Sitting in the lawyer's office, I watched my family watching Mr. Jenkins, my Grandfather's Lawyer, like greedy hyenas. He organized envelopes and file folders and snapped his fingers, and two men dressed in suits came to stand behind him, said, "Under the circumstances and under order of Frank, your Grandfather, I was advised to have security at the table. Let me make this clear: once you have received your inheritance, you are to leave the office and property. This reading can not be disputed and under the order of a federal judge. I need you all to acknowledge this."
My Aunt Flo spoke up from her seat and said, "What do you mean it cannot be disputed?"
"Frank went through a psychological evaluation and stood infront of not one but three federal judges to ensure you could not get more than what he left you," Mr. Jenkins said. "If you are to recieve items those will be picked up from an address listed in your envelope or binder."
A young woman walked in and handed Mr. Jenkins a final binder as she said, "This one is all in order and ready for the recipient. Everything for this one is set up and arranged."
He nodded and said, "Thank you, Nancy."
My Brother Matt leaned over and whispered, "The wolves descend."
I chuckled, and Aunt Flo looked at us and said, "I do not see why you stains in our family are here."
Before Matt could say anything, I said, "Unlike you, Aunt Flo, we have been with Grandpa all our lives and did not go to him whenever we needed anything. We would rather have Grandpa here instead of stuff. But you wouldn't know that as you lived off of him all your life."
Mr. Jenkins said, "Franchesca, do you have anything else you would like to get off your chest?"
"Sorry, Mr. Jenkins," I said. "But I know most of these people have not seen Gramps for over two year's and they are all descending like a pack of money-hungry wolves."
Mr. Jenkins had a gleam in his eye as he said, "Let us begin. First, we will watch a video that Frank created-"
The door opened and Marley grandpa's butler and Shiloh Grandpa's maid and cook came in with Nancy. Behind them was a few more of the staff members from his home. "Sorry boss we had a few stragglers that got lost."
Aunt Flo said, "Why are they here? They are not family."
Before I could jump up, Shiloh came over and hugged me, "It's okay, child. People will be getting their due today."
Matt stood up and gave Shiloh his chair after he hugged her. Mr. Jenkins said, "Now that everyone is here, let us begin."
He hit play and Grandpa came on the screen he said, "Well all I am dead. Plain and simple first Franny I am so sorry that I kept my illness from you and Matt till I couldn't anymore. You both along with the home staff stood by me during my final days and I am so very thankful. To everyone else you will be getting your due as you will not be able to fight those who will be getting their rightful due. Mitch my friend, my lawyer, my love, I am thankful that the kids have you to rely on now that I am not here. I wish Sandy could have been here today to see everyone's face but do not worry we are sitting wherever we go when we die with a bucket of popcorn."
Mitch shut the video off and said, "Let us continue."
Flo said, "Wait you were fucking my brother."
Mitch looked up and said, "Frank and I had a long term relationship for close to fifty years. Sandy was our biggest supporter and kept our secret because she knew how this family was. Now we are beginning. As I said in the beginning once you receive your inheritance please leave the office and property to keep this going. Polly can you come forward."
Polly Shiloh's assistant came forward and he said, "Polly Frank was overcome with your dedication to your job for the last twenty years. You were not only the perfect employee but when you took over the care of your Grandbabies and raised them to be wonderful young adults he wanted to reward you. This check is enough for you to retire if you wish and when you took Macie and Max into your care he set up college funds for them. He knew you worried. If they choose to not go to college or a trade school or if they do not use up the fund they will recieve the funds when they turn turn twenty five. As both are still taking college classes in highschool this will help. Our firm will help you with the funds till they turn twenty five or the college needs to be paid for. Tell them Frank said they should follow their dreams and he always enjoys them visiting in the garden with him and coming to all the family events."
Polly took a tissue from the box on his desk and said, "He did so much for us and everyone, I cannot believe this. I only came because of Franny and Matt."
Mitch took her hand, handed her an envelope, and said, "We will speak soon."
Polly was walked out by a security guard and Shiloh whispered, "Macie can go for a RN now and Max will be able to fund extended classes for exotic car repair."
Squuezing her hand I had tears in my eyes. I knew Macie and Max would hold up Grandpas legacy. Mitch said, "Now Mathew and family can you come forward."
"Well if they help gets that what do we get?" He asked.
"You receive a check and each of your children have a check they will receive when they turn twentyone," Mitch said. "Your father was sad you never came to visit unless you needed money. He never got to know your three children."
Mathew said, "That is it? What about the businesses?"
"Those are none of your concern," Mitch said.
Uncle Mathew and his family were escorted out. Over the next hour the remaining cousins and family were given their due until the staff and aunt flo and us remained. With the exception of Marty and Shiloh all the remaining staff were called up and Mitch smiled as he said, "Frank considered you family and you all took such wonderful care of him and the kids as they grew up into wonderful young adults. You taught them life skills and held our secret for so long. In your envelopes there are a list of items that Frank left to each of you along with a check that you will not need to work for a long while. He hopes you will please take a much needed vacation and if you want to do a calm peaceful vacation reach out and our vacation home in the mountains will be opened to you and your families. There is also employement instructions for you as you will not be losing your job."
Aunt Flo said, "Not if I have a say when I get the house."
Mitch ignored her and said, "Matt and Franny you are both up. Marty and Shiloh please join them as well. Before you both say anything know with the exception of Exploration Adventures all the businesses have been sold off this week. The sale of the businesses along with a sizeable cash inheritance has been split between you both. Matt as your the oldest you are first. You are left Exploration Adventures along with a quarter ownership of the home. You have been running EA for such a long time your Grandpa and I know you will continue on with your Grandfathers legacy."
He handed Matt the first of four binders, "This is everything you will need for EA as well as the home. Now Marty and Shiloh, you are both being left a quarter of the home as well. You will be able to remain living in your residences in the building and your salary will still be covered as long as you want to work for Matt and Franny. You also received a inheritance check and Frank asks that you both take a well deserved vacation. Also there is a fund set aside for the upkeep of the house."
He handed them each a bunder, "Now for Franny you finished your schooling as a historical architect and We are so proud of you. Now for a secret. Your grandfather has owned the Historic Mcnair Hospital in the mountains. Twenty seven building and over one hundred acres. He wants you to bring it back to life. You will have the funds to do this and Grandpa said, This is your adventure, as some buildings will need a lot of work. The care taker lives in a RV on property and we have one up there set up for you as well. You also own a quarter of the home. The binder has all the hospital information and account set up for the hospital. Along with your checks from the inheritance."
I was stunned. So much so that Marty placed a hand on my shoulder and asked, "Franny love you still with us?"
"Grandpa left me the most haunted and expansive ghost hunting site in the world," I whispered. "He knew my fascination with the place, but I never knew he owned it."
Mitch chuckled and said, "He owed it well before he knew about yoru love for paranormal and the property. He saw it only fitting. Do you have any idea what you will do with it?"
Laughing I said, "Paranormal resort? Ghost hunting tours? Oh the buildings will get the best TLC ever."
Mitch said, "Well there are plenty of buildings there to work on and many more foundations that you could convert to cabins and camp sites. I personally cannot wait to see what you come up with. As the thaw is happening now I would suggest the first thing to do is get the outer wall reinforced and start with the gate house as you will need security there. But we can talk about your plans when I get home tonight."
Matt looked up and asked, "Mitch you did not get part of the house?"
"No," Mitch said. "Your Grandfather wanted to leave me part of it. But I declined. All I ask is that I can live there in my old years."
We all looked at him and I asked, "Mitch what are you not telling us?"
He smiled and said, "I have cancer sweet girl. I am going to fight it, but I want to be home while I do. No tears though we will talk about it later."
Aunt Flo spoke up and asked, "What about me?"
Mitch said, "Oh Flo we will speak when they leave."
"No I want them here to be jealous of what Frank left me," She smirked.
He sighed and said, "Flo you do not want them here trust me."
"Oh I do," She said. "Let me have it."
Mitch sighed and said, "Frank left you with ten thousand dollars. He knows that you were the illegitimate child of his mother. Who came into the wedding with his father with absolutely nothing. Your mother caused the death of his other and he only took care of you because his father asked him to. Your bills will be paid for the home you own until you pass, however, you get nothing else. You knew your mother caused the accident that killed his mom and that your Mom planned to seduce him to get him to marry her. When she faked her fall and you came early you were not early. So be thankful you were not the first called."
He handed her a check envelope and said, "Instructions are in the envelope for your bills now please leave."
She looked at us and said, "This is not over."
Mitch looked at her and said, "You may want to read the information attached to the check. If you fight any of the inheritance then you will lose everything including your bills being paid till you pass away."
She looked at him and used a slur against him and walked out. Matt said, "You would think she would be grateful considering Grandpa could have cut her off when he found everything out."
Mitch said, "He couldn't bring himself to cut her off. It is not her fault that her mom did that. But she used Frank for years and preyed on his kindness."
Matt said, "Fanny and I are gonna head home. We will see you all when you get there."
We walked out of the office and headed to the car. Once we were in the car and heading home Matt said, "So you inherited a estate to rebuild."
Chuckling I said, "You inherited EA."
Matt pulled over with tears in his eyes. "I cannot believe Grandpa thought I could handle EA as the owner. You getting the estate was an obvious thing you are gonna rock it. Maybe we can partner up and have a EA ghost tour at the estate. I mean with all the foundations you can set up luxury tents and tiny homes to stay in."
