Doris and Delores Morris, known to the local townsfolk as “the two eccentric sisters,” spent their youths meticulously reassembling the shredded memoirs of their brother Horace on the walls of the family mansion. Shred by shred, they’re piecing together this gargantuan jigsaw puzzle diary in hopes of revealing a startling secret that could reunite them with their beloved brother, who, years ago, had inexplicably vanished.
Avocado Avenue - A Novella
When the two eccentric sisters’ older brother Horace, who was also eccentric, died, a weird thing happened. Everybody was standing around in the great room of the Morris mansion amid the placid, deathlike quietude of wreaths and flowers, murmuring vague condolences to one when suddenly out of nowhere came this strange noise.
It started as a low rumble, then became a harsh mechanical grinding.
Alter a few moments of startled confusion, somebody located the source of the sound.
“It’s coming from Horace’s study,” said that person. “It’s something going on inside Horace’s safe!”
Horace’s safe was a huge walk-in safe, and it was virtually impenetrable. It was an antique, even when he first got it (and that was a while back—his sisters were barely teenagers when Horace inherited it from his Uncle Allister, who was disposing of the assets of a failed bank). But no plans had yet been made for the opening of the safe, as no one had any idea how to go about getting into it. So all the bereaved people just stood there in Horace’s study, listening to this awful grinding noise, totally bewildered. This went on for about five minutes or so. Then it stopped.