Summary: The boys have a job to do in a mysterious old house. Only Hoss is hearing things and Joe can\u2019t help goading his jittery sibling. It\u2019s up to Adam to keep his brothers in check, but even he is astonished by an unexpected discovery in the attic.<\/p>\n
Rating: K+<\/p>\n
Word count: 4014<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI ain\u2019t goin\u2019 in there, not fer a lifetime of Hop Sing\u2019s flapjacks. No siree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss Cartwright\u2019s heels were firmly dug in outside the shadowy O\u2019Neill mansion. With his arms crossed across his chest, he refused to budge.<\/p>\n
Admittedly, the place looked far from inviting. Its once ornate gardens had claimed ownership of the broken-down old house. Overgrown trees cast the building in a constant shade of gloom. Branches knocked against the walls and scratched at windowpanes like sharp nails at the end of long knobby fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAw, come on, Hoss, you been listening to Old Henry again?\u201d Little Joe\u2019s top lip curled in exasperation. \u201cYou know he makes those stories up to frighten little children\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014And big children,\u201d interjected Adam, with a smirk.<\/p>\n
His remark was met with a snort and a grin, but one look at Hoss told Joe amusement at his brother\u2019s expense was not a good idea. Joe cleared his throat, trying his best to stop a wayward smile from controlling his lips. \u201cOld Henry spreads those stories to stop people breaking in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, it\u2019s workin\u2019, cos I ain\u2019t shiftin\u2019.\u201d Hoss’s lips pressed together in an I-shall-not-be-moved kind of way.<\/p>\n
Adam hung his head, hiding his grin. Hoss still believed the stories asserting Mac O\u2019Neill had hightailed it out of town because his home was built on a Washoe-Paiute battleground, and the spirits of the fallen had risen to haunt him for violating a sacred site. In reality, no one knew why O\u2019Neill had upped and left in the dead of night. There were rumors he\u2019d stolen his partners\u2019 share of the profits from the mine that\u2019d made them rich. Another story said the wife he’d left behind in St Louis had tracked him down and he\u2019d skipped town to escape her. Whatever the truth, convincing Hoss O\u2019Neill had left because of money, or a woman, was akin to persuading him a horse was really a cow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy\u2019d we have to come here, anyhow? Hoss mumbled. \u201cThere\u2019s a million trees waitin\u2019 to be logged on the Ponderosa, why come here to strip a house of its innards.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Pa said so.\u201d Despite his former good temper, Adam\u2019s frustration at his bull-headed younger brother was starting to show. \u201cThere\u2019s a house full of perfectly good lumber we can use. Why chop a healthy tree down when we can use what\u2019s going to waste?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam began to walk towards the tall porch steps. \u201cNow if you don\u2019t mind, me and Joe have work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe jogged up to Adam\u2019s side, matching his brother\u2019s purposeful stride to the house entrance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI give him five minutes,\u201d murmured Adam from the corner of his mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you say that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam’s eyes flashed as he nodded his chin up at the sky where a black-rimmed, green-hued cloud was rolling in over the mountains. \u201cHe\u2019s too set on ghosts and spirits to notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe grinned, and together the brothers trotted up the front steps to the porch. A solid door jamb proved an ideal place for Adam to lean his shoulder, one foot crossed over the other as he waited. Joe rested his forearms on the porch railings and watched as Hoss stood like a statue in the center of the yard.<\/p>\n
***********<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t take five minutes for the summer storm to hit.<\/p>\n
A rapid darkening of the sky was followed by a stomach-churning rumble, and then the heavens opened. Hail the size of garden peas smashed into the ground at such speed they bounced a foot into the air. The statue that was Hoss sprang to life. With his hands over his head, he ran towards the house where Adam and Joe stood laughing at their soon-to-be-soaked-through brother. Their laughter was drowned out by the thunderous pounding of hailstones on the porch roof and the violent swooshing of tree branches. Leaves and twigs swirled through the air before they were beaten to the ground, joining the fast-running streams of water coursing through the yard.<\/p>\n
Hoss batted the water from his vest and shivered in the sudden icy temperature. \u201cGood thing Bill and Bess are in that ol\u2019 barn down there.\u201d Their two wagon horses had been unharnessed and secured with a supply of fresh hay in what remained of O\u2019Neill\u2019s stable block. Hoss frowned. \u201cWhy\u2019d we do that? We\u2019d normally leave them to graze.\u201d<\/p>\n
Widening his eyes so bright, the whites blazed in the gloom, Joe made a long eerie noise and sidled up to his middle brother. \u201cIt must have been the spirit of O\u2019Neill guiding us.\u201d He ducked to avoid Hoss\u2019s fist, cackling with laughter as he kept out of reach of Hoss\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n