We started to drive again. I looked through the list of buildings and said, "Wow. There is 145 old staff foundations. Seventy-two foundations of buildings that have collapsed. Then the following buildings-
- The main hospital
- the psych ward
- the childrens building
- rehabilitation building
- moms and babies
- surgery center
- recreational building
- lake mess hall
- auditorium
- main admin building
- the caretakers cottage
- the womans building
- the criminal rehab building
- the greenhouse
- The mentally insane building
- Amputation ward
- military ward
- hospice ward
- abandoned childrens ward
- the sexual wellness building
- the lab
- education center
- Cafeteria
- medical library
The property is set into four sections. The lake is in the center of the property with a river that flows to and from the lake."
Matt smiled and said, "Grandpa also left you money to rehabilitate it?"
Looking through the binder, I saw the amount and said, "He left ten million for rehabilitation. If I allow tours of the property, I can use the money towards the property."
Matt said, "When you're ready, I will talk with Sally and see what type of fees we can come up with. The more you offer, the more we can charge. But the most important question: when are you going to go out there?"
Smiling I said, "I guess at the end of the week. I need to get the tools together and get some supplies. My RV is weathered out so I will be up there for a while."
Matt grabbed my hand and said, "Well sis as long as you come home for the important stuff. Is that a deal?"
"Deal," I said.
We pulled up to the house and driveway. Sitting on the porch was Uncle Mathew. He looked pissed. When we got out of the car he said, "I hope you guys are not going to get to comfortable I am going to fight the will."
Matt said, "Uncle Mathew, did you read the letter attached to your check?"
"Why would I do that?" He asked.
"As it was explained to Aunt Flo," Matt sat. If you fight it your entire family loses everything that was left to you."
He pulled out his letter and read it. He sat down and said, "I am screwed. I have a lot of debt and I do not know how we are going to pay everything off."
Matt said, "Come to my office on Monday I will give you a job."
Uncle Mathew looked up and said, "You would do that?"
Matt said, "Yeah. You will work. This is not a hand out if you fuck it up you will get fired. Besides with Fanny's inheritance we will be opening up a whole new type of adventure group."
He looked up and asked, "What you gonna do ghost tours?"
Clearing my throat I said, "Actually, yes. Grandpa had purchased the Historic McNair Hospital and I am going to bring her back to life."
He chuckled and said, "I wondered why him and Mitch went up there. I figured it was a get away but Dad always wanted to buy a piece of history. "
I asked, "You knew about Grandpa and Mitch?"
He nodded and said, "Yeah I walked in on them once kissing and they told me. Don't get me wrong he loved my Mom more than anything but they were better friends. They stayed married because of us kids and I wanted him and Mom happy. I will admit that I was spoiled and I regret my actions. But I will be a better man now. I promise you and my family that. After my sister passed away I was angry and when you kids came to live here I should have been here for you more. I will now. Hell I will head up the ghost tour division if you want me to. I always was fascinated by the paranormal and I know people around the world we can make this a global endeavor."
Mitch pulled up and walked up to us. He asked, "Is everything alright?"
"Uncle Mathew came to apologize to us and to ask for a fresh start," Matt said.
Uncle Mathew said, "Thank you Mitch for everything you were to my Dad and Mom. I made many mistakes over the years but I am going to change. But I have to get home Mandy is making a pot roast for dinner and I have to prepare her for me not being home as often. I think she is going to like the change she has always told me that I could do good in life. Matt I will see you on Monday."
We watched him get in his car and pull away. Mitch said, "I believe we should eat and you tell me what is happening."
Going inside we went to the dining room where a full lunch was set up by the staff members who came back for the day. We started to eat and Matt explained how EA and the Historic Mcnair Hospital are going to team up for ghost tours. He also explained his uncle was in debt and Matt is going to hire him on to work in the up and coming ghost tour division. Mitch smiled and said, "Well I will be damned. Frank and Sandy are probably dancing a jig up in heaven. So EA is going to have a ghost tour division?"
Matt said, "Paranormal tours are a big thing and they have been for years. With Franny owning a place known for people breaking in to investigate, why not bank on it. On Monday I will get with uncle Mathew about getting banners created and having links put up once Franny gets up there and makes a game plan."
Mitch asked, "When are you planning on going Franny?"
"Either Thursday or Friday," I said. "I have to go shopping to outfit my RV and get tools and supplies I will need. I will walk the property this weekend and have a report for Matt and Uncle Mathew by Wednesday of next week. If I remember the property when I researched it I believe there is a row of hospital housing on the main wall. I will meet up with the care taker and see what he thinks."
Mitch said, "You will like Simon he is a good lad. Listen I know you would do your research and he does have a criminal record. He struggled with alcohol for years and fought his brother ending up in jail for it. But he is a good hardworking man and has made up for his mistakes. When we hired him he was honest about his mistakes and his struggle. Do not hold it against him."
"Never," I said. "So his pay does that come out of the money left to redo the building?"
"No," Mitch said. "If you look on page 100 in the binder there is an account set up that pays for the starlink internet, security cameras and Simons pay. There is close to five million in that account and he has a direct deposit sent to him weekly. His pay specifics are in the binder. Remember when you go into the account you can provide bonuses and such."
I nodded as I asked, "So Mitch the elephant in the room. What are you doing with your treatments? Also what type of cancer?"
He sighed, "Prostrate cancer. I start Chemo next week."
"I do not want to go while your going through this," I said.
Shiloh walked in and said, "Nonsense you will do what your going to do and both Marty and myself are here to take care of Mitch. Besides Mitch loves that property so get ready for him to come visit and stay up there once in a while."
Mitch laughed and said, "You're not wrong. I cannot wait to see what you do up there."
My phone went off and I sighed, "If you will excuse me."
Walking towards the living room I answered saying, "Chris what do you want."
"Fanny love do not be like that," he cooed. "I wanted to give you time with Frank passing."
"No you want to get me to marry you after you cheated on me so you could get your hands on my money, "I said. "Well good luck with that. I am leaving in a few days to live in no mans land and build my empire."
"Without me?" He asked.
"Yes," I said. "When I found you and Shelly in bed at your apartment, I was done. I told you that. Marry Shelly she has money. Not like mine but you will survive."
"Fanny please," He begged.
"Goodbye Chris," i said hanging up the phone.
Sitting back down Matt asked, "He still will not take no for an answer?"
"Nope," I said. "Thank god I will be out of town."
After we ate I headed up to my suite and pulled out my luggage from the closet when I heard a knock at my door. Opening it Marty stood there with two trunks. He smiled and said, "I figured you may want something sturdy for the more valuable items."
Standing aside I said, "Marty what will I do without you?"
He chuckled and said, "Take the world by storm. I cannot wait to come up there and see everything you have done. Have you thought about creating a website for the Historic Mcnair Hospital?"
"No," I said. "But Marty I think you may be onto something. So people can see the progress."
He gave me a mock salute and said, "Carry on Fanny if you need anything else let me know."
Looking around my room I opened a trunk and filled everything up that I wanted to take with me. I grabbed a few blankets from my closet to bring with me. I packed some summer clothes as well as clothes to work in. Grabbing some warmer clothes for the cooler nights I grabbed my calander. Looking at the date I realized we could still have snow for another two months, Being it was only March 15th."
After taking a shower I laid in bed with my laptop and created a website for the hospital. I did put a disclaimer that tours are coming soon. When the website was up and going I shared the website to all my social media. Settling down for the night I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 2
Waking up the next morning I turned over and saw it was only six-thirty in the morning. Sighing I pulled up my social media and saw that I had many people had reshared my posts and when I logged into the website the message board thread had exploded. I read through the messages answering some that come from people who wanted to arrange tours. I told everyone that there will be information up on my website in the next three weeks. Getting out of bed I had a message ding my phone from Chris, "You are seriously going to the woods to work on a eyesore. You should sell the property and stay home."
I responded saying, "Never this is a legacy and I am restoring it to be a hotel and resort."
Dressing I headed downstairs and found Mitch at the table. He looked up and said, "Good morning Fanny I see last night you were very busy. I hope you do not mind I shared the link when I saw it come across your twitter feed."
"Of course I don't mind," I said. "Did you see the website? I have many people already wanting tours."
Matt came in and said, "Yeah I already texted uncle Mathew and asked if he could start earlier. Apparently AE has had inquires about the hospital ad if we are going to be able to arrange tours. Poor Peggy messaged me and asked if we knew anything about it. I told her to send a message with coming soon."
Uncle Mathew walked in and said, "When I saw the link Fanny sent out last night on Twitter I stayed up and created a few mock ups for the EA website and tours. I figured you might want to look them over before we go in Matt to make sure these look good. I made some for haunted tours and one big one for the hospital itself. Fanny good work on the website by the way. Mandy wants to come up if you will allow us to once your settled so she can look around and I can do pictures for EA promotions."
Matt looked at Uncle Mathews computer and saw the banners to hang on the walls of the hospital property. He said, "Uncle Mathew those banners are perfect. Fanny look how elegant these are."
Mitch and I looked at the banners and Mitch said, "Mathew, you missed your calling the graphics are amazing. You are going to excel at EA."
Matt handed Uncle Mathew a folder and a pen and said, "Get started Uncle Mathew. We will have your start date backdated to yesterday because this is great work!"
