It was a night just like any other night. The trees nestled the people in the middle of a quiet town, which was next to a lake that feed and nurtured the locals. This town had a secret that only few knew about. But one ... one knew the truth behind the identity of the man who swept in and saved the day.
You see, in the quant bank in the heart of the town sat an estate that the elite men of the city all sought after. They knew the estate was abandoned when Old Lady Marie passed on. She had no kin and her husband had passed twenty years prior to her death. No one knew how she died. It was merely rumored that she went to sleep and drank rat poison in her tea before bed. But, because she was all alone, only a man with a cold dark heart could have fooled her; in her weak and feeble state. At age 92, it was just a matter of time before she breathed her last breathe and spoke her last words. The people liked Old Lady Marie. See, she lived next to the bank and sat on her porch from sunrise until the moon lit up the sky. She would visit with anyone who passed by and frequently told stories about the years her late husband would take her to the beautiful lake to cool down, catch a few fish and fry them on the stove top with cheery wine and pumpernickel bread. Surely, who ever poisoned her was a cold, hard man who may have been hungry for the estate she coveted in the bank right next door.
Rumor has it that this estate was a gold box; filled with treasures a plenty. The box contained precious jewels and heavy weighted gold made into bars of characters from her favorite radio broadcast. Easily, this was an estate worth having and why in the world would Old Lady Marie need it when she was passed onto the heavens?
The one person who solved the great mystery of this small town is remaining nameless, but has given us the true story behind the stolen estate and Old Lady Marie's treasure.
Ever heard of the story of "The Man Who Killed Time?" Well, our hero in this story may have just been ... or not ... the man who saved "time". Only the one person, who will remain nameless ... knows the truth behind our victor.
Being such a small town, everyone knows each others names, knows each others business and most importantly, knows the ins and outs of the desires of the elite mens hearts. These men were tax collectors, greedy property builders and ... the local peacemakers. The town held a meeting to decide what would be done with the crooked little house that Old Lady Marie left in her passing. The debates continued into the wee hours of the morning and it was decided that the wooden house would be torn down and her property inside donated to the local poor and town museum.
But one thing wasn't decided in that meeting ... who would get the estate that only a few people knew about ... the estate that she coveted as she sat outside watching the old bank next door. Some say that there was a fight between these men that morning which resulted in the secret that no one talked about again.
You see, there was a woman who cared for Old Lady Marie. She bought her groceries and tended to the cleaning of her home. Old Lady Marie shared with this woman the story of the treasure in the gold box that was nicely stored in the bank next door. The woman enjoyed listening to her stories and never paid mind to the senile stories of the old woman. But she enjoyed tending to her things and helping her out when she had some time to do so.
That dark night ... before her passing, Old Lady Marie asked the woman to stay a little longer and make her a cup of tea before her rest. She obliged happily and went out back to grab a few more logs for her wood burning stove; as the cold snap was to come in that evening. Upon grabbing a few nicely cut boards, she saw a shadow in the window. She looked in to to make sure all was alright with Old Lady Marie and saw a man bringing her a blanket and neatly tucking her in. See, Marie was well loved in this town; people enjoyed their visits; so maybe .. just maybe she had a visitor in the evenings who tucked her in.....
Upon hearing the news of Old Lady Marie passing, the woman - who will remain nameless - made a call to the State Authorities about what she had seen. Unfortunately, every department she called rejected her request for investigation; it was a local issue so if someone else reported a concern for the peacemakers. The woman didn't trust the local peacemakers because she knew the greed they had in her heart & remembered the stories about the treasure. Just putting things together in her mind, she called to the heavens for, "HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE!"
Four weeks and three days went by and no one from the town seemed concerned with investigating the passing of Old Lady Marie. A dark, mysterious man with a cloth covering his face and a hat that hid his eyes; knocked on the woman's door .....
"I have come to help you. I heard your call and took this journey after buckling up affairs as needed. I understand that no one knows the details behind the passing of your friend and no one is interested in investigating your loss."
Confused on who this man is, where he came from, how he knew about her trials in trying to seek justice for the life of Old Lady Marie, she stood in her door with a blank expression ... just listening to this stranger.
The man looked at her face and said, "Is this the thing you think has been taken?" Holding a golden box that looked like a treasure chest, he looked at the woman who had only heard the senile stories behind Old Lady Marie. He opened the box which held treasures just as she had described, and was in shock that the old woman's story was real.
"I have found the man that stole this estate and I am brining him to justice. This will be a quiet affair and no one is to know what has happened here. You may not speak my name or tell a single soul about me, my appearance or my arrival. Do you comply?" he stated
The woman still in shock, shook her head nervously in agreement.
"Consider it done. This box will be hidden in a place undisclosed to you or anyone in this town and even if people ask you quesions about seeking it, do not reply with an answer ... just walk away ignoring their request. For you woman - justice will be served. " with that, the man abruptly walked away and was never seen in the town again.
The box has never been recovered until now. The peacemaker who hid the true story of Old Lady Marie, disappeared from that town that very afternoon and was also ... never heard from again. Ironically, the authorities never paid mind to his disappearance and the woman knew that justice had been served.
Seek this treasure if you will, but remember .... "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"
-- The RMD were here