Their responsible older brother prized one of the nailed-on planks from the door. “Stop joshing, you two, we\u2019ve work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019ll see how the horses are\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no, you don\u2019t,\u201d chimed both Adam and Joe, and with one brother on each side of him, Hoss was bundled through the door and into the darkness within.<\/p>\n
***********<\/p>\n
\u201cSure must have been something in its day,\u201d muttered Joe.<\/p>\n
Having opened the shutters to let what light there was outside into the house, they stood in a huge hall, waving away the dust and cobwebs from their faces and staring up at the stairs curling around both sides of the hall to the floor above. Doorways on both sides of the hall gave glimpses of shadowy parlors, a dining room, and study. Despite the dirt coating every available surface, and the empty, echoey rooms, there was an air of opulence and grandeur in the long-abandoned house.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here with Pa the year it was built. There were paintings all up the stairs, silverware on every surface. O’Neill himself dressed as though he’d just come off shift at the Ophir which used to bewilder anyone who didn\u2019t know how wealthy he was. But he didn\u2019t care how he looked. To him, this house was a statement, his way of saying I\u2019m as good, if not better than anyone who\u2019s belittled me in the past. The sad thing is, he only lived here a year before he disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to all the furniture?\u201d Joe ran a finger along an empty picture frame and flicked the dust into the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bank took all the silverware, the marble from the fireplaces and anything else of value. Would you believe all the hinges and doorknobs were made of the silver from his mine? They took all those, of course.\u201d He stood in the doorway to what had once been a parlor. The doors, minus their expensive hinges, lay discarded on the floor. \u201cEverything else ended up in the homes of the concerned townsfolk of Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n
He crouched down next to one of the doors and studied it closely. \u201cPa said the house is going to be pulled down as no one will live here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you blame \u2018em?\u201d Hoss hadn\u2019t moved any further than the threshold of the house. The hail had turned to rain behind him \u201cPlace gives me the creeps.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a cackle from Joe, but Adam ignored him. He rapped the door with a knuckle. \u201cThere\u2019s good quality wood here.\u201d He straightened up. \u201cLet\u2019s get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
**********<\/p>\n
Adam flung open the shutters in the high-ceilinged front parlor. Disturbed dust motes stirred in a rare stream of light.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe may as well take the shutters, there ain\u2019t no need for them now.\u201d He grabbed a tool from his tool bag and began to work at the hinges. He glanced over at Joe who was stacking wood paneling in the hall, ready to be taken to the buckboard once the rain had stopped. Hoss was staring at the fireplace, his head cocked to one side.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoss.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no answer.<\/p>\n
Adam let his tool drop to his side. \u201cHoss!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat!\u201d Hoss spun around.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you stop staring at the walls and get on with what you\u2019re supposed to be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2026 I can hear something, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a sigh, Adam walked over to stand beside his brother. Joe had darted down to the buckboard in the dwindling rain so there was a rare moment of silence in the house.<\/p>\n
Adam looked at Hoss. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing there. Now would you quit stalling? At the rate you\u2019re going, we\u2019ll be spending the night here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHeck, no.\u201d Hoss grabbed a lever from the tool bag and muttering to himself began to prize the wood away from the walls. \u201cIf he thinks I\u2019m gonna spend one second longer here than I have to, he\u2019s got another thing coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
**********<\/p>\n
The ceilings weren\u2019t so high in the first-floor bedrooms, but still provided a goodly supply of wood from the paneled walls, dado rails and cornices. Their noses crinkled at the smell of stale air, so the windows were opened to draw in a breeze which made the ragged lace curtains shiver and shake. Hoss, always keen to do his share of the work close to a window or door, would jump each time the curtains brushed across his skin, much to Joe\u2019s amusement. And when he wasn\u2019t stripping the wood from the rooms, Hoss had his ear up against the chimney breast convinced he could hear scratching noises. It proved too much for Adam.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing there, Hoss, for goodness\u2019 sake! And if there is, it\u2019s only an animal. A racoon or chipmunk. Now, will you stop imagining things and get a move on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam\u2019s outburst was met with a glare and more mumbling under his breath, but Hoss obeyed his brother and turned his attention back to the work at hand.<\/p>\n
