Part Two

Moving day arrived. Suzy and Steve were combining their two separate lives into a single home and boxes were everywhere. Suzy had come across country, so her lot was not quite as large as it once was. Most of it she’d left behind except those items which really meant something to her, plus clothes and her kitchen gadgets.

They had decided on new furniture for their bedroom and the living room. New memories were to be made here, a new life, together. So, of course, the furniture delivery truck arrived as the movers were still offloading their boxes. The crews kept getting in each others’ ways.

Suzy and Steve looked at each other. Days like this used to be stressful for Suzy. She wondered if they had been for him too. Tempers could easily flare up when things don’t run smoothly, but they just smiled at each other. Some frustration here and there, but none towards each other.

She picked up a box and headed toward the attic stairs which were pulled down from the ceiling. When she reached the top, she fumbled about a bit, finally finding the light switch. The light spilled across the attic. A couple dusty boxes from the previous owners still resided here. She set the box in her hands down and carefully walked across the attic floor to one of the boxes.

Atop the box was a white envelope with the inscription – For Our House’s Next Family. She realized the box was meant for them to find from what she suspected was one of the previous owners. She blew off the dust and picked up the letter and the box, then carried it back down stairs.

“Hey, aren’t we trying to put boxes away?” Steve teased her as he took the box from her.

“Of course, but this isn’t our box. It was already in the attic. It had this note on it for us.” She looked at him a little puzzled, but also with excitement. “Who doesn’t love a good surprise?”

She heard a thud from the front door and looked around Steve. “Here, hold this. I want to make sure the couch is in the right place.”

He shook his head and walked over to the kitchen counter, resting the box there, among all the dishes and kitchenware, then followed her back into the living room.

“Thanks, guys! That’s perfect!” She had them position the sofa so they could look at the fireplace, while being able to glimpse out one of the windows to the view outside.

The delivery service and the moving guys all pulled away finally after unloading everything. Steve quietly sat down on the sofa and kicked up his feet. “Ahh, peace and quiet.”

She smiled at him and wandered back into the kitchen, retrieving the box from the attic. “Let’s take a look at this. I don’t want any scary ghosts visiting us overnight just because we didn’t get warned!” She laughed as she opened the letter.

To the new family,

Welcome to Snowy Owl Lane. This land has been occupied off and on for centuries. We added our history and even traced the land’s ownership as far back as we could. If you are like us, you may start to see a pattern.

“Well, okay, this sounds a little spooky,” she looked at him with a smirk.

Don’t worry, there are no scary ghosts or monsters here to haunt you. But there are wonderful memories from the past and hopefully many more to be made.

The enclosed books share details about each family who resided here. This information has been passed down through the years from owner to owner.

Welcome home!

Sincerely,

The Miller Family

Suzy opened the box and found volumes of journals, letters, and photo albums from several families, along with a timeline of the land’s ownership drawn on aged paper which looked like the old green bar used in dot-matrix printers. The mustiness of the age of the books wafted through the air. The house was not as old as most of these books.

Suzy never was any kind of historian, but the box had her intrigued. She gently pulled out one of the photo albums with a brown aged leather cover and sat down next to Steve. They opened it up to find a faded sepia-toned photo of a couple with names written in fine calligraphy beneath it on the first page.

Sylvia and Hirsch Miller – 1915

She looked over their photo and Steve leaned in for a better look. The photo was faded, but there was something familiar about it for both of them. The woman had a classic dress suit on, and the gentleman held a hat and was dressed in his Sunday finest; they both appeared to be in their late forties or early fifties, but it was hard to tell their ages.

“Wow, I don’t think that letter is from 1915…. odd their last name was also Miller, don’t you think?” Suzy paused a moment, looking at the photo more. “Do you think she looks like….” her voice trailed off. “Nah, it must be because it is so faded. Right?” She got chills looking at the photograph.

