Kate’s Burning Lesson
The rain was coming down in torrents when she exited the cab in front of the enormous stone house. Kate stepped into a mud puddle, her shoes filling with water and the sludge from the road. She dashed as fast as she could toward the house, trying to cover her head with her purse; the cab driver madly dashing after her with her suitcases in hand. At the top of the flight of stairs, she breathed a sign of relief, thankful that the front stoop was covered, and she was out of the rain. After paying the driver, she grabbed the brass knocker and let it drop against the heavy oak door. It reverberated with a thunderous clap.
When the door opened, an older woman answered. She had gray curls about her sweet face; and attired in a plain dress with a starched white apron, Kat