I ate the breakfast sandwich Shiloh brought me in and when she placed one in front of Uncle Mathew he smiled and said, "Shiloh I cannot believe you remember."
"Oh hush you," She said. "I am proud of you, sweetie."
I finished eating and said, "Well I am off to go shopping. I have to get tools, supplies and when I go to leave I will stop at a store and stock the RV with food supplies as the closest food store is an hr away."
Mitch looked up and said, "Well you do have a deep freezer in the RV as well so get some foam coolers to bring your frozen in."
"Good idea," I said. "I am going to stock up, that is for sure. But I am off."
Grabbing a coat I headed to the first tool supply store. After a full day of shopping I had all my tools and the start of my food and RV supplies. When I got home I came inside and found Chris's Mom in the driveway waiting for me. She got out of her car and said, "Fanny can I have a word?"
"Susan I have had a long day and need to rest befire I leave tomorrow," I said.
"You really are leaving my Chris," She said.
"I broke up with Chris over two months ago," I said.
"He made a mistake," She said. "You should forgive him and move on."
"That was my biggest no," I said. "He knew what would happen if he cheated on me."
"Fanny," She said. "It is not the first time he cheated on you."
"How many more?" I asked.
"Oh I do not know," She said. "You were together for six years."
"Well you solidified my decision," I said. "Thank you Susan for telling me everything. I wish Chris the best but he will have to go after someone elses money."
Walking to the house I went inside after locking my SUV. Marty came out and said, "Fanny Matt called and said he will not be home for dinner. Him and Mathew are working on the new division they are opening. Mitch is caught at the office as well, so would you like us to cook for you?"
"No need to," I said. "What kind of leftovers do we have?"
"A bunch from yesterdays lunch," He said. "Last night when you went to bed SHiloh also made sandwiches so the fridge is full. We were going to pull everything out in the kitchen in about twenty minutes for the staff. Do you want me to make you a plate?"
"No need," I said. "Let me go get on some pajamas and I will join you all in the kitchen. Please do not wait for me."
Going upstairs I changed into my Pajamas and went to the kitchen to get a plate of food. When I joined the staff for dinner Shiloh asked, "Fanny dear when do you think you are leaving?"
"Originally it was going to be Thurs or Friday," I said. "However, I think I am going to leave tomorrow after lunch so I can stop to get more of the essentials and perishables."
Shiloh nodded and said, "I will make you a picnic basket in the morning for the drive up. That way you have a good meal for the first night in the RV and all you would have to heat some stuff up or eat it cold."
"You do not need to but thank you," I said. Finishing my meal I cut myself a piece of cake as Mathew and Mitchel came in.
Mitchel said, "So I guess this is your last night here?"
"Yeah," I said. "I want to get going especially since Chris and his Mom will not leave me alone."
Matt asked, "Do I need to have a word with him?
"No," I said. "He only wants to get back with me because he wants to live off of my money and not work."
Matt said, "Well, we will keep your room closed after its cleaned and it will be ready when you come back."
"Well, that won't be necessary," I said. "I was going to wash my clothes before I leave."
"That won't be necessary," Shiloh said. "Unless you want to bring the clothes with you."
"You sure?" I asked. "I always wanted to take care of what I could."
We sat around the kitchen island having one last dinner together. After a while, I kept yawning and said goodnight and headed to bed. As I walked through the house, i thought through all the memories this house held. Although I am going to miss being here all the time, going up to the hospital was something I felt would be a calling. Climbing up to bed I whispered, "Goodnight Grandpa."
When I woke up the following morning I looked at my phone and saw that Chris had messaged me again. I took that moment and blocked him. Today started a new chapter in my life. I took my laptop and headed down to breakfast.
Matt and uncle Mathew were at the table going over work and when they noticed me Uncle Mathew said, "Oh Fanny I am glad your here. We started the basics for day and night tours and are awaiting the information that you give us once your settled. But with your post on your website the amount of people wanting to tour, including a lot of paranormal groups from YouTube and TV want to gain access."
"Seriously," I said. "I think we need to make sure that they understand some areas are cut off due to safety. At least until we get into the buildings and start to really see what is happening. They also have to understand that they can not take items from the building. I am looking into getting one of those shed buildings to put near the main gates as a relic building to sell them."
Uncle Mathew wrote all the information down and asked, "Anything else?"
"I will be working with Simon on clearing the foundations of some of the old staff buildings to create overnight camping spots," I said. "I looked at the last pictures of the walls and they do not look as bad as I thought. I know a man who does brick wall replacement and I am suspecting I can get him up there now because they have been slow due to the weather. I will know more when I get up there as I am going to call him on my way up."
Matt said, "You have been doing your research."
"I have," I said. "Also, the funds generated monthly from the completed tours will be going right into the restoration account. That way, the funds can be for the hospital. Let me know when you want the account information."
Uncle Mathew said, "What email do you want the accounting department to send the information request to?"
"Fanny@HistoricMcnairHospital.com," I said. It registered on the website, and I have already responded to a few inquiries stating that you will be handling the tours. When you get the tour guides hired let them know they will have to have a strong backbone and be ready to lay out the rules. No will mean no."
Mathew said, "I have a few guides already in mind. We want seasoned tour guides in this division."
"Good," I said. I continued to eat breakfast and go over some of the specifics on things I wanted the tour guides to handle.
When it was time for Matt to leave he swept me into a hug and said, "I am gonna miss you Fanny. I will be coming up to see you soon to bring up paperwork with Uncle Mathew. When you are ready for the training for phase one of tours we will bring up a group of tour guides to walk them through where they are allowed to go. That will also include these YouTubers and TV people."
"Just think Fanny," Uncle Mathew teased. "You will be on Television and YouTube for an interview with the owner."
"Do not remind me," I said. "But thankfully with all the charity stuff I used to do with Grandpa I am used to it."
I watched them leave and Shiloh came over and said, "I have a few boxes from the pantry of dry goods I know you can use and spices. I will have your picnic basket finished in about a hours time."
"Thank you," I said. "That will give me some time to finish packing my travel bag and items I need."
Marty said, "I will load the boxes up so you do not need to. Place your car keys outside your door so I do not bother you while you get dressed and ready."
I headed upstairs and put my car keys next to the door and shut it to get ready. Straightening up my room I took a shower and when I got out I called Mason the owner of the wall company. When he picked up he said, "Fanny my dear did you break a wall?"
"Mason not exactly," I said. "Have you ever heard of Historic Mcnair Hospital?"
He chuckled and said, "Who has not heard of that place? Why do you ask?"
"What if I was to tell you that was the inheritance I received from my Grandpa?" I said.
"Well hell little girl I have a feeling you are going to have a project on your hands," He said. "Do you need some pointers?"
"I could learn from you any day," I said. "However, "I know work is slow for you now. How would you like a contract repairing the outer wall?"
"As long as my boys do not have to be there when its dark," He said. "We all know the stories. When do you want me to give you a estimate."
"I am going up there today to live in a RV on site," I said. "I will be hosting ghost tours with AE starting in the next few weeks. I want to prevent people from jumping walls. I want to repair the 100 acre outlining and then I will be adding security cameras on the outer walls as well as along the property."
"I can come up there tomorrow," He said. "I will meet you at the main gate and bring a cart we can get around in on the outside and a ladder to check the tops and inside."
"Thank you call me when you get to the gate," I said. "I am going to be working on purchasing a building to move to the grounds for relics to sell."
"Haunted resort?" He asked.
"That is the plan," I said. "I am going to set up campsites to get more than tours in there. But from there I will be starting the buildings. Basically working from the front to the back."
"If anyone can do it Fanny," He said. "I know you can."
"Thanks Mason," I said. "I need to get on the road and shop for the last of my supplies."
I sat at my desk and added an updated post to the website stating that I was heading to the hospital today and that tours will be coming soon. I did also put a disclaimer on the site stating that anyone who comes onto the property without permission will be arrested for trespassing. Going onto the bank site for the restoration account I set the card to allow a purchase over twenty thousand. Setting a delivery date for pending I purchased the relic building and then closed my laptop adding it to my bag along with the inheritance binder.
Opening the door to my room I found my keys and headed downstairs. When I got to the foot of the stairs Martin was waiting. He pulled me into a hug and said, "I will miss you Fanny, but I cannot wait to see what you do up there."
Shiloh came out with a picnic basket and hugged me saying, "We will miss you Fanny, but we cannot wait for you to come back and visit."
Marty came to take the basket as he said, "Now be careful once you get to the mountains and go slow once you get to the hospital. The roads are still slick and its colder up there. Do you have your jacket?"
"I sure do Marty," I said. We walked out to my car and he said, "I know you can load up perishables and frozen so I added you some cold bags we use for shopping. But I added a cooler on the back seat that you can add food to as well."
Hugging him I said, "Thank you Marty."
Pulling out of the driveway I headed to the hospital. Once I was on the highway I put music on and after two hours of driving I stopped at a Mcdonalds and grabbed my lunch. As I ate a cheeseburger I drove another two hours and opened the picnic basket Shiloh packed for me. Inside there were sandwiches I opened one and saw a sign stated last town for fifty miles. I knew I was almost to the hospital so I pulled into a grocery store parking lot. I went in and grabbed a cart. Loading up on produce, dairy and meat I headed to the frozen food area. I loaded up the cart, grabbed a couple of boxes of freezer bags and checked out. When I was about to leave town I saw a farmers market. Pulling in I checked for cash and headed to the stands. After I was there for a while I had more than enough to fill my refrigerator and freezer and headed to the hospital.
