The Talisman

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">THE INHERITANCE</P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">‘There’s a letter for you from Weymouth, my wife called to me as I came in the door, ‘it looks official, ‘I’ll read it later, I teased her, we’d earlier had a letter from my uncle Bert’s solicitor, to say that I’d been named as a beneficiary in his will, and that he’d write to me later to inform me of the date of the reading, so I could attend, I knew Sadie was getting excited at the prospect of us coming into some money, I could see by the expression on her face that she couldn’t wait for me to open the letter, but, I was going to drag this out as long as I could, ‘if you don’t open that letter, ‘I’ll,-- ‘I’ll hit you over the head with this saucepan, she threatened me ‘ok, ‘calm down darling, not wanting to find out if she meant it or not, I picked up the letter and read it ‘what does it say, she demanded ‘it seems that I’m the only beneficiary, I couldn’t believe it, ‘I knew that I was uncle Bert’s favourite, but to be left everything shocked me, ‘I’ll have to see the major and ask him if I can have a week off, ‘because the reading of the will is in two days time, ‘and I have to be there. Next morning found Sadie and I ready to set off for Dorset, I’d explained to the major about the reading of the will and he said it was alright for me to have a week off to sort things out, Sadie had suggested that we turn it into a second honeymoon, so with that in mind, we asked Donna if she could have the boys with her while we were gone, knowing that when we arrived back, the boys would have been thoroughly spoiled, on our arrival at Weymouth, we booked into a very nice hotel and relaxed for the rest of the day, after breakfast next morning I set off for the solicitor’s office, Sadie had gone off shopping, I knew that by the time I’d received the inheritance, she would have already have spent it, at exactly ten o’clock I presented myself at Jenkins, Cartwright and Jones solicitors, the door would not have been out of place in a Dickens novel, it was large, painted black, with a huge brass knocker in the form of a lion’s head, it didn’t get any better, when it was opened by a very tall, very thin lady, in a long black dress, she’d look right at home in a black and white horror movie, I thought to myself, I then explained that I’d come for my appointment with mister Jenkins, I was then finally allowed though the door, and she escorted me down the hallway, ‘stay here, she ordered me, and disappeared into the office with Jenkins in gold letters on the door, ‘mister Jenkins will see you now, she said on her return, now I’d seen some bizarre sights since I had first met Donna and joined the coven of the talisman, but the sight that met my eyes as I walked into his office, beat them all hands down, sitting in a leather bound chair, behind a large oak desk, was mister Jenkins, I’ve always thought of solicitors as not quite human, but I’d never seen anything as strange as the one sitting in front of me now, I noticed that he was scrutinising me as hard as I was him, ‘you’re a wizard, he said with a look of fear on his face, ‘no, ‘it’s a long story, ‘I do belong to a coven, ‘but I’m not a wizard, ‘but never mind me, ‘what are you, I asked ‘before I answer, ‘I want to know if you mean me any harm, I assured him that I would not harm him in anyway, hearing that he relaxed, ‘I believe you, ‘now tell me, ‘what it is you see when you look at me, I looked at him, and saw a small wizened creature, it looked almost human, well part of it did, ‘not that I’ve ever seen one, ‘but your appearance makes me think of gnomes,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>‘GNOMES, he shouted, going red in the face, ‘we are nothing like those vile smelly creatures, obviously I’d hit a raw nerve, I apologised hastily, and thankfully he calmed down, ‘I’m a Gargoyle, </P>