The Spinster Cottage (a work of fiction)

To look at it, the small house on the corner was like any other house.  It was a small cottage style 2 story house built of stone and dark wood trim.  It sat a respectable way up the lot nestled between two trees, a handful of shrubs, and a neat little flower garden that took care of itself for the most part.  A wide stone path wound its way up to the doorstep unassuming in the short grass and looked for the life of it like it had been there since the beginning of time.  The lawn was neatly manicured, but not in the way that screams the owners have nothing better to do.  All in all, it was a cute house on a cute lot.

Upon closer inspection, you could see the window frames needed a bit of attention.  A small bit of chipped paint here and there gave that away.  The door was clean and sturdy, but also needed a coat of paint.  The cottage roof looked well used, but not in need of replacement just yet.  The stones showed some wear, but otherwise had held up fine. The house showed it had been well loved but also well-used.  A quaint, lovely, older house in need of some repair and life.

Why, you might ask, does the house itself matter?  A house is really just a house after all.  It's the family that makes it a home.  A family can be anywhere really. Well, yes, that is true. However, this house was the home of a special group of women with important stories and they created a family worth living in such a home.  This house took in a trio of women, housed them their whole adult lives, and then the house itself seemed to mourn when the ladies lived there no more.

The neighbours referred to the house as The Spinster Cottage and likely would regardless of who lived there.  The women who made that house a home were just that and the house worked out very well for them.  Three unmarried sisters in a 3 room cottage in a small town in a little state in a rather large world.  The house became an embodiment of those three women and the townsfolk regarded that home and those women as their own.

Little did the 3 unsuspecting women who would come to live in it know, the Spinster sisters' home would become an important part of their life too.

Next: Kade and Anna meet