Pulling up to the gate I said, "Wow."
A man came out from the gate and came to my window. "Excuse me miss this is private property."
"You must be Simon," I said. "My name is Fanny I am the owner."
"I am so sorry Fanny," He said. "There are always people trying to come in and explore. Follow this path to the left, you will see the RV. I went in earlier to make sure electricity and water was good. I will help you unload your car in a moment. Now that you are here I am putting a barrier up so no one else can come in."
"Thank you," I said and started to follow the path back to the RV. When I pulled up I heard the river in the distance and stepped out of my car. I saw there were deck chairs next to the door under a cover and aa stack of fire wood placed near a fire pit.
Simon came up behind me and said, "Those chairs were brought up with the RV along with the fire pit. I chopped some of the trees up and spilt the wood between us for the fire pits. Its nice to sit outside and relax after a long day."
"Thank you Simon," I said. "You are right it is nice to relax next to a nice fire."
Thunder rumbled in the distance and he chuckled as he said, "Let us get you unloaded before the rain hit and we can talk as you unpack. I am sure you have things already in the works and you can catch me up."
We unloaded the last box as the first drops of rain came down. He washed his hands and said, "Do you want the meat in single serve portions?"
"You do not need to do that," I said.
"Nonesense," He said. "Go get your bed made up and I will repackage the meat and get it into the freezers. You were smart, I do the same thing when I go into town and stock up my RV."
I grabbed my bedding and my travel bag and headed to the bedroom. When I came back I saw that a lot of my meat was in the freezer along with the frozen food. I grabbed my produce and a knife from the box along with my brandnew mason jars. He smiled and said, "Place the scraps in a walmart bag. I have a compost bin for my mini greenhouse and will place them in there. You can save your boxes for the firepit."
"Good idea," I said.
"So let me clear the elephant in the room," He said. "I messed up when I was younger and got into trouble and had a drinking problem. I am two years sober and I will not touch a drop again."
"Thank you for being honest," I said. "But I would never judge you. So you know I had a fiancé for 4 years and when I found him sleeping with my best friend, I broke it off. He has not stop bothering me since."
"Well I will make sure you are safe here," He said. "No is a complete sentance for me."
"Same," I said. "So since your the guy. We do need to go over the first order of business. You know those barn looking sheds? I have a twenty foot by fourty food shed purchased and on order for relics we are gonna sell to raise more money for restoration. I have fourty eight hours to get a delivery date set."
"When Martin called me to tell me Frank passed," He said. "Also please accept my condolences. Frank was a character and I was glad to have know him. I was clearing an area inside the gates for a gate house Its about twenty five foot long. I was figuring you would want a place for an office outside the RV. I can have that area cleared and ready for it to be delivered in 2 days time."
"That is perfect," I said. "But we do need to make sure we have a six foot space from the wall for the workers to get in. I have a mason coming in to fix all the walls. He will be here tomorrow to give an estimate."
"I take it frank left a restoration fund?" He said. "From previous work I can tell you to expect 100-200 thousand worth of work."
Nodding I said,"I was guessing that amount as well. But I think that is a deal and it helps a company that is slow at this time. Once we decide what we are going to work on I will be using local laborers and businesses."
He looked up and asked, "Not big corporations?"
"No," I said. "I feel that local workers have a better sense of pride in their work. Besides, once we get this land back in use I want to bring this area back to life. Why should the local town not benefit from what we are going to do up here?"
He looked impressed and asked, "I saw the website. Ghost tours and such. What do you plan on doing here?"
"We are going to raise the hospital from the dead and make it into a resort," I said.
When I said that there was a clap of thunder and the storm hit hard. We both chuckled and he asked, "So the idea of ghosts do not scare you?"
"No," I said. "I am guessing they do not scare you either as you live here as well."
"Not at all," He said. "There is residual and intelligent hauntings here. I saw that you are putting cameras in. So I am going to show you places were we should have some placed to catch spirits and you can live stream daily on YouTube and people can watch out for spirits. Consider it free advertising and a way that you can add to the fund for restoration or the bills on this place."
Smiling I said, "That is a great idea. Also thank you for helping me get this done."
He chuckled and said, "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship. Besides I would normally be i my RV playing video games and meeting you is much better. If you want I can handle all of this if you want to unpack. That way we can kill two birds with one stone."
"Thank you," I said and grabbed the first box. A hour and a half later everything but the picnic basket was emptied. I asked Simon, "Are you hungry?"
His stomach growled as he laughed he said, "Starved."
Grabbing some paper plates and plastic silverware I pointed to the table the picnic basket was sitting on and said, "Shiloh our cook made us a picic basket for food and she made enough for an army."
We sat down and I pulled out the food that Shiloh had made and Simon was laughed and asked, "Did she think this would be the only food you would have to eat?"
"That is the way she is," I said. "Please enjoy as I will not be able to eat all of this."
After our plates were made i asked, "So you are alright with ghost tours?"
"Heck yeah," He said. "I am gonna build a glass lidded box that we can place journals and pens in with and when the shed is delivered, I will attach it to the porch of the relic house. Then people can write about their experieces."
"That is a great idea," I said. "Now I am guessing you know this property top to bottom."
"I sure do," He said. "What are you looking for?"
"Is there a area with a large amount of foundations for the staff cottages?" I asked.
"I know a few spots why do you ask?" He said.
"I want to use the foundations," I said. "I was thinking we can convert them to tents so people can stay overnight camping on the land through AE adventures. The campers would have a tent over a foundation and we can put small wood stoves inside with raised areas for people to set up sleeping bags and if there is plumbing we can even add toilets and sinks inside."
"Glamping?" He asked. "I know of a perfect spot on the property that I can start to make a concrete pathway. The way that the foundations are there is even a spot in the center that we can put a fire pit and benches. These campers will eat it up. I can show you the spot near the river after the masons come in and you get that set up."
"How many foundations are in this area," I asked.
"There are seven in this area," He said. "These buildings were quite small no bigger than twelve feet by twelve feet. It is also right next to the river. I would suggest if we are going to make that into a camp spot for liability and insurance reasons that we put a fence up in the area to prevent people from falling into the river. It is about a twelve foot drop to the water. Also so you are aware the bank is solid and I have been here during two major snow melts and it always is three to four feet under the bank at what would be considered high tide."
"Perfect," i said. "So when it comes to relics. Anything that we are not going to keep is going to be placed in there for sale. If we find anything in the buildings or the grounds go in there as well. People want to buy history and if it is possibly haunted the more the merrier. We never know what we may find on the grounds. So what do you need me to order from Home Depot."
He said, "Want me to pull the items up?"
I turned the laptop to him and as we ate he put in a large amount of supplies. He said, "I know it seems excessive but that will get us started."
Adding that order to the delivery order that we had for the shed to be delievered I asked, "Before I set the date are you sure that two days will be enough?"
"It is only a day of work that needs to be done to place the shed," He said. "I gave us an extra day incase we get some snow or more rain."
I set the delivery date to May Twentieth and said, "Well I guess that is ready?" Where are we going to place the materials?"
"There is a bigger shed right past the gate to the right when you came in," He said. "I was going to have Martin do a supply order with the local repair store but since you are having the building delivered this will be easier. There is a few things we need from town but I can ride my bike down later this week."
"Or you can have me drive you and introduce me to the people who are gonna benefit from what is going to happen here," I suggested.
"That is an even better idea," He said.
The rain had stopped and he said, "Well Franny, Thank you for dinner. Let me help you put this away and I will be heading home."
"No need," I said. "I can put this away and settle in. Also what is your phone number?"
He put out his hand and I handed him my phone. He saved his number and called his phone so he could save mine. He headed for the door and said, "I will see you in the morning. I will be up early getting the ground ready for the building."
When Simon left I put all the food away and realized I had a lot of food in the fridge with all the fruits and vegetables. Sighing I set up my new kettle for the morning and closed the blinds in the RV. Getting into pajamas I climbed into my new bed and settled in for my first night of sleep. I slept so good that I could have had the ghosts on the property watching me and I would not have even known it.
Chapter 3
I woke up the following morning to the sun coming in through the blinds of the RV. Putting clothes on my bed I went and took a quick shower to get ready for my day. After getting dressed I headed to the kitchen and made a cup of tea. Going into the fridge I grabbed yogurt, strawberries, bagels, ham and some mustard to make a sandwich. Sitting at the table I pulled up the website and wrote a article about the first night here. I posted that I will be taking pictures today and will add them to the website when I get back later today. While on the site I added a section for picture reels and after a moment I added a section for possible paranormal pictures.
Grabbing my camera, I grabbed my shoulder bag and placed my water bottle into it. Going outside I locked the RV and walked the path to front gate. Taking some pictures as I went I took pictures of the buildings in the distance. When I got to the gate Simon was laying rock where the new relic building will be placed. He smiled when he saw me and he asked, "How did you sleep?"
"Like the dead," I said. "I woke up refreshed and ready to go. Can I help you with anything?"