**********<\/p>\n
The three men stood at the bottom of a dark stairwell looking up. No natural light reached the top where a small door stood in murky shadow, recessed at the top of a narrow flight of stairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got enough of what we came for, ain\u2019t we, Adam?\u201d Even Joe sounded nervous now.<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, come on.\u201d Adam shook his head and sprinted up the steps to the door, turning the handle with a jerk. The door stayed firmly closed. He stood back, gazed at the handle and its surrounds, and finally scratched his head. Peering down at the lock, he tried the handle several more times.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat doesn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
On light feet, Adam descended the stairs. \u201cThere\u2019s a handle, the door is locked, but there\u2019s no keyhole.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I can force it.\u201d Hoss took his brother\u2019s place at the top of the stairs and putting his shoulder to the door, pushed with all his might, but to no avail.<\/p>\n
Rubbing his shoulder, he returned to the landing. \u201cAin\u2019t nothin\u2019 shiftin\u2019 it. I reckon we pack up and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait a minute, Hoss.\u201d Joe\u2019s gaze moved around the hallway, his eyes skimming from one wall to the next.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery candleholder is the same,\u201d he rotated on the spot, pointing out each one in turn, \u201cexcept that one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Little remained of the light fittings. The floor was littered with glass from shades long since smashed by vandals. All that remained were the ornately decorated brass arms which had once held up the shade and candle. Joe stood before one of them, smoothing a finger along the brass curve.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of them, except this one, are made from one cast. See?\u201d He moved to another sconce and ran a finger from the wall bracket up to the candle drip-pan.\u201d He moved back to the first light fitting. \u201cBut this one is in two halves, and it\u2019s not as fancy as all the others. Look, you can see where the two halves have been joined.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss flicked a finger at the brass. \u201cSince when you been so interested in candleholders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe\u2019s lips pressed into a line as the threw a look at his brother. \u201cSince I discovered how to open the door,\u201d he said, sardonically. He slipped his fingers through the decorative holes and squirls of the sconce and pulled down. There was a groan from the top of the attic stairs and to Hoss and Adam\u2019s surprise, the attic door now stood ajar above them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you look at that,\u201d said Hoss, his mouth open with astonishment.<\/p>\n
\u201cA secret way in,\u201d murmured Adam. \u201cMac O\u2019Neill truly was a man of mystery.\u201d He turned to his brothers, a smile lighting his face. \u201cLet\u2019s go see what we can find.\u201d And with Hoss and Joe close on his heels, Adam made his way up the attic stairs.<\/p>\n
**********<\/p>\n
Adam pushed the door open.<\/p>\n
There was a fluttering sound, and something whooshed past his face. He swerved backwards, reaching out to find his balance and came to a wobbly halt on the top step.<\/p>\n
Hoss was not so lucky. A flutter of claw and wing hit him full in the face. He shrieked, flapping his arms around his face, turned on his heel and hurtled down the stairs, pushing Joe into the wall as he went. Hoss hit the floor, his arms shielding his head as he curled into a crouch.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoss!\u201d<\/p>\n
The voice was distant, a blur in Hoss\u2019s rattled mind. Didn\u2019t he say this house was haunted? Didn\u2019t he say there were ghosts in here? Dang it, what was he still doing here?<\/em> He clambered to his feet and started to run towards the downward stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss! Stop!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s voice drew him to a halt.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss turned, peering over his shoulder at his older brother. \u201cDadburnit, Adam, I told you there was something in here, but, oh no, you wouldn\u2019t believe me.\u201d He started down the stairs. \u201cI\u2019m getting out of here while I still can.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, it was a bird.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cA bird?\u201d His cheeks reddened.<\/p>\n He looked back at Adam who was standing in the hallway with a smile rolling around his lips.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just a trapped bird, look,\u201d he pointed at the floor, \u201cfeathers.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a high-pitched cackle from the attic stairs. Joe was doubled over. \u201cYou should have heard yourself. Arrrrrghhhh.\u201d He flung his arms up in imitation of Hoss and collapsed on the stairs, hooting in laughter. \u201cYou scream like a girl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDadburnit, Joe, I\u2019ll have none of your sauce.\u201d In several long strides he was at the attic stairwell, but Joe was still in a paroxysm of uncontrolled laughter. He looked at Adam. \u201cDadblame, I thought it was\u2026 Dangit, Joe, stop your howlin\u2019.