pathetic that she thought about skipping it next year. None of the desires to run had returned during their visits, but after a full year of therapy at Woodleaf and then another as an outpatient, Sierra wasn’t willing to risk it and stayed far away from the house.

“The walkthrough was just fine. That girl barely even looked at the house, though. She’s just happy to be home.” June looked at the door. “She’s takin’ an awful long time in the bathroom. Maybe I’ll go check up on ‘er.” The realtor stood up, but at that moment, Katherine walked in. She looked ashen to Sierra, the way the bulimics would look when they had secretively purged, hoping that the nurses wouldn’t notice. She looked a lot like Mira. Instead of the angular frame, this woman was a softer version with ample fat on her body, billowing her hips and breasts larger and fuller than Sierra’s old lawyer buddy.

The look on the woman’s face flashed a glimpse of horror. While Sierra had been judging her, Katherine had taken in the full visage of Sierra’s overly thin frame. Despite the two years in therapy, she had struggled. She had gained twenty-one and a half pounds, which seemed like so much to her, but the look of fear on Katherine’s face proved how little progress she had made. Sierra pulled on her clothing uncomfortably and tried to hide her slender arms.

The stack of papers on the table snapped her out of her self-conscious body and she became a lawyer again. She stood up and shook this woman’s hand. June made introductions and by the time they all sat down, Sierra was able to wipe the thoughts of her freakish frame from her mind and do what she needed to do.

“Katherine, I cannot stress enough the dangers of buying this house. As much as I’d like to be rid of the property, I can only do so knowing that you have been fully informed of its nature.” Sierra pulled out a plot map she had ordered from the county over two years ago. She gave it a glance and then turned it toward Katherine. She was suddenly lost in the realization that upside-down, the map looked just as threatening to her as right-side up. She pointed at the Bowen house.

“Just over fifteen years ago, Artimus Bowen sold most of his land to Elvis Lancaster, leaving the Bowen house landlocked.” She pointed at the land belonging to Elvis and Vesta. “They did this because Artimus knew that he was near his end and none of the Bowen kids wanted his property. He didn’t want his land turned into a ski condo development, so he sold the property to Elvis, knowing that he would use it for his sheep.”

Sierra sighed. Suddenly all the memories of being in Merriton for those two years flooded over her. The vision of Elvis standing on her front porch with Mary, the goat, overcame her. The stench of the goat’s milk lotion that she worked so diligently on before finding the right recipe filled her nostrils. The barn that she had rebuilt because the old one was so cold in the winter loomed over her thoughts like an unfinished symphony. It was empty now, she was sure. All her goats were in Elvis’ barn instead.

Sierra felt Random’s hand on her forearm. She felt a pervasive sadness at leaving Merriton, even though she had never wanted to live here in the first place. The tears started to well up and she couldn’t stop them from spilling out of the corners of her eyes. She sniffled loudly and tried to continue, but she couldn’t speak.

June continued and pointed at the map, “You have a right of entry along this gravel road, but it is owned by Elvis. He can’t block it so you can’t get to your house, Kit Kat, so if that old cowboy turns sour on you, remember that.” Mira’s sister nodded at June’s words, but focused her attention on Sierra.

With a large sniffle, Sierra tried to continue, “Access isn’t the issue. The issue is that somehow the act of landlocking the farmhouse has poisoned the property.” Her tears abated and her voice became steady with the seriousness of the matter. “Living in this house is like living in a house of mirrors. No matter where you turn, you cannot escape yourself.”

Sierra put one of the papers in front of Katherine. “This document states that we are aware that we are in a state that does not require disclosure of stigmatized properties, yet we agree to full disclosure following the same protocols as California. We will be using the Seller Property Questionnaire C.A.R. Form SPQ.” Katherine nodded and signed the form. When she handed it back to Sierra, she signed it and then passed it on to Random, who had become so accustomed to signing whatever Sierra handed him that his hand unconsciously did its act without knowledge of its owner.

“This is the C.A.R. Form SPQ. Random and I have completed it to the best of our knowledge, but have added an addendum for item number 35.” She held out the form which stated that the property was free from oleander, the previous barn had suffered a termite infestation, but was eradicated before the completion of the new barn and that the home was free from mold and other water related issues. Sierra cringed as Katherine signed it without reading it. The most important paper, however, Sierra would not let her pass by so easily.

“This addendum states the full stigmatization of the property as per item 35 on the SPQ.” Sierra pointed at each known item. “Andrew M. Fitzgerald committed suicide in the main floor master bedroom on March 12, 2007. His body was in the house for a week before anyone noticed that he had disappeared.” Sierra paused, allowing Katherine to absorb that information. “When Random and I moved in, his blood still stained the floor and walls. I remodeled that room, but it never felt right.”

The woman across the table from Sierra nodded. “Please initial here, signifying that you understand that there has been a death in the house.” Mira’s sister scrawled her initials and then replied, “Artimus died there, too, didn’t he?” Sierra felt the blood drain from her face, unsure. She had tried to be so thorough for the disclosure. June answered, “Yes, honey. Both Artimus and Edith died in the house as well.”

Katherine smiled, “Well if it IS haunted, I’ll have both of them to watch over me.” A chill went down Sierra’s spine and the rest of the disclosure was signed as easily as a divorce decree for two unattached trust fund babies with a stone-clad prenup.