"Not at the moment," He said. "If you want to follow that path it will lead you to the cafeteria, moms and babies and library. Be careful on the porch to Moms and babies as there are loose bricks. The lighting should be perfect for pictures. I will call you when the Mason gets here. "
Heading down the path I took pictures when I came to the cafeteria. Looking in the building I said, "Hello everyone my name is Fanny I am the new owner of the hospital. I will be bringing this land back and we will be doing ghost tours. If you are here know I do not mean disrespect but I want to build this property to be something grand and you are all welcome to stay."
I went inside the cafeteria and saw how beautiful the view was with the big glass windows looking over the property. I took pictures through the building. As I walked to the next building I continued to take pictures. Coming to the library I went inside and said, "Wow."
Rows upon rows of books. I heard footsteps in the building and said, "Hello? If someone is here I am the owner of the property. If you're a spirit please do ot be afraid I am here to bring back the property and land."
The footsteps stopped, and then there was silence. I took some pictures and as I headed out to the door. As I went to head to Moms and Babies Mason called me saying he would be there in a few minutes. I walked towards the gate and when I got there Simon and Mason were going over a map and Simon was circling parts of the wall that needed work. Mason saw me and said, "Franny girl it is so good to see you. I was talking to Simon about spots he knew needed work. We are going to use the three-wheelers and circle the property. I will call you when we are done. It will take a few hours. From what I saw on the way in a lot of the wall looks good and only a few repairs need to be done in large spots. Do you want me to add in estimates for painting and cleaning of the wall as well?"
"Yes please," I said.
He went to his assistant and they were off. That is when Simon asked, "You saw something?"
Laughing I said, "No I heard footsteps in the library. I introduced myself and the footsteps stopped."
He said, "So then you had a productive morning so far?"
"Very much so," I said. "Looks like you did as well. Now do we have electricity in this area that we can run to the building?"
"There is a line that can be connected," He said. "However, I would suggest having a professional come out and do that so there are no issues. You will also need to go to city hall and register the building as well."
"Can we do that later this afternoon after Mason gets back?" I asked. "That way there are no issues?"
"Sure thing," He said. "We can also go to the supply store after. I think we need to get trimmer line and possibly a new mower. Along with a chainsaw to cut up this extra wood, as we start clearing out the areas we are working on. Later on, we will need to get a law tractor to do a lot of the property. That will be after we set roads and such."
"Sounds like a plan," I said.
"Well the land is ready for the relic building and the supply shed is almost empty," He said. "Why don't I show you the spot for the tents while we wait?"
"Let's go," I said.
As I turned to walk and he said, "Wait fanny we have a faster way to get there."
He walked to a covered section next to the supply shed and came back with a golf cart. He pulled up next to me and we headed towards my trailer. When we passed that he said, "I would suggest that we add a walking path lined with lights. I would suggest adding the path first."
"Why is that," I asked.
"Because people are not the smartest," He said."If we have the path to the beginning of the property then people cannot complain that they got lost. Also this morning I came out here and there is a spot we can add a rustic bathroom. I found plumbing and a sewer hook up. I looked and they have a small shed that can house two toilets and two sinks."
"Both of those ideas are good," I said. "Is the shed in town?"
He nodded and said, "Yes they are. Also there are guys that hang out near the construction store. They are always looking for work and I bet we could get a bunch of them to work here to help with some projects. They would be cash or cash app to pay them."
"Do you trust them?" I asked.
"Some yes," he said. "I will help you with that. I can lay the forms for the first pathway from the campsite to the beginning to the hospital complex."
"Well," I said. "I can also help. I so know how to lay concrete but if we can get some people to help then I am more then willing to pay and support the local economy. I do have two rules though. The first no drug use on the property. The second no alcohol on the property. Cigarettes are okay as long as they keep the butts in the garbage."
He nodded and said, "I agree. Please do not be surprised that some workers will not want to work here. This property has a reputation of being haunted and when its dark no one will want to work here."
"Yeah," I said. "People will need to get over it as we will be hiring people once we open full areas."
"What building are you going to do first?" He asked.
Smiling I said, "I am thinking of the caretaker's cottage."
"I was looking on the map," I said. "It's close to the front and I am thinking of making it my home. There is also a large apartment attached to it. So if you want you can stay in a building instead of the RV."
He laughed and said, "I will definitely think about that. That may be a nice change. Especially once winter comes around. I will add forms going to the caretaker's cottage, then as well. That way you have a safe walking path. We may want to get the supplies for the cement then while we are in town today."
As we headed to the camp site area I continued to take pictures. When we got to the camp site area I said, "Oh my this is beautiful."
He smiled as I walked to the river and looked around as I took pictures. He said, "So if you look around you can see multiple foundations that form a horseshoe area. Then in the corner there is a smaller foudation where we can add the bathroom. That is the furthest back I will place anything as we will need to put the fencing in right behind it so no one falls into the river."
I said, "It looked like there used to be a fence here. Not a good one but I see some fencing peices. We can get the shed up here sooner so there is a bathroom for the workers. I am glad I can mow and weedeat because holy crap the grass is high. We can set up the fire pit to to burn the grass and twigs."
He said, "The grass would not burn so that would have to be bagged. The twigs can be burned. But I agree with the bathroom being installed for the workers. We can check the fencing prices to circle the campsite. It will also keep animals away from the tents. I know we have bathrooms in the tents but the extra ones would be nice for workers and people here on ghost hunts. We will have a path put in right to the bathrooms with a brick-built garbage holder."
"Will you be reusing the bricks from the property?" I asked.
"The last few years working here I would find bricks laying around and have been brushing them down and placing them under the covered area with the golf cart," He said. "I have quite a collection going."
My phone rang and I answered it, "Hey Mason, are you upfront?"
"Sure am," He said. "I have your estimate ready and guess what it is not as bad as it seems."
"We were checking out the camp site so give us a few minutes and we will be right there," I said. Hanging up I said to Simon, "It is not as bad as it seems."
He laughed as we headed back to the golf cart and as we loaded into the cart we heard a low laugh from the trees. We looked at each other and I took a few pictures around us. He said, "We need to look at the pictures during lunch. I will grab food and come meet you at your place."
"No need," I said. "We have all the leftovers still, and I do not want to waste food."
"That sounds like a plan," He said. "I cannot wait to see your pictures from exploring today."
Pulling up front, we met Mason. Mason went over all the repairs needing to be done and Simon listened carefully. He handed me a quote and said, "That is for supplies, the labor and the extra surcharges as we will be getting a hotel and will not be staying on property. We got a vibe on the inside of the property already and we will be here sunup to sundown."
Simon looked over my shoulder and nodded. I said, "Okay do you want a wire transfer or a check. When will you all be starting?"
He said, "Monday morning we will arrive, check into the hotel and get to work. You can write a check if you wish."
Reaching into my bag, I pulled out the binder and wrote a check for the work. Mason and I signed the contract and I said, "We will see you Monday. Also Simon is my pointman here so if you need anything you can come to either of us."
He nodded and said, "Understood."
After he left, Simon and I went back to my RV. Pulling out the leftovers for lunch. Making plates we sat next to each other as I loaded the pictures to the laptop. Most were normal scenery pictures until we got to the cafeteria. The picture that had the large windows looking towards the lake and the deck outside looked like there was a man standing there. Simon and I looked at each other and he said, "That is a person. The outfit looks like a suit. Fanny that is amazing."
We kept looking at the pictures and we found another picture in the library. At the top level of the library it look like a shadow of a person in the building. I said, "Right before that I had heard footsteps."
Before I continued on I renamed the pictures and then I got to the pictures after we heard the laugh. Through the trees I caught the outline of a man crouching near a far off tree. I renamed it and said, "Well I guess when we get back from town I have a bunch to add to the website."
As we ate I said, "I will check out the caretakers cottage when we get back."
"I will go with you when you look in there to make sure your okay in there," He said. "I am going to tell you, you will have a bit for the store. Do you plan on working from room to room?"
"That is the plan," I said. "If you want me to help with the pathway I am all up to help with that and the mowing. But if not I have no problem with working on the caretakers cottage."
"By all means please feel free to work on the cottage," He said. "We can kill two birds with one stone. When do you think the tours will start?"
"If my brother and uncle had their way," I said. "They would be here now doing day and night tours."
He nodded and said, "We will have to speak with them about tours avoiding the work areas. I have no problem with that I would say that we can get caution tape to block off section one while we get the paths marked and laid. Then we can mark off only the camp section when the paths are set."
"I agree with that," I said. "I am guessing by tomorrow I will be hearing from Matt and Uncle Mathew."
We finished eating and put away the leftovers that I still had. We headed to my SUV and we headed to town. We went to the permit office and Simon filled out the permits for me and I spoke to the head of the office explaining the plan. She was excited to hear that business would be coming to town and that we would eventually be hiring workers in town. She said, "This town lost a lot of money when the hospital shut down. Now we will be having a lot of new commerce."
"I am hoping with the resurrection of the hotel," I said. "We will resurrect the town."
She shook my hand and said, "I cannot wait to see what happens."
After we filed the permits for the relic store and the campsite, we walked across the road to the supply store. As Simon said there were a lot of people hanging out looking for work. One guy jumped up when we approached and said, "You can't hire locals? Why are you bringing people from out town?"
Simon jumped between us and said, "Pete you need to stop."
"Why," Pete yelled. "She is coming here to take jobs away from the people from this town."
I touched Simons arm and said, "They don't know yet. It's okay for them to have questions."
