Now, pavement would have been rather nice on her tired ankles. The mail delivery couldn't come up any closer to the house. Frankly, she was surprised that they were able to deliver as far as they did. The roads around this area were very narrow, and severely wound in on themselves.

     When Adell was a child, she used to say that the roads could almost bite themselves in the butt because they curved around so tight. The road traveling along the property was the old highway. Parts of it had long since fallen into the stream. The road looked quite deserted—people were amazed when they discovered the O'Byrne house.

     Lidia had just turned 102, and her bones were letting her know about it. She spied Adell coming down the drive in her brand new, red Ford Bronco. She walked over into the snowy grass. Her boots came up to just under her knees and protected her ankles against the cold. She snuggled deeper into her black down coat. Damn it was cold!

     "Hi Nana," Adell said as she rolled down the window. Lidia smiled, she liked being called Nana. It was the nickname Adell had given her when she had first started talking. Adell was actually her great-great-granddaughter, but after a while all the greats sounded ridiculous, and Lidia preferred to just be called Nana. It stuck and now all the grandchildren called her that.

     "Did you see the long list I left on the table?" Lidia asked.

     "Right enough," Adell answered earnestly. "Thank you so much! I had no idea, we would need this much stuff. You even mentioned the light bulbs."

     "Well, this is your first year as Matron," Lidia told her. "I just wanted to make it easier for you."

     "I'm glad I have you here with me this year," Adell saw Lidia shiver. "Would you like a lift back to the house? I'd love to practice driving this thing in reverse."

     Adell was very aware of Lidia's age. She didn't look her years, but Adell knew that she hurt from the cold. Lidia was slender and looked a little frail, but she was actually very strong and quite independent. Adell respected Lidia's strength and resilience. She was very fond of the old lady.

     "I think, I'll take you up on that," Lidia answered thankfully. "I didn't realize it would be this cold. The driveway seems a lot longer than it used to." Lidia opened the passenger side door and climbed up into the Bronco.

     "Ready?" Adell asked.

     "All ready," Lidia said.

     Adell shifted it easily into reverse, and backed toward the house. The ride was smooth and effortless."I think we're probably half a mile from the road," Adell mentioned while keeping her eye on the road behind them. "That's a long way when it's as cold as it is today. Here we are."

     "Thanks sweetie," Lidia got out of the Bronco and waved as Adell made her way back toward the highway.

     Lidia looked up at the old house. A lot had been added on to it through the generations of O'Byrne's. It stood tall and imposing, huge windows looked out over the wilderness. A wide porch meandered around the house.

     Nostalgia swept over her as she thought about her life, while living in that house. She hadn't grown up here, in fact she was already married to Josh and had their three children before she had ever stepped foot into the house. But somehow, her years here seemed fuller, more colorful—more alive.

     Maybe it had been a bad idea to move, she missed having people around. The house was energized by the comings and goings of so many people, it was never stagnant, life pulsed within those walls.

     The house was a magical place, and had called to her in 1922, when she was forty-three years old. At first she just felt a compulsion to see the ancestral estate—a compulsion which had led to an obsession. She just had to see this place! Josh had enough of her agonizing, and packed her up for a vacation into their Model T Ford, and drove down from Oregon.

     When she and Josh arrived at the house, it had looked abandoned. She was confused about the neglect. It had been her understanding that the family used the house as a sort of O'Byrne stronghold, and that it was always ready to receive visitors.

     For some unfathomable reason, she asked Josh to stay with the car, and approached the house alone. She tested the door and it squeaked open. She entered into the foyer, and read the sign on the entry door. She removed her coat and shoes, then entered into what seemed to be, a large empty room. From the moment she stepped through that doorway, the house tested her.

     She was in the house for hours. Josh frantically tried to get inside—but the house denied him entrance. In a state of panic, he threw a foot sized rock at the window—it just bounced off. He sat on the steps to wait. He knew some of what she was, and the history of her family. He prayed to God, that she would come out soon and be whole.