Under Restoration

Under Restoration

Samuel's story

My house isn't exactly what you would call spectacular. Set in its own
grounds it was once the local vicarage. It was the hub of village life
and the centre of the universe as far as I was concerned.
When religion went out of fashion along with fax machines and British
Airways, the church was made into a hostel for delinquent children. The
graveyard was dug up to make way for a supermarket because everyone
gets cremated nowadays and the bodies of those long deceased were
relocated to multi-storey graveyards out of town.
My house is far enough away to be forgotten about by the corporate
builders but not by the delinquents from the hostel who make my life a
misery.
There used to be a stained glass window above the front door. It's
boarded up now. St. Richard's head has a hole in it the size of a
spyrocopter* after a rock was thrown through it.
The pitched roof has a bit of thatch missing and the whole place could
do with some renovation, but it's still ok.
There are some people about who like the old style dwellings and they
come to look at it every now and then, but the enormity of the work
involved puts them off. They would have to be mad or rich or both to
take it on.
The church authority who own the house seem to have forgotten about it
and that's just the way I like it. I don't even pay any rent because I
wouldn't know who to pay it to anymore.
I just live day to day, keeping myself to myself. I get lonely
sometimes though. I miss Ada. She was the love of my life. Childhood
sweethearts we were. We ran away when we were fourteen because her
parents didn't like me. They said that an artist would never make any
money.
The Vicar Johnson took us in and employed me as a gardener in the
churchyard and we stayed here together until the good Lord took
her.
Ada and I have a daughter. She ran away when she was sixteen with a
Radar engineer and we never saw her again. I think that's what took my
Ada off in the end. We never knew if she was safe. We never knew if we
had grandchildren or even if she got married, although marriage is old
fashioned now. Life's a bitch and then you die.
Our daughter hated the church. I believe that's why she left. "Full of
hypocrites" she said and she was right.
After Vicar J died and our girl left, we carried on minding our own
business. We watched progress change our world beyond recognition and
we prayed for release from it.
My house and me have seen some things I can tell you?????
Hello, what's this then? Another couple come to look at my house. I
hope they don't like it. I shall stand back and watch?see what they do.
If I keep quiet they might go away and leave without a
word???????.
**********

Megan's Story

"Oh John, it's so decayed. I can't believe anyone would let it get like
this". Megan was trying not to cry but she couldn't help it. The house
looked so sad.
"Well there's not many left like this one, that's for sure", said John
trying to sound positive. "It will take a lot of doing up, but I'm sure
we can manage it".
"Are you sure John, are you really sure?" Megan flung her arms around
his neck and kissed him over and over. She was so happy.
"Lets have a look inside, I'm sure the owner won't mind". John took
Megan by the hand and led her through.
When they found themselves in the hall, Megan looked back above the
front door.
"Look the stained glass window has been boarded up. You would never
know it was there from the outside", she said.
"Good job too, if you ask me. I don't know why they ever made Richard
Branson a saint in the first place. Just because he owned half of the
universe doesn't make him saintly".
"Oh I don't know, he helped a lot of people. If it wasn't for him, half
of London would have been demolished and made into a space centre and
he founded the AAA. "The Association for Abandoned Airlines".
They both stood hand in hand in the hall. Looking up they could see the
sky. The thatched roof had decayed leaving a framework that looked like
it was covered by black lace. Ivy had grown and died, over and over
many times leaving intricate patterns on the outside as well as the
inside.
The staircase was no longer standing, except for a few spindles and a
newel post. Most of the woodwork had disintegrated into a black mushy
dust.
On the floor lay a forgotten painting. Faded now, the people smiling
back at her looked familiar to Megan. She could see her own eyes in the
picture of her grandmother and her mother. When she turned the painting
over it read:
My beloved Ada and Sarah. 24th September 2005.
"They looked so happy". Megan said. "Mum never really talked about
them. She said that they were so in love with each other they never had
room for anyone else and that was why she left".
"Your mum was a great lady, she governed this country as Prime Minister
for more years than I can remember. She must have got her determination
and courage from somewhere" replied John.
"Yes you are right. I wish she was here today". Megan became sad
again.
"Maybe she is, maybe she is looking down on us. It was her idea to
restore the old house. Why else would she have put it in her
will?"
"Maybe you're right. Now that the church will be a church again, we can
make it grand again. We can put things right".
**********

As Samuel listened to Megan and John, everything became clear. He knew
in his heart that things hadn't felt right and now he knew why.
So Sarah had left home and became a great lady. Here before him was a
beautiful woman that he now knew was his grandchild.
As Samuel turned towards the front door a feeling of elation
overwhelmed him. Standing behind Megan and her young man, he saw his
beloved Ada and Sarah holding hands, together at last. They were both
smiling at him. He walked over and hugged them. It was time to
leave.
It was time to leave the young with the old and let them restore it. He
was at peace at last.

* Spyrocopter is a remote controlled toy space ship that was all the
rage in 2026.