Pete looked at me and said, "Well what do you have to say for yourself."
"Why don't we all sit down and I will introduce myself," I said.
We sat around the picnic tables outside and Simon went to the store and a older man came out to listen. I said, "First and formost hello my name is Francesca, I go by Fanny. I own Historic Mcnair Hospital and I am converting the hospital into a resort."
A guy laughed and said, "Good luck lady the place is haunted."
Chuckling I said, "Oh I am aware and I have evidence from todays look arounds alone. Ghosts sell and there is a wait list a few thousand long for tours and overnight stays already."
"Bull shit," Pete yelled.
"Not bull shit," A voice said from being me. Uncle Mathew walked up behind me and said, "Hello everyone I am Mathew head of Explorer Adventures and currently Fanny's list is over 15000 long including Youtube and Television stations wanting to do tours. I am driving through to another location to check out for tours and saw Fanny's SUV. I will hand it off to her though."
He sat down in a chair as I continued, "Mason was hired for the outer wall work. Him and his crew would only be doing that work. Now that the snow is melting, we will be working on the property and buildings. I am a historic restoration specialist. Both Simon and I will be working on projects starting later today. Simons projects will include hiring workers. Mine may as well. There are rules to work for us, though. No drugs and no alcohol on site. You will work and you will not wander off to other places on the property. All items on the property will remain on the property, as we have a reclaim store building being delivered tomorrow. Once areas of the property open we will be hiring staff."
"What about the people doing tours?" A woman at the back of the crowd asked.
Looking at uncle Mathew he said, "Currently we have dedicated tour guides selected for the property. These tour guides are trained in first aid and tour situations. However, Once Fanny opens up areas on the property the plan is to hire towns people to give local tours for fishing, hiking and local scenery. We are hoping to bring this town back to life along with the hotel."
Pete called out, "So you plan on taking jobs from town?"
Uncle Mathew asked, "Not at all. But the group of tour guides we have on the property are seasoned paranormal investigators. They have been to some of the most haunted locations in the world. Fanny sent me three pictures of entities today. So if you Google the property's website you will more than likely see them up there by tomorrow."
I took over, "That is correct. As for the wall workers. I have know Mason the owner since graduate school and interned for him when I was working on my degree. I know his work and that he would do the job the way I wanted."
Another man asked, "Will we be required to work at night?"
"Once buildings open," I said. "Yes, you will be required to work events at night. However, the entities we have encountered so far are friendly."
"How will we know when you need workers?" Another asked.
"Simon and I will show up here right before sunrise with a list of how many people we need for the day," I said. "You will have a choice for pay, Cash app or check. There may be a possibility of cash if I sell items in the store, but I try not to keep cash on the property. Please be aware though, I am big on safety, so there may not be work on some days."
A young woman asked, "Can woman work as well?"
"Of course," I said. "Like I said there are rules and if we find you broke any of them you will be black listed. I am sorry there are not many second chances this is going to be a huge job and after the relic building is delievered we are hitting the ground running."
A older man asked, "What about interactions with tours."
"When day tours start," I said. "There will be no interactions. Simon and I plan on setting up barriers through the woods where there will be no entrance. That and again there will be no wandering off from the site people are working at."
Uncle Mathew said, "Excuse me everyone, as Fanny answered the one question I needed to ask her just now. I hope this venture brings good fortune to everyone. Fanny, we will be setting up a meeting later this week."
He left and I said, "Minimum wage here is $13 an hour. That will not do. If we hire you for work, you will be paid $20 an hour. You will sign in when you get there and sign out when you go to leave. You will also sign when you receive your pay."
An older man said, "I will babysit your ghosts for $20 an hour Count me in. I have construction, road work, and cooking experience."
Nodding, I said, "Good to know. Also everyone one last thing. We will provide water for drinking but we will not have fridges for food so please treat this as a construction site and bring your own coolers."
I looked at simon and he said, "We will be here in two days for the first workers. Please be aware at this time it will be working with cement laying sidewalks to where Fanny will be working and back to the first camp site. Also we will be building two bathrooms. I also believe we will be using workers for lawn work. You will be raking and doing a bit of mowing."
The owner of the store said, "For some of you, no funny business. I will be having people lining up when you get here so they can hire you in order of your arrival. This is a good opportunity for our town, and you should not mess this up."
"Also," I said. "If you don't work, you will be asked to leave. You will not be black listed right away but you will not be given first dibs if you arrive early. The harder workers may be told to come to the property instead of waiting here. If you all will excuse us though we do need to get supplies why we are here. See you all in two days."
Pete said, "I doubt we will see you in two days."
Simon and I went inside and the owner said, "Sorry about Pete Miss. He has a few issues which is part of your no-no list. He is hell of a worker though, and I will talk to him. He needs a reason to get his life on track. But what can i get for you?"
Looking at Simon I said, "Well remember we have to fit this in the SUV."
The owner said, "Nah I have a truck we can deliver later today."
By the time we left, Simon had got two sheds to convert to bathrooms. Two weedwackers, two lawnmowers, three wheel barrows, hoses and a lot more cement. Then he got wood and forms for the pathways. While he ordered everything, I wandered the store and found tents and smiled. I hoped the owner is ready for all the business he was about to get.
We loaded some items up and I set a timer for when the owner Mike would be delivering the items. We headed to the caretaker's cottage and we went inside. Simon said, "Wow!"
Looking over at him I asked, "Have you never been in here?"
"Only on the outside," He said as we started walking through the building. "So there is no basement in this building. There are fifteen rooms in this building. Ten in the main part and five in the apartment. There does not seem like there are any leaks in the roof. It seems like the house is a time capsule."
Looking around at all the items in the building I said, "Lots of dust but your right. The age of the building though I think I will reach out to the roofing company in town and have a new roof put on."
Looking in my binder I said, "Grandpa had the water and electrical serviced last year. So it is now getting her done."
We walked through the house and Simon said, "Now here is the hardest thing for you to decide."
Looking through everything I asked, "What?"
"What you are going to keep," He said. "If you decide to get rid of the desk in the office you are crazy."
I chuckled and said, "No I will be keeping some of the furniture. Although I do see a lot that will be going to the relic building. So lets discuss the workers. We will need to look over some of them when they are working. But if you feel there are any that we should bring back daily then let me know. You can send them to me and I will invite them back. Then in the morning I can go into town and you can meet up with the workers we tell to come here."
He said, "Good idea. I know a few of the people are hard workers. The economy just shut down many businesses and so many are looking for work."
We got to the apartment and I said, "I will leave the basic furniture in here but the knick-knacks and decor will be going to the relic building."
"Your convinced I will move in here with you," He chuckled.
Laughing I said, "You want to stay in a RV forever?"
"Nah," He said. "I will be glad to stay in this building with you. When you get this building done I will clear the land behind here and move both the RV's over to here so we can keep them safe. Besides, with both the RV cleared the tour guides groups can rent one as a base camp."
"Well eventually," I said. "I do want to add a road past the house and circle around to the river. I do not want to have asphalt I was thinking stone with raised curbs."
Simon said, "That is a good idea and we can put a parking area next to the house. That and it will cut down on what needs to be mowed. When we do the walkways I will figure in the area for raised curbs on both sides. Then we will measure out the road and parking spot. At least we will get the guys and gals some work."
We stopped when we heard a foot steps over us. I said, "Hello. My name is Fanny and I owner of the hospital. We are revamping all the buildings that are standing and the foundations. You are welcome to stay but please be aware that there will be changed made in the building."
We listened again and I heard children giggling. I groaned and Simon said, "Kids?"
"Possibly," I said. "But they could be kids or someone pretending to be a kid. We shall see because families did live here and unfortunately, they were not immune to the sickness here."
Walking back to gates Mike came by and delivered all the supplies. He said, "I saw the electrician and he said call when everything is delivered and he will come up and install the electricity. Fanny thank you for including the town. There are so many people who are looking for work. That being said if you do not need workers any day let me know and I can put a sign up on the bullitan board. We open at six thirty in the morning. Just call the store so you do not have to drive down."
Simon asked, "Mike do you know anyone that can supply a large amount of stone for road?"
He said, "I can get it for you. Good idea to place stone instead of asphalt. When the stone is laid you can cover it with cement and it can be replaced when it wears out but it is a whole lot cheaper."
Nodding I said, "Good. Well Simon will probably get with you soon. How long will it take to get?"
"Twenty four hours," He said.
We spoke for a little longer and when he left Simon grabbed the first weed wacker and started to clear the ground where he wanted to place the first path to the cottage. I went back to the RV and posted all the pictures. I did a article for the first building I decided to work on and promised pictures coming. After I was done I checked the message ad saw the confirmation email for delivery the next day. I sent the message to Simon with the delivery time and went to take a bath. When I was done I made a light dinner and sat on the couch watching a movie. I fell asleep while watching the movie and woke up the follow morning when the sun hit my face.
************************************************************************************
Sitting up I stretched and looked around the RV. I noticed things were moved around. Little things like my shoes next to the front door. Books stacked neatly on the table. Instead of dishes on the table and counter they were all in the sink. I walked into the bathroom and everything seemed neater. My bed was turned down but neat. The clothes I had scattered were neatly laid on a chair. I came out and checked the doors and they were locked. I called Simon and he said, "Good morning Fanny your up early."