\u201d He grabbed Joe\u2019s lapels, pulling him off the ground. \u201cI said\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n His words were abruptly cut off as Adam thrust himself between them and held them at arm\u2019s length. Joe giggled as Hoss glowered at him.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, at any other time I would love to watch you two go hammer and tongs, but we\u2019ve got work to do. Save it till later.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss pulled away. \u201cOkay, whatever you say, Older Brother,\u201d but then he glared at Joe. \u201cYou wait till a bird flies into your face, Little Joe, see how you react.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe giggled again. \u201cLike a man, Hoss, like a man,\u201d and, still sniggering, and keen to avoid Hoss\u2019s clenched fist, quickly ran up the stairs to the attic.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n The attic was empty.<\/p>\n The three brothers stood staring at a space devoid of boxes, crates, stored furniture, anything at all.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that was a waste of time,\u201d said Adam, staring around at the empty walls. \u201cWhy have a mysterious way in, if there\u2019s nothing to hide?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was standing in the center of the room, a finger pointing at each of the windows in turn.<\/p>\n With a sigh, Adam turned back to the stairs. \u201cThere isn\u2019t even any paneling up here. We might as well load up the buckboard and head home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait!\u201d Joe held out his hands to stop his brother from leaving. \u201cI\u2019ve got an idea. Wait here.\u201d He sprinted down the stairs, the sound of his boots echoing into the distance.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s Little Brother up to this time?\u201d Adam sat back against one of the window ledges. \u201cHe\u2019s wasting time, there\u2019s nothing up here but dust.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd birds.\u201d Hoss looked sheepish. \u201cCan\u2019t say as I\u2019m not relieved\u201d.<\/p>\n Adam met his look with an amused smiled and nodded towards one of the windows. \u201cLook, you can see how that one got in. The window\u2019s open, and the main chimney is on the back of that wall.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut how\u2019d they get into the chimney?<\/p>\n Adam shrugged. \u201cProbably a hole in the brickwork outside.\u201d<\/p>\n The sound of feet pounding up the stairs drew Adam into an upright position just as Joe appeared breathlessly in the doorway, a mallet hanging from his hand. With a grin, he ran past Hoss and Adam to the end of the room, where lifting the mallet, he slammed it into the wall.<\/p>\n \u201cWoah, Joe, what are you doing?\u201d shouted Adam, as dust and grit billowed out into the room.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see,\u2019\u201d was the strained response, as Joe lifted the mallet and once more hit the wall. Before long he\u2019d made a man-size hole through to the other side, revealing, through the dust and debris, a hidden room in the attic.<\/p>\n He stood back, waiting for the air to clear, and pointed at the windows along one side of the roof. \u201cThere\u2019re three windows up here on either side. Downstairs I could have sworn there were four, and I was right. I figured there had to be something else here, but this time I decided not to look for a secret way in.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam slapped him on the back. \u201cYou\u2019ve got a hidden talent none of us knew about, Joe. You\u2019re a great puzzle-solver.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned and hung his head, pleased with the compliment from his older brother.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough, that was perfectly good quality wood we could have used there.\u201d He met Little Joe\u2019s eye, winked, and held out his arm towards the hole in the wall. \u201cAfter you, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe let the mallet drop to the floor and stepped over the threshold into the hidden room. Dust still swirled in the air. Hoss followed but walked straight into Little Joe\u2019s back.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, move it, would yer, why have you\u2026 oh, my good golly.\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n The body was sat upright in a chair behind a small desk, one hand holding a pen resting on a large open book, the other gripping the lapels of a silky gown. The three Cartwrights stood in amazement, staring at the mummified features of what had once been a man in late middle age. Wispy strands of grey hair covered a thin scalp. The cheeks and lips were drawn in and a skull-like face stared unseeing into the distance. A look of pain and surprise still marked the features of the dead man.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think we now know what happened to Mac O\u2019Neill,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n Hoss edged closer and took a quick close look at his face. \u201cYou sure that\u2019s him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure. I met him once, remember.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was picking up small medicine bottles and books and loose paper that covered every inch of the desk and floor. \u201cWhat do you think happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam raised a green glass bottle and studied the label. \u201cI think his heart gave out. Look.\u201d He held out the bottle. \u201cFoxglove extract. Doc Martin has some at his surgery for patients with heart palpitations. And look at how he\u2019s sitting. He\u2019s clutching his chest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like he was writin\u2019 something\u2019 before he died.