Juniper gasped as she looked at her grandmother’s house. It was beautiful, and Juniper felt so lucky as she ran through the grand doors– right into her grandmother’s giant hug. It felt amazing to walk through the giant hallways and run through the huge rooms.
“So this house has always been in the family for generations?” Juniper said.
Juniper's grandmother sat still, then replied:
“Yes…But there was a time when the house was almost lost. When I was young, this house belonged to my grandmother. One day, a woman came and asked my grandmother about selling the house. Of course, my grandmother refused. Ms. Tarina, as the woman was called, had a reputation for being a famous shaman and connecting the living with the dead. I, however, always thought that she was a fake. Most shamans want to help others, but Ms. Tarina always wanted something in return. Unfortunately, my grandmother was desperate to talk one last time with grandfather, who had recently passed.
Tarina agreed to help grandmother “talk” to grandfather, but she demanded a return: while my grandmother was alive, she could keep the house, but after she died, the house belonged to Ms. Tarina. Ms. Tarina even watched my grandmother rewrite her will.
Weeks later was a terrible storm. In the morning, when things had calmed down, Ms. Tarina went to check on my grandmother. I think that Ms. Tarina was trying to see if my grandmother had died. She had not, but the windows had burst open and the winds blew away all paper and little trinkets that had been in the house. The will was nowhere to be seen.
Ms. Tarina told my grandmother to rewrite the will, and saw her do it.
After my grandmother died, the family lawyer brought out her will. When everyone got to the inheritance part, there was no mention of where the big house would go. Of course, Ms. Tarina went into a full rage-fest. Her face turned purple, her hands trembled, and she actually had the nerve to growl! The part about the house was missing- right between the part where my grandmother’s antique coin collection went to Cousin Edna, and her small plot of land in Idaho went to Uncle Tom. Since there was no mention of the house, my grandmother’s big building went to the nearest kin: my mom.”
Juniper gaped at grandmother and gasped just one word: “How?”
“I knew that a big storm would blow over. As it happens, I was doing a small science experiment on my grandmother’s ink. I wanted to see what a mixture of thymolphthalein, ethyl, sodium hydroxide, and water could do when mixed. I learned that they created a substance that people call disappearing ink - a quite useful ink, don’t you think?” Juniper’s grandmother winked. “I think it’s time for lunch!”
“So this house has always been in the family for generations?” Juniper said.
Juniper's grandmother sat still, then replied:
“Yes…But there was a time when the house was almost lost. When I was young, this house belonged to my grandmother. One day, a woman came and asked my grandmother about selling the house. Of course, my grandmother refused. Ms. Tarina, as the woman was called, had a reputation for being a famous shaman and connecting the living with the dead. I, however, always thought that she was a fake. Most shamans want to help others, but Ms. Tarina always wanted something in return. Unfortunately, my grandmother was desperate to talk one last time with grandfather, who had recently passed.
Tarina agreed to help grandmother “talk” to grandfather, but she demanded a return: while my grandmother was alive, she could keep the house, but after she died, the house belonged to Ms. Tarina. Ms. Tarina even watched my grandmother rewrite her will.
Weeks later was a terrible storm. In the morning, when things had calmed down, Ms. Tarina went to check on my grandmother. I think that Ms. Tarina was trying to see if my grandmother had died. She had not, but the windows had burst open and the winds blew away all paper and little trinkets that had been in the house. The will was nowhere to be seen.
Ms. Tarina told my grandmother to rewrite the will, and saw her do it.
After my grandmother died, the family lawyer brought out her will. When everyone got to the inheritance part, there was no mention of where the big house would go. Of course, Ms. Tarina went into a full rage-fest. Her face turned purple, her hands trembled, and she actually had the nerve to growl! The part about the house was missing- right between the part where my grandmother’s antique coin collection went to Cousin Edna, and her small plot of land in Idaho went to Uncle Tom. Since there was no mention of the house, my grandmother’s big building went to the nearest kin: my mom.”
Juniper gaped at grandmother and gasped just one word: “How?”
“I knew that a big storm would blow over. As it happens, I was doing a small science experiment on my grandmother’s ink. I wanted to see what a mixture of thymolphthalein, ethyl, sodium hydroxide, and water could do when mixed. I learned that they created a substance that people call disappearing ink - a quite useful ink, don’t you think?” Juniper’s grandmother winked. “I think it’s time for lunch!”