"Yeah I fell asleep early," I said. "I have a question for you. Did you stop by last night?"
"No I went home, made dinner and fell asleep watching a movie," He said. "Why do you ask?"
"I woke up and my RV was straighted up," I said. "I was kinda messy last night and something cleaned up my RV."
He chuckled and said, "I think a motherly spirit is looking over us. I have had the same thing happen on and off for two years. Did you wake up with a blanket on you when you did not have one with you?"
Looking at the couch I said, "I did."
"Yeah that happens," He said. "Liste say thank you. Eat some breakfast and I will see you upfront in a bit."
I went into the kitchen and made a plate to heat up. While it was heating up I called out, "Thank you for taking care of me. I appreciate you."
Changing into fresh clothes I cleaned up from my bedroom to the front of the RV. When my breakfast was ready I sat down to eat. When I was done I grabbed my camera, a water bottle and walked to the front gates of the hospital.
Simon said "I am going to set up the first shed for a bathroom. I will call you when the relic room is delievered."
"Okay," I said. "I will be in the cottage after I take some outside pictures. If you need me you know where you can find me."
I took pictures as I walked towards the cottage and opened the door. Calling out, "Good Morning. No changes this morning, I am starting with taking pictures for the hospital website. A website is a virtual magazine. People want to see what I am doing. Feel free to watch me while I am working. I will be redoing this building and them I will live in the main section and Simon will be living in the back apartment."
Looking around I walked through the home and came to the combination laundry and mud room. Smiling I said, "Well I think this is going to be the room I start with. Walking through the room I checked the windows and saw I needed to fix the windows. I pulled up a note pad to make a list of everything I needed to buy."
My phone rang and when I answered Simon said, "Your needed at the gate."
"Be right there," I said.
Walking to the gate I saw the delivery driver. Smiling I said, "Good morning."
The driver an older man said, "Hello Miss. I am so sorry to bother you. I understand Simon is your grounds worker but he was not authorized to sign for the delivery."
"Oh I am so sorry for the confusion," I said. Signing for the delivery. "We will get him added on to the account."
As he got into the truck and pulled in to unload the supplies I said to Simon, "Sorry about that usually there are no problems."
"Your good," He said. "Did you get some stuff done in the house?"
"I got pictures inside and out," I said. "Then I made a list of supplies I am needing from in town."
"No worries," He said. "While your gone I will get the shelving and tables set up in the relic house and have the elctrician come out."
"Okay," I said. "I will leave a signed check. When you fill it out, just take a picture of it and text it to me."
"Perfect," He said. "Also while he is here do you want me to get an estimate for him to come out to run lines from the walls for the security camera you want to run for YouTube and to check the spots in some buildings?"
"Yes please," I said. "Mason said it should take under two weeks as long as the weather holds. Then we will get the cameras in and start live streaming from various buildings. I know I want to set a camera up in at least the library and the lake mess hall."
I went to the RV and smelled a light rose smell. Smiling I said, "Hello I am Fanny. I own the land and I hope to meet you soon enough."
Grabbing a check from the ledger I noted the book and headed back to Simon. He was on the phone and I heard him say, "Yeah man its right at the front gates. We will need work coming up though and that will be more on property. Do you think I would be here or not be stuck to Fannies side if I thought there was anything dangerous?"
Watching him on the phone I thought about how handsome he was. Then I shook myself as I pulled up to him. I am glad that we will be working seperately on and off because a working relationship was one thing, but a couples relationship could be dangerous. He said, "See you soon"
Hanging up he said, "Go ahead and get a few pens and journals while your out. Also grab a few notebooks so we can track time and payroll."
"Anything else?" I asked. "Do you need or want anything?"
"Nah I am good," He said. "However, next weekend if you would not mind I would love to go grocery shopping in the city before ours."
Smiling I said, "Oh the one with the farmers market. Consider it a date."
We realized what I said and both laughed. He said, "Be safe I am getting the relic building ready for you to add things. Remember price tags and a lot of ziploc bags."
Nodding I added everything to my list and headed to town. Pulling up to the supply store I pulled in and said, "Hello all."
One of the men sitting there asked, "Things still a go for tomorrow?"
Smiling, I said, "Sure are. When I get back, Simon and I will be seeing how many people we will need. You all know my rules. It will be work, though, so be prepared."
Going in Mike said, "Fanny, what could you possibly have forgotten?"
Laughing I said, "Hey Mike. Well I am getting ready to start redoing the caretakers cottage so Simon can move into the apartment and I can move into the house."
"Well," He said. "I am guessing you have a list?"
"Of course," I said. "I am buying extra supplies but no worries I can bring it all home."
After an hour of shopping I was able to get everything but the notebooks, journals and pens. Mike directed me to the stationary store across the road. When I walked in the woman at the counter said, "Welcome how can I help you."
"Hello," I said. "I need to get some journals, pens and notebooks."
"Well I can help you with that," She said. "You own the hospital right?"
"I sure do," I said.
"Well," She said, "My name is LuAnne and I am here for all your printing needs."
"Nice to meet you LuAnne," I said. "My name is Fanny."
After I bought everything I needed I headed back to the property. Pulling up to the caretakers cottage I started to unload all the supplies. I heard Simon call out, "Fanny I would have helped you."
Laughing I said, "Well there is plenty to unload. Did the electrician finish the installation?"
"He is almost finished," He said. "He is jumpy because so many people have told stories of this place."
Once we were finished unloading my SUV Simon said, "Bring some journals and pens with you."
Grabbing three journals and a box of pens we went to the relic house and installed between the door and window was a glass lid box and said, "You made the stories box already?"
He laughed and said, "I have trouble sleeping sometimes. I finished it yesterday and stained it."
Placing the journals inside I said, "I love it Simon."
Simon beemed with pride and said, "I love buidling things and I think we will be building a lot here soon enough."
Walking into the building I met the electrician Russel. He looked up and said, "Hello Fany nice to meet you. So far there is not anything scary."
"I believe there is a lot of good here," I said. "We have yet to come across anything dark here."
He nodded and said, "I hope so. If there are anything dangerous around here people will not want to work here. I am glad you are giving people a chance."
"Well I will be in the caretakers cottage if you need me," I said. "Simon remember the picture."
He said, "Sure thing."
Walking into the caretakers house I smelled roses again and I said, "Hello I will be in the mudroom. I wish I knew your name."
Grabbing a basket I opened the wall of cabinets. The cabinets were full of old items. Setting up a garbage can, I started to sort the items in the cabinet. There was a bunch of vintage books and toys. Bagging items and pricing them, I worked on clearing out the cabinets. When I filled the basket I walked to the relic store and Sam was waving as Russel pulled away. Opening the building I walked in and found that Simon had put together a few of the shelving. Placing the items on the first shelving unit I walked out as Simon was walking in. He said, "Your already adding items."
"Sure am," I said. "The cabinets in the laundry room are full of items. I have a lot coming over from one room. I think I am going to look for an assistant daily."
Simon said, "Well I hope we find you a good one."
The rest of the day Simon finished building my shelving units and clothing racks. I continued to sort all the items in the laundry room. By the time we were done for the day he had already finished all the shelving in the relic house, and built the first set of bathrooms next to the covered supply area. I was looking at the shed and he said, "The foundation is part of a storage building that used to sit there with plumbing. The covered area is also on the foundation as well. Also I had got toilet paper and soap yesterday so the small cabinet in there holds cleaning supplies, soap and toilet paper. There is an extension cord that runs the light in there. Only cold water. There is also a skylight and window on the back so it will have fresh air."
"That is a great idea," I said. "I grabbed toilet paper for the bathroom in the main house. When do you want to leave tomorrow?"
"A little after six," Simon said. "I will have everyone park along the path leading towards your RV."
"Sounds good," I said. "I am going to head to the RV. Work on the pictures of the cottage and what I did today."
He smiled, "Have a good night."
Waving I left the SUV parked next to the Cottage. Walking to the RV I saw the light was on inside. I am guessing that the ghost following me made sure I would not go into a dark home. I took all the leftovers out and saw i had full meals left and placed those containers in the freezer. Grabbing a few sandwiches and some salads I sat at the table and said, "Thank you for putting the light on. So you know once I finish the cottage we will be moving over there. Your welcome to follow me there or just hang around. I wish I knew who you were. I would like to call you by name."
The light in my room flicked on. I had an idea and said, "Would you like to try to talk with me?"
Walking to a shelf I took out my spirit box and said, "You can communicate with me through this box."
I placed the spirit box on the table and turned it on. I asked, "What is your name?"
A few moments later I heard, "Ella."
"Ella?" I asked. "Ella did you die here?"
"Had a baby," The box said.
"You died having a baby," I said. "Oh Ella I am so sorry."
"Daughter lived," The voice said.
"Oh Ella, I am so sorry you did not get to raise your baby" I whispered. "Are there other spirits here?"
"A lot of others," The voice said.
"Can you answer some yes and no questions?" I asked. "Are there bad spirits here?"
"Some," Ella answered.
"Are they from when the hospital was here?" I asked.
"No," Ella said. "From land also.......wars......indians....settlers."
"Thank you Ella," I said. "Do you take care of Simon and I?"
"Yes," She replied. "You brought him light."
"Light?" I asked.
"He was sad," She replied.
Before I could answer she said, "Ex was awful. Did not forgive."
"Because if the mistakes he made?" I asked.