He looked at her half-heartedly agreeing with her. “Nope, I don’t see anything familiar there.” Steve was lying through his teeth though. He couldn’t really believe that he saw his own great-grandfather’s face in that picture, someone he resembled. Except, his great-grandfather’s name was not Hirsch nor Miller.

Before going any further, Suzy decided to put it aside. “I think we’ll just let this sit for a bit. I’m going to go unpack the kitchen boxes.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Then I’ll figure out something for dinner.”

He nodded and got up, following her. “Break’s over, I guess. I’ll go work on the bedroom. I think we’ll sleep well tonight.” He smacked her on the butt as he walked by, making her giggle, then disappeared down the hall.

Suzy finished up in the kitchen as the light faded from outside. She realized they had fixings for sandwiches and soup, but not much else yet. She wandered down the hall. No noise came from their new bedroom. She paused at the door and looked around. The bed was made and candles lit the room.

Steve was napping on the bed. She leaned against the door frame and watched him a moment. She was just amazed that they were finally here. She slipped out of her jeans and crawled into bed with him, snuggling into the crook of his arm.

Steve stirred from his nap and played with Suzy’s brown and silver hair. She looked up at him. “Sandwiches okay for dinner?” He smiled at her with love in his eyes. “I’d rather have you,” he softly crooned. Then he tilted her chin up to his face and kissed her, then rolled her on her back.

She caressed his back as he slowly made love to her for the first time in their bed under their roof. The night came upon them as they continued to rediscover each other as if it were their first time together. The candles burned out that night and they finally fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Part One

In the foothills of the Rockies lied a small gravel road. To one side, a grove of trees stood tall. An old set of posts with rusted barbed wire strands ran along the main road in front of the grove, then suddenly stopped at the corner of the gravel road. To the other side, a meadow spread over a hill where wild flowers grew in late spring and early summer.

Suzy and Steve pulled up and stopped their car on the main road, looking over the plot of land. An old sign marking it for sale hung haphazardly from its one remaining chain and clanged against the pole. The location had a view she loved. The Rockies rose from behind what appeared to be a wooded area at the back of the plot. She had painted a similar place, crudely, from her imagination years earlier.

They decided to explore the land, driving down the road and hitting a pothole now and then. The road took a small turn to the left before it ended. They stopped, and they stared. A simple home with a garage sat way back, hidden from the view from the main road by the small hill where the flowers grew. The trees at the back of the property shaded a small creek running along side.

It was exactly as Suzy imagined. It was perfect. She wondered how she imagined this place so accurately all those years ago.

They climbed out of their vehicle and walked over to the babbling water. Small fairy-like pools where they could relax dotted the creek and overall it was shallow with a rocky and sandy bottom. A weathered picnic table sat nearby with a perfect view. She envisioned adding a hammock for them to cuddle in under the shade on relaxing summer days.

Steve stepped behind her and rubbed her shoulders. “This is the place, isn’t it?” he whispered in her ear.

She crossed one of her arms and held his hand as she shook her head yes. “I think so.”

She led him over to the house, checking out the outdoor setup for cooking out, then walked around the home, peeking in the windows. The house was fairly modern, with a great kitchen and a perfect living area. A porch stretched around three sides of the home with plenty of room for outdoor seating.

Suzy’s face gave it all away. She knew this is where they should be. But she was not sure he was convinced. She wanted them both to feel it, to know it’s where they belonged. She knew how it felt to be a stranger in your own home, so it was important to her that Steve felt connected as well.

They got back into the car, and drove back towards the main road to head back to the city. Suzy watched the wildflowers waving in the wind, almost as if they said come back soon. She looked back in the side mirror at the house fading away in the distance.

Steve stopped the vehicle suddenly. The brakes strained under the pressure, and gravel scattered. They both sat in awe of what they saw in front of them. A snowy owl perched on the pole at the corner where the gravel met the pavement. Steve looked at her and slowly spoke in an amazed tone, “This is it. This is home. Let’s make an offer.”

This is Snowy Owl Lane.