The Letter and the Urn
Berenice did not understand why she had been summoned to that reading of the will. She did not know the deceased, a certain Aldo Schmidt, nor any of the relatives and friends who yearned for a share. Even so, she made a point of arriving on time and sat down before everyone else, driven by immense curiosity. Surely, they had confused her with a namesake. Berenice Ananias Louzada de Alcântara? No! It was impossible for another to exist. Good Lord, it could only be her! Despite never having seen those people before, no one seemed to find Berenice's presence strange. Everyone was more interested in the lawyer's voice as he read the last wishes of his former client, who had died of some old-age illness exactly 36 days ago. He had been cremated, and his ashes carefully placed in an urn resting on a hardwood bookshelf. Judging by its reddish hue, it was obviously mahogany. After little more than 10 or 15 minutes of reading, the chatter began among those who had not been left ...