\u201d Hoss carefully extricated the book from under the corpse\u2019s hand. \u201cDarn, can barely read his handwritin\u2019. There\u2019s pages of it. Do yer think he was writin\u2019 a novel of his life or something\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam took the book from Hoss\u2019s hands, and resting it on one forearm, began to leaf through the pages. \u201cThis isn\u2019t a novel. It started as a ledger. See, pretty much half of it is columns of numbers.\u201d He whistled. \u201cA record of his riches, by the looks of things.\u201d He jumped to where the columns ended. \u201cNow it turns to writing. You\u2019re right, Hoss, this is hard to read.\u201d Adam held the book up closer to his eyes, squinting to make out the untidy words. \u201cIt\u2019s a journal. Listen.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam ran a finger across the words as he read.<\/p>\n \u201cMay 12. Moira said she\u2019s leaving me\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s Moira?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis wife, I think.\u201d Adam found the spot he\u2019d been at before Hoss\u2019s interruption. \u201cShe says I\u2019m nothing but a filthy ragpicker, the same as when I married her. She said I embarrass her when people come a-visiting. It\u2019s up to me what I spend my money on. This house is my legacy. It will be standing when I\u2019m long gone. Can\u2019t say the same thing for fancy duds or flash hats. She wants me to hobnob with the governor and politicians. But I don\u2019t care about them. Give me my old muckers Eddie and Tom any day over a senator from Washington. Moira only came looking for me because I hit it rich. She don\u2019t care for me, and I don\u2019t care for her either.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head and skipped forward to the last page.<\/p>\n \u201cMay 18. She\u2019s gone. She took all the silver and jewelry she could carry and left with her fancy man. But I have the last laugh. And laugh I did as she screamed at me from the hallway. She couldn\u2019t find the money she knows is here. She\u2019ll never find it. That flat-nosed, scrawny, ugly\u2026\u201d Adam frowned. \u201cI\u2019ll skip over that bit, but his writing is nearly unreadable now.\u201d He continued. \u201cI\u2019ll have the last laugh. I hid all the cash. The money she so desperately wants is\u2026\u201d Adam stopped. \u201cThat\u2019s it. It just trails off. And there\u2019s ink all over the page.\u201d He looked up at his brothers. \u201cI think he died writing that last sentence.\u201d He gently placed the book back on the desk.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably got himself so worked up his heart gave out,\u201d said Joe.<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019s nose crinkled. \u201cYou think there\u2019s a fortune hidden in this house somewhere? But we near pulled the place apart.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled. \u201cHe could have hidden it anywhere. In the gardens, the cellar, maybe even his mine. I guess we\u2019ll never know.\u201d He looked at his brothers. \u201cI\u2019m tired. Let\u2019s call it a day.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss pointed at the dusty corpse of Mac O\u2019Neill. \u201cWhat do we do about him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll give him a decent burial. But not today. He\u2019s not going anywhere.\u201d Adam stepped through the hole and out into the main attic space. \u201cLet\u2019s go home.\u201d<\/p>\n One by one the brothers began to make their way down the stairs to the hallway.<\/p>\n Hoss paused at the top and took one last look at the empty attic. \u201cTo think I was scared of this ol\u2019 house.\u201d He grinned. \u201cWho has the last laugh now, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n As Hoss reached the bottom of the stairs, Joe pushed the light fitting back into place and the attic door closed with a clunk.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n The loaded buckboard lumbered away from the mansion. The rain had cleared, and the early evening sun was casting long shadows across the track. But the sun didn\u2019t reach the gloomy house in its forest shroud. Darkness was already stealing away what light there was, and as the sun lowered below the horizon, the interior of the old house would soon be veiled in black.<\/p>\n The birds had settled for the night in their rooftop roost, and all was still and silent. In the attic, however, a shadow floated out of the secret room and drifted to a dormer window, shimmering in anger as it watched the intruders drive away. So strong was the fury that a window flew open, seemingly of its own accord, causing the birds above to shift uneasily on their nests.<\/p>\n How dare these thieves and vandals desecrate this fine abode? <\/em><\/p>\n But then the shadow swept to a dark unexplored corner of the attic room, to where a concealed compartment in the floor hid what Moira O\u2019Neill had been so impatient to find. The mood changed to smug satisfaction, and a deep throaty rumble echoed through the silence.<\/p>\n Mac O\u2019Neill had the last laugh.<\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n Author\u2019s Note:<\/p>\n Written for the 2022 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.\u00a0\u00a0 The game was Five Card Draw and the words and\/or phrases I was dealt were:<\/p>\n solving puzzles
\nhail
\na secret room
\na half-written novel
\nmoney<\/p>\n