— Then why is it still for sale? — Julia had asked.

— You can see what bad shape it's in. When we first got the listing, there were boxes and boxes of books and old papers, stacked to the ceiling. It took a month for the heirs to haul it all away. Obviously, it needs bottom-up renovations, right down to the foundation. —

— Well, I like the fact that it has an interesting past. It wouldn't put me off buying it. —

The agent hesitated. — There's another issue I should tell you about. Full disclosure. —

— What issue? —

— The previous owner was a woman in her nineties, and— well, she died here. That makes some buyers a bit squeamish. —

— In her nineties? Of natural causes, then? —

— That's the assumption. —

Julia had frowned. — They don't know? —

— It was summertime. And it took almost three weeks before one of her relatives discovered… — The agent's voice trailed off. Suddenly she brightened. — But hey, the land alone is special. You could tear down this whole place. Get rid of it and start fresh! —

The way the world gets rid of old wives like me, Julia had thought. This splendid, dilapidated house and I both deserve better.

That same afternoon, Julia had signed the purchase agreement.

Now, as she slumped on the mound of dirt, slapping at mosquitoes, she thought: What did I get myself into? If Richard ever saw this wreck, it would only confirm what he already thought of her. Gullible Julia, putty in a Realtor's hands. Proud owner of a junk heap.

She swiped a hand over her eyes, smearing sweat across her cheek. Then she looked down at the hole again. How could she possibly expect to get her life in order when she couldn't even summon the strength to move one stupid rock?

She picked up a trowel and, leaning into the hole, began to scrape away dirt. More of the rock emerged, like an iceberg's tip whose hidden bulk she could only guess at. Maybe big enough to sink the Titanic. She kept digging, deeper and deeper, heedless of the mosquitoes and the sun glaring on her bare head. Suddenly the rock symbolized every obstacle, every challenge that she'd ever wobbled away from.