Connection thru Time (Editing)

Chapter Two: Her Name

The boys' bedrooms had twin beds with patchwork quilts. A small wooden table with a stained-glass lamp sat between them. There were two chest-of-drawers, one on each side of the room with round mirrors above them.

The modern printer looked out of place in the room.

When she turned to leave, she noticed how the placement of the mirrors worked with each other to reflect the entire room.

Charlie waited until she finished looking. "If you're ready, you can see that big bedroom now. It belonged to Frank and his wife."

She followed him out, and she could tell he liked this house. He stopped just outside the doorway and waved her inside. An antique four-poster bed with a beautiful hand-made quilt gave the room charm. She even wondered if Frank's wife had made it.

The dressing table had one of those round mirrors. That style had been popular through the 1950s. Instead of flat against the wall, it was positioned in the corner facing the door. Beside it was a full-length, freestanding mirror framed in dark wood. Beside the door, stood a chest-of-drawers with a large oval mirror above it.

The mirrors fascinated her. Each one worked together to reflect the room. Abby turned around to look into each one and saw the different directions. Why would anyone ever arrange mirrors to do that? There had to be a purpose.

A small, handcrafted wooden box sat on top of the masculine chest of drawers. The deep lines carved along the edges were stained dark. Of course, Abby's curiosity had her wondering as to what was inside. "Did Frank make that box?"

"He sure did, as well as the furniture. Though, that standing mirror he bought from a neighbor who was hard up at the time."

"It looks very old." Abby was about to leave when she noticed a pair of shoes with spool heels, which were popular in the late twenties. Her gaze flew to the twin wardrobes obviously used as closets. Glancing at those shoes, she wondered if the dress hung inside one.

"Are the wardrobes empty?"

"Yeah, all except for a dress that once belonged to his wife. When she disappeared, he kept the shoes where she left them."

"Was she kidnapped or something?"

"No one knows since she was never found. He came home from workin' in the garden with their two sons and found her gone. She didn't take any clothes either. You'd think she just went to the store, but when she didn't come home, a search began.

"The community hunted for weeks, sent out flyers, and put it on the radio. That was a real mystery, and it almost destroyed Frank. He kept sayin' she'd come back. His boys kept his depression from destroying him, and eventually, he began living for them."

"How old were they when she disappeared?" Abby asked.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. They weren't teenagers yet."

That was something she would search out on the internet. She headed back to the front door. "I can't thank you enough for allowing me to see this house. It was like a walk back in history."

"I'm glad ya enjoyed it. I wouldn't get your hopes up about rentin' the place. As I said, it isn't somethin' they do. But it's because of that will Frank left."

"I understand, but just in case he decides to give me a chance, I'll be staying at one of those cabins nearby for a few days. You have my card if Mr. Davis wants to get in touch with me."

He stepped outside with her and locked the door. "I'll call Mr. Davis this evening. If he's interested, I'll give him your number. You should call me Charlie. Everyone else does."