"Yes," She replied.
"I will remember that Ella," I said. "Thank you."
I started to yawn and I heard, "Go to sleep."
"Your right Ella," I said. "After I clean up a bit."
Standing up I stretched and cleaned up the trailer. Starting a load of laundry I went to take a shower. When I got out I saw my bed was turned down. Switching the clothes to the dryer I started the load and threw the rest of the laundry in the washer. Sitting down I said, "Ella I am putting on some shows on the TV about travel if you like I will pull out the chair to the desk in here, you are more than welcome to watch."
The chair to the desk slid out. Smiling I said, "This channel is one of my favorites. I am going to create a play list so if I doze off you can still watch it."
Laying down I fell asleep quickly and when my alarm went off I sat up and said, "Oh man it is way to early."
My blinds opened and I asked, "Ella if you would like I can leave this channel playing. Close the blinds if you would like that."
The blinds closed. I got up and saw that the play list was almost done. I cleared the playlist and made a new one. Startig the new play list I made my bed and said, "Ella you do not need to stay on the chair. Feel free to sit in the bed or hey its the afterlife feel free to lounge about. Today Simon and I are hiring local towns people to work here."
I saw the bed dip on one side. Smiling I went to the kitchen and grabbed a sandwich to eat on the way down to town. There was a knock at the door. Opening the door I found Simon waiting. I asked, "Want one of the sandwiches?"
He said, "Yes please."
I grabbed one of the sandwiches and handed it to him. I said, "Ready?"
He said, "You going to shut the TV off."
"Nope," I said. Then I called out, "Enjoy the TV show Ella. See you tonight."
We went out the door and he said, "Ella?"
"Our ghost with the rose smell," I said. "I used my spirit box last night. Ella died in childbirth, however, her daughter survived. She seems to be stuck here. She seems to like travel shows on YouTube."
We drove to town and when we pulled up there were not very many people waiting. Simon said, "I do not think they believed we would be hiring people. That is their loss when these people come home with a paycheck."
Getting out of the SUV, I said, "Good Morning, everyone!"
The older man we met said, "I told them you were being honest. Some people didn't believe you."
Smiling I said, "Guess what I am here and I am so happy to see this group. So let me get your names and I will have you head to the front gate of the hospital!"
The young girl said, "Even me?"
"Even you," I said. "When we get up to the hospital we will go ahead and assign you."
We had twelve workers head up to the hospital and as we were getting ready to leave Pete walked over. I said, "Pete we sent twelve workers up to the hospital do you want to be number thirteen?"
He walked away as he said, "Like you will pay us."
I shrugged and a young man ran over, "Can I still work? I am sorry I am late my wife is due in a month and she was feeling so sick this morning. I dropped my son to my Mom and drove over as fast as I could."
Handing him the clipboard I said, "Make sure you have your phone on loud so if she needs you you will know. See you up there."
He nodded, we saw him make a call and heard him say, "Hey baby I made it in time and if you get worse call me alright."
He took the road up to the hospital and we followed him. Simon pointed for me to park near the cottage. Everyone gathered around the porch of the relic page and I said, "Good morning everyone. So Simon will assign jobs to everyone but the young lady in the green shirt. You are going to work with me today."
I took the young lady and said, "Give me one minute."
She nodded and I called out to Mason, "You need me for anything?"
He shouted back, "I will find you or Simon if we need anything."
Turning back to the young lady I asked, "Your name is Ella right?"
She smiled, "That is right. I was named after my great grandma. She passed away giving birth to my Grandma in the Mom and babies building."
"Really," I said. "That is so interesting. Well today we are going to work in the caretakers cottage. We are starting in the mudroom. The cabinets are full of items and those are going to the relic and history building."
Walking in Ella said, "Wow this is awesome."
We went back to the mudroom and I pointed to the cabinets and said, "The goal is to get the items sorted, priced and moved to the relic building today."
She said, "Let us get to work. I am not good on pricing but if you want I see you were bagging items there are a ton of clothing peices do you want those hung up?"
"We need to get empty hangers from closets around the house," i said.
Placing her lunch and purse on the dining room table, She said, "I can do that."
"Go for it," I said. Ten minutes later Ella came back with a arm full of hangers.
She said, "This place is beautiful. I will hang then you can price."
Ella was a go getter and she jumped in with both feet. When she had everything hung I looked at the items and seperated them into different piles. Handing her the pricing gun I told her the prices that everything should be. She got to work on pricing and she finished all the clothing. All the workers worked hard all day. Before she joined everyone to get paid I said, "Do not go to the store. Come here at 7am. If I am not here when you get here go ahead and go to the dining room pull all the glassware in the hutch and sort it to the dining room table. When I get back we are going to start priming the walls to paint."
"Really?" She said. "I have an invite?"
"Sure do," I said. "You did amazing today. I will let you know when there is no work due to weather or stuff happening here."
We walked to the relic building and Ella said, "You can send my pay to my cash app by the way."
Laughing I said, "Have something to get?"
She laughed and said, "Supplies for lunch and to get my phone bill paid."
I sent her pay and she confirmed she got it. When she left I paid everyone else and Simon nodded to a few of the workers. After they left he said, "Meeting in your RV?"
"Yes first lets see what we got done," I said.
"You first," He said.
We went to the cottage and showed him the empty and cleaned cabinets. He saw the primed wall next to the window and I said, "In the morning can you have the vintage washer moved to the relic house. I am going to find us a good washer and dryer."
"Man you did great work," He said. "Now for me."
We walked outside and He showed me all the lawn work done near the cottage. He showed me the forms for the sidewalks that were placed. Then he took me to the campsite and showed me the fence and bathroom that was installed. Along with forms for the next pathway that were started. I said, "Wow you got a lot done."
We took the cart back to the shed and walked to my RV. Once inside he asked, "Did you have Ella come back tomorrow?"
"I sure did and I already told her what to do until I got back," I said. "What about you?"
"I kept three as of today," He said. "The young guy is named Charlie. His wife is due with their second and he was working at the Mill until they had layoffs. The older guy who knew we were coming back his name is Walt. He may be older but damn can he work. The third is Shawn he is a quiet man but he hustles and he had all around the wall and cottage mowed and weed ate in no time flat. Then he had the forms up here done and levels while we were putting in fence. Him and Walt asked if we would allow fishing on the lake. I told them maybe later once we make sure the ground is good. The other guys worked but didn't seem to be interested. I guess we will see who ends up back there tomorrow."
I asked, "Ella can you flicker the lights please if your here?"
The light above us flickered and I asked, "Can you please shut the blinds for no and flicker the lights for yes."
"Did you see the young woman with me while we ate lunch here today?" I asked.
The lights flickered. I asked, "Did you hear her name?"
The blinds opened. I said, "Her name was Ella. She was named after her Great Grandma, who passed away."
The spirit box moved on the shelf. I brought it to the table and placed it on. Ella came through and said, "My granddaughter is beautiful."
"She is and she is very kind," I said. "I am keeping her on. I will see if she would like to talk to you."
"Thank you," she said.
"Would you like to watch more videos?" I asked.
"Later," she said. "Goodnight."
Simon said, "Wow that is insane."
We talked for a bit longer and Simon asked, "Do you every think about dating again?"
"I have a bit," I said. "I want nothing like I had with Chris. He took and looked down on me when he lives off of his parents."
Simon asked, "What if I was to ask you on a date? Or do you frown upon work place relationships?"
"I don't," I said. "Just give me some time okay. "I need to settle myself first and time would be appreciated."
He said, "Deal. On that note I will see you in the morning. I am off to get sleep."
Simon left and I sat there thinking about everything. I definitely need some time.
March 20th- Ella, Charlie, Walt, Shawn
Mason- Wall repair
Mike- Construction supply store Russel- Electrician
Caretakers house-
small apartment- bedroom 1, living room, bathroom/closet, kitchen/dining room, closet
Main building- Master bedroom, master bath/closet, guest room, bathroom, office hallway top attic
kitchen, dining room, living room, sun room, mudroom/laundry room ,hall way bottom, stairs, bathroom
Franchesca- Main Matt-Brother Exploration Adventures
- 145 old staff foundations
- 72 foundations of buildings that have collapsed
- The main hospital 200 rooms
- the psych ward 75 rooms
- the childrens building 50 rooms
- rehabilitation building 30 rooms
- moms and babies 30 rooms
- surgery center 25 rooms
- recreational building 20 rooms
- lake mess hall 15 rooms
- auditorium 15 rooms
- main admin building 30 rooms
- the caretakers cottage 15 rooms
- the womans building 50 rooms
- the criminal rehab building 40 rooms
- the greenhouse 10 rooms
- The mentally insane building 50 rooms
- Amputation ward 30 rooms
- military ward 50 rooms
- hospice ward 75 rooms
- abandoned childrens ward 50 rooms
- the sexual wellness building 30 rooms
- the lab 25 rooms
- education center 25 rooms
- Cafeteria 20 rooms
- medical library 30 rooms
Mr. Jenkins, mitch- Lawyer/Grandpa lover Frank- Grandpa Nancy-assistant Sandy- Grandma
Simon, groundskeeper
Chris ex-fiance shelly ex friend
Marley- Butler Shiloh-Maid
Aunt Flo- Grandpas sister
Mathew- Grandpa and grandmas youngest son 3 kids Mandy wife
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