MY SWEET 78-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR DIED, AND AT HER FUNERAL THEY HANDED ME A NOTE FROM HER AND THE KEY TO HER OLD SHED

WHEN I DISCOVERED WHAT SHE HAD BEEN KEEPING THERE, I CALLED 911.

When I moved to a quiet suburb a few years ago, the first person who came over with a freshly baked pie was Mrs. Whitmore.

She was a very sweet and friendly elderly woman who lived two houses down from me. She was a widow and said that her husband had died of cancer a long time ago, and since then, she had lived alone.

Her lawn was perfect, her flowers were planted on time, and everyone loved her baking.

One thing puzzled me — she never invited anyone over to her house. More than that, I NEVER saw any of her relatives visit her.

In her backyard, there was an old shed with a rusty lock on the door.

It wasn’t very visible behind the fence, but it seemed strange to me because the house was beautiful, the lawn was well kept, and that shed somehow stood out.

But I didn’t want to stick my nose into someone else’s business, so I didn’t ask.

Then, a few days ago, Mrs. Whitmore died.

After the service at the church, a girl around 11 or 12 ran up to me. I had never seen her before.

She asked my name and handed me an envelope, saying:

“Mrs. Whitmore asked me to give this to you today. ON THE DAY OF HER FUNERAL.”

I opened the envelope, and a key and a note fell out.

Line by line, as I read the note, my knees began to buckle:

“I should have kept this a secret even after my death. But I can’t. You must know the truth that I have kept from you for many years. You will understand everything when you open my shed.”

My thoughts were racing. What was Mrs. Whitmore even talking about, and what did it have to do with me?

I couldn’t ignore it. After the funeral, I ran to her backyard while no one was watching.

I opened the rusty lock with the key.

Everything was covered with sheets and dust.

Something HUGE stood in the middle, also covered with a sheet.

I pulled it off and screamed as I dialed 911. I couldn’t believe WHAT I had just seen.