Appropriation.

The cottage was a small dwelling. As I got down there from the house, the first thing I noticed was a hand-scribbled note on the door written entirely in a language I didn’t understand.

“Lorem, Ipsum, Dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem, Ipsum, Dolor sit amet.”

- Cicero

It sounded vaguely familiar; nevertheless, it made absolutely no sense to me. The only parts I recognized were the names of the Goodwinning family members: Lorem, Ipsum and Dolar. I glanced away from the note to see an even bigger sign affixed to the door. It read “ABANDONED” in big red letters. The door was not only locked, but it was sealed all the way around. I was curious to know what was in there that someone didn’t want getting out, or maybe they didn’t want anyone getting in. Whatever the reason, I went around to the sides of the cottage and peered in the windows, which were also sealed tightly around all edges.

It was dark in there, but I didn’t see anything so special as to arouse my interest enough to want to head inside – just some simple furniture and modest appliances. In fact, everything I could see inside the cottage made the furnishings of the Goodwinning house seem extravagant and haughty.

The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that the entire place -- house, cottage and everything – was deserted. And it wasn’t something that happened over the course of along while. This was rushed for some reason that I couldn’t figure out. Why would an entire family and their mysterious benefactor up and vanish like that, leaving the house open to intruders or other visitors? At least this Cicero fellow had the wherewithal to seal his residence, but what did he know that the Goodwinnings didn’t? Not only that, but what was I missing?

My self-interrogation only lasted a few minutes though. The confusion of the situation was gone once I focused in the sheer beauty and serenity of my surroundings. A peaceful feeling hit me like a refreshing wave, and I thought, “I can stay here.” After all, there was no indication that anyone would be returning, and the place was rather quiet and cozy like I remembered.

I went back to the house and examined the work it had in store for me. There was a lot of cleaning to do, and there were several places where I could start. I headed first to the upstairs bedrooms to grab a portable radio I recalled seeing in the study. Fortunately, the batteries in it were still fresh. Although it only picked up a few stations, anything was better than nothing to listen to while I got busy straightening up. One by one, I made the beds in each room, organizing the shelves and removing items from the floor along the way. One was obviously Dolor’s room, as evidenced by the amount of toys and dirty kids’ clothes strewn about.

When that was done, I went back downstairs with the radio in hand to start working on the kitchen. Cleaning up the place gave me a sense of belonging, like I needed to be here. Washing that nasty stack of crusty dishes solidified that feeling. Nothing makes a person feel more at home than doing housework. Even though the place lacked an automatic dishwasher, I made short work of the task and put each and every plate, bowl, glass and piece of flatware in the drying rack. When I was done, I smiled at my accomplishment and wondered what else there was to do.

Out in the front yard, I cleaned up what little trash I could find. With a small trash bag from the kitchen in hand, I stuffed it full of everything from candy wrappers to discarded papers and scraps of weather-beaten cardboard boxes. I needed somewhere to put all of this, so I opened up the garage door to see if there was any storage room in it.

As soon as the garage door lifted above my head, I saw one of the Goodwinnings’ biggest pride and joys I’ve encountered since coming upon the house. In the middle of the room was a shiny and new, red pick-up truck. I dropped the bag of trash right inside the door and glanced inside the vehicle. I was simultaneously surprised and excited to see that not only did the truck have a full tank of gas, but the keys were already in the ignition. After everything else I’ve been through here, I just couldn’t resist opening the door to climb inside.

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