“Come look,” Maxine called to her cousins. “Look what I’ve found.”
Maxine and five of her cousins were at their homeplace on Birch Branch. They had been given a day by the attorney to come get whatever belonged to their family. Maxine was cleaning out the shed and found these ancient toys.
Kevin said, “I feel like we’re looking at our parents’ lives. I guess in some ways we are looking at their childhood here.”
The cousins finished up with a last look at the house and the property on Birch Branch. They knew they would never be back again.
The Write Scribe 
yes, that does happen. When my mom died, I had 24 hours from her death to have her entire place empty, or pay a full months rent I didn’t have. Had to borrow money just to get home. Took the university 6 hours just to come claim her body, 6 hours lost. She was a hoarder, too. Took 5 dumptsters to get out what she had in a one bdrm place. It was horrid.
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Very tough for you!
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You left me wanting to hear more, and whether this is a true event,
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True, and so much more complicated than one can tell in 100 words. Thank you.
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Ooh, that’s the kind of thing that really hits home, isn’t it? I remember when my dad died, going into his house, finding things that had belonged to my Nan, that poignancy of lives gone by. Wonderfully done, Rosemary
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Thanks so much
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My pleasure
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These toys were found in the mud at a forest restoration site. They were near the foundation of a house that had burned down, probably in the 50’s. They are probably not as old as that house though. One of my neighbors said that the doll was one of her children’s. That child is now in her 40’s! I enjoyed your story, and related to it.
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Thank you.
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Memories burried in a cluter of things. We should leave it all behind and remember only the good times. Easier said than done, I know. What a sad story, so nicely written.
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Thank you!
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Such a touching tale. The last line reads so familiar especially since i do it all the time before bidding adieu to my homes on account of relocation etc and to my parent’s home before returning to what is my home now. Loved your story.
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Thank you so much!
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I hope the doll I have had since birth will fare better.
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Realistic and believable. The things we love today could be someone else’s trash tomorrow.
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Very well done, Rosemary. Probably what I will have to go through when my mother-in-law goes as my boys and I are all she has left. There will be scads of stuff regarding her late son, my husband…
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