Page 68 - The Woven Tale Press Vol. V #7

The Legacy (continued from preceding page)
hues of red and gold as it kisses the horizon. My
life is nearly over, and it has been good.
As a young boy, I was sure the box was magic— some ancient backwoods spell to ward off mis- fortune, and I feared the box as much as I feared Grandfather that day.
Later, I believed the box contained money—some secret hoard Grandfather had scrabbled together over the decades. Later still, I thought it to be gold or stocks bought in the first years of General Elec- tric or Sears, Roebuck & Co.
And when I suspected that even these were be- yond the means of my grandparents, I was sure
it was a Bible, and I resisted opening it for fear of disappointment. At times, I believed it was empty.
Yesterday, I opened the box.
Over the years, I’ve had no fewer and no more crises in my life than the next man, but I have sur- vived each and prospered. Whether Grandfather was wise or foolish or simply addled in his mind when he conceived this legacy, it has nonetheless served its purpose.
And in a few moments, I will pass the box on to my own grandson. When I am finished writing this story, I will fold it and slip it into the box to replace Grandfather’s letter to me. For you, Jason. May you never read this letter in need.
I hold the box in my lap one last time. I run my fingers once again around the rough wood, feeling traces of the tools where they have left their marks, much like the mark Grandfather has left on me.
My eyes wander again to the western sky, where the sun now casts its brilliant reflection on the clouds from beyond the horizon—a sailor’s de- light, promising a bright new tomorrow.
Beach has been published in the Saturday Evening Post, Penny Shorts, Dime Show Review, and Deadline. He holds BSc and MFA degrees from Bowling Green State University.
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Might I Try to Orchestrate?
acrylic on raw canvas 9” x 13” By Bart O’Reilly