Chapter 33 Raymond is Dead
Susan squinted, "Who?"
Her foggy eyes scanned Margaret's face, figuring out she wasn't from around Ironwood Lane.
Margaret knew Susan's hearing was shot, so she leaned in close and shouted, "Raymond Howard!"
Susan blinked, then nodded. "Oh, him. Yeah, I know him. We're from the same village, how could I not?"
Margaret pulled out a bill and handed it over. "Take me to his place, and this is yours."
Susan's eyes lit up. "Alright, alright."
Most folks in this village were old; the young ones had split for work and rarely came back. The elderly, broke and weak, lived in poverty.
Susan snatched the money, worried Margaret might change her mind. "I'll show you the way."
They walked down a path through the fields.
Margaret stepped on the dry grass, feeling the crunch underfoot.
The plants in the fields were lush, green, and dotted with dewdrops.
Susan led the way, still spry, moving fast.
It was Margaret's first time on such a path, so she lagged behind.
"Are you a relative or a friend of the Howards? They had a tragedy over a decade ago, and no one's visited since," Susan asked, curious.
Margaret thought for a moment. Since she and Raymond were about to disvorce, she smiled and said, "I'm an old schoolmate of Raymond's."
"Oh, so you went to school together. Then how come you don't know Raymond's dead already?" Susan sighed.
Margaret's heart skipped a beat. "Raymond's dead?"
Who told her that?
Susan nodded. "Yeah, their whole family burned to death. Raymond was a good guy. I watched him grow up, always respectful to us elders. It's a shame, the whole family gone."
Susan sighed, feeling the cruel twists of fate. She couldn't grasp how such a good family could just vanish overnight.
It was a real tragedy.
Margaret walked with her head down, watching the snowflakes melt into icy puddles on her shoes.
Susan said, "This is the Howard place."
Margaret looked up, shocked.
She never expected Raymond's old house to look like this.
It was a sight she'd never seen.
The house was half-collapsed.
The other half still stood.
Wild grass and trees around it grew taller than the house.
The dense greenery blocked out the sky.
It was like a cage, trapping the half-collapsed house.
Where Margaret stood, thorns were everywhere, making it easy to get scratched if she tried to enter.
Since Susan had taken Margaret's money, she rushed back home to grab some tools to clear the brush when she learned Margaret wanted to go inside.
Margaret wanted to help, but Susan told her to stay put, otherwise, she'd feel bad about taking the money.
The thorns, weeds, and branches blocking Margaret's way were cleared by Susan in two minutes flat.
Margaret watched in awe, no wonder Susan was in such good shape; she had been working out like this.
Margaret, with her backpack, walked towards the house and asked, "How did the house collapse? Was it burned?"
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