Tales Of The Wand
#1 – The Wand Arrives
by JMD & Alexandria

"Cut it out, Chris," Lisa said, swatting behind her to remove her husband's playful hands from her butt. "If you don't stop, I'm never going to finish these dishes."

"Leave 'em," he told her, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her away from the sink.

Again, she broke his hold. "I can't," she insisted, turning to face him. "Not if we're going to take that ride up to the country tomorrow." She pushed him away, trying to guide him out of the kitchen. "Now, go. Why don't you go and open up that package you got in the mail today?"

Instantly, Chris's mood changed, as his face fell. Seeing her husband's distress, Lisa put her hand on his cheek. "Chris?" she asked in a soft tone. "What is it, sweetheart?"

He took a moment before answering. "It's the package," he explained. "I looked at the return address. It's from the lawyer handling my grandpa's estate."

"Oh," Lisa nodded. Chris's grandfather had died a few months back. She knew that the death had upset Chris a lot at the time. It had taken him almost a month to get over it. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't know."

Chris smiled weakly. "That's okay, Lisa," he told her. "It's just that..." His voice trailed off.

Lisa knew she would have to do something to ease his pain. "I'll tell you what," she said. "Give me a minute to finish up these dishes, and I'll go with you. That way we can open it together. Okay?"

Chris smiled at his wife with love. "Okay," he nodded.

A few minutes later, the couple sat on the couch, both eyeing the small brown-wrapped package on the coffee table. It had a rectangular shape, measuring about twenty by five inches in size. A simple label was addressed to Chris and, as he'd told her, Lisa saw that the return address did indeed belong to some law firm.

She looked over at her husband, who just looked at the box with a combination of fear and sorrow. "Do you want me to open it?" she asked.

Chris turned to her, and for a second, she thought he'd agree to let her do it. But, after a few moments, he shook his head. "I guess I should do it," he said. With a sigh, he turned back to the package, and began to remove the plain brown paper that covered it.

The paper covered a plain box that was sealed with clear tape. He opened the drawer on the coffee table and removed a letter opener, using it to slice through the restraining tape. He shared another glance with Lisa, then opened the flaps on the box.

There was another smaller box inside, along with a sheet of paper with the law firm's letterhead at the top. Chris took the letter and read it slowly to himself. Lisa saw him smile sadly. "What does it say?" she asked.

"Mostly, it's a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo about how Grandpa has died and that he listed me in his will." He shook his head, as he handed her the letter. "It goes on," he added, as she looked it over, "to tell me that Grandpa's estate was rather small, but that he wished me to have this one item."