Bill Stenlake

Lowarth Toll Bill Stenlake

Lowarth Toll. While on holiday with his parents one summer in Cornwall, Arthur visits his Great Aunt Emma. She spent the first 50 years of her life, nursing her parents. Not that many years after they passed away, Emma has suffered a stroke. Her brother and sister do not believe she will survive, so go to her house to check on things. Emma lives in a cottage in the hamlet of Torleith, in Cornwall. They go through her papers and find, along with her will, a note from their Grandfather, Charles, to his son. In it, he reminds his son not to forget about the family treasure. It does not specify what the treasure is. They set about taking the cottage apart, but still fail to find anything. They then take to visiting Emma in hospital, trying to force information out of her about the treasure. Even if she does know anything about it, which she does not, Emma is incapable of communicating to anyone. Eventually they give up. When Arthur visits his Aunt whilst on holiday, he feels for her. Every day he visits her and reads to her. He buys her a radio to listen to when he is goes home again. Emma responds to this and after Arthur has returned home, she continues to improve. The progress is slow but in the right direction. She improves to the degree that it is thought that she might even be able to return home. That is until the social worker visits and discovers that the family has wrecked her house. The family start to visit again too and the combination of all this sends her rapidly downhill, culminating in her having another stroke. Only when she eventually dies, does the family learn that when she improved she had also changed her will. Arthur now inherits her estate. They now turn their attention on Arthur, to reveal the family treasure to them. Arthur isn?t even aware he has inherited when they first attack him in his home. On the second occasion they do so, a visitor steps in to help save him. This visitor leads him back to Cornwall, where he follows the clues left by Charles. Is it all a big family joke or is there something to be found at Lowarth Toll?