The Will Was A Video

 Aaliyah opened the door of the warm library to find that the weather had gotten even colder. She could feel little snow flakes hit her face. "Oh brother. What am I doing? This trip is probably a waste of my time and definitely of the soles of my old tennis shoes. She knew that the address of the lawyer was still quite a few blocks from where she was, but she was bound and determined to get this over with. "You never know, girlie, this just might be your lucky day and you can stop for a hot pretzel on the way home."

When she arrived at the older building she hurried through the wooden door. It was a relief to get out of the windy cold weather. There was a glass sign on the wall that had the name of the lawyer and the suite number. It was easy to find. When she walked in she smiled. She thought, "Even if I don't inherit much, maybe I could work here. It feels like home." She walked over to the secretary and told her she had an appointment with her boss at two o'clock. The lady smiled and said, "He is expecting you. Go right in."

The older gentleman stood when she walked into his office. "Hello, there. I have been anxious to meet you. I feel like I should know you since your Uncle Bill has talked to me so much about you over the years. Please sit down and get warm. It's getting to be another cold one out there."

Aaliyah looked at him in astonishment. "What do you mean? He talked about me all the time? I didn't even know I had an uncle let alone one that knew me well enough to talk about me. What's this all about?" The lawyer gave her a rather sad smile and said, "For some reason or another your mother wouldn't let him be in contact with you. I tell you what. I have a video for you to watch that your uncle made for you to see and listen to after his death. It might explain a lot to you. Please sit down and I will let you watch this while I get you something warm to drink."

"Hello, Aaliyah, this is your Uncle Bill. If you are watching this, it means that I am no longer part of your world. I have a lot to tell you and I'm sure you are thinking why did I wait until I'm gone to get in contact with you. That is a story that you will never know, my dear, girl. What I can tell you is that your mother; my sister, and I just never saw eye to eye. I loved the outdoors, she loved the city. I wanted beef stew cooked over a hot bonfire, she wanted cafes and fancy restaurants. I loved horses and adventure. She wanted the safety of the city with neighbors and stores to shop in. I wanted the wide open spaces. We grew apart, but I always kept track of you."

One thing I can tell you, my dear, is that I have loved you since the day that you were born. I may not have visited with you and taught you how to fish or ride a horse, but I have loved that you have played baseball, been kind to others and are now down on your luck. I have saved newspaper clippings of all of your activities. I even know that you weren't able to finish college and that the cafe you worked at closed because of that horrible virus that took your mother's life. I have news for you. Your life is about to change into a world that you have no experience or knowledge of whatsoever."

I am leaving you my dude ranch in Texas; lock stock and barrel. Yessiree, my girl. You now own a ranch. It's not very big, only about five hundred acres. Much of it is timber and pasture, but it has a lovely stream with good eatin' fish to catch.  I had to sell off some of my land when I had a lot of medical expenses. I am leaving you with no bills, but not much cash. I only have two thousand dollars left in my account for you plus an old Jeep and a little tear drop camper.

The camper and Jeep are in a storage unit. My friend, the lawyer who is taking care of my estate will give you the keys to the Jeep. The little camper is completely stocked with a sleeping bag, a couple of pillows even a smart phone that will have GPS directions for you to get to the ranch. The Jeep is old, but trustworthy. The camper has food and even a little bbq grill that you can cook burgers on if you want to. I told my friend to load it up for you. I'm sure there is a cooler full of food so make sure you keep it cold with ice along the way. This should hold you for the week or so that you will be on the road. No sense in hurrying, there are a couple of caretakers and some ranch hands there keeping the place going. However, I have left instructions for you so that the ranch will continue to make money and will be in our family for generations. There is just one small problem. Your neighbors want my ranch. You will have to be on your guard to protect your new ranch, but be careful who you trust. You just never know nowadays, my girl.

One more thing, Aaliyah, there is a set of jewelry that was hand made by your great grandmother. She and her husband (your great grandfather), were the original owners of my ranch. That was a spell ago, over a hundred years ago, I reckon. Well, I hid it in a special place for you just in case worse came to even worse and you had to sell it. The set is a pair of earrings and a necklace in the shape of cowboy boots. They are made of pure silver with diamond spurs. The set is worth approximately half a million dollars the last time I had it appraised. The silver was mined from a silver mine not far from the ranch. I've heard tell that the neighbor man's great grandfather actually was one of the prospectors that worked that mine. The neighbors know about that jewelry, but do not know where I hid it. It is in..." The video turned into snow and loud audio noises then stopped.

Aaliyah was frozen in time as she watched and listened to this older man talk to her just like he had known her all of her life, but now what? Hidden where? Why did the video stop? What in the world happened? Who is this man?" She needed some answers and needed them now!