She felt a lump in her throat as she heard what the appraiser had to say. She felt like she was dreaming, how could his appraisal have been so far from what she thought?
She listened to him carefully. She wanted to see what he was talking about, she opened up the compartment and saw an old note hidden inside. But she had no idea that there was no going back.
An Ordinary Doorstep?
She had walked passed it so many times during her visits to her grandma. It seemed like an ordinary doorstep, but she was so wrong. There was a lot more than met the eye.
After tragedy struck and her grandmother passed away, the doorstep was left abandoned in the house. But she would regret overlooking the piece for so many years. It harbored a dark secret.
Alice’s Grandmother
Alice lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her grandmother had just tragically passed away and she was reeling from the loss. The two had an unbreakable bond that no one else understood.
Now that her grandmother was gone, Alice felt like her whole world was crumbling beneath her feet. She was her best friend and she always looked to her for support. She loved her as much as she possibly could. And now she was gone, but Alice had no idea what she had been hiding.
Heir Of Her Home
The tragic passing of her grandmother came with a bittersweet perk. Alice had learned that she had been appointed heir of her old home. Growing up, Alice had spent a lot of time in that house and it was filled with fond memories.
She couldn't believe that the house now belonged to her. When she first got there, she cleaned the place up and made an inventory of all the stuff her grandma kept there. As she was deciding what to do with all of these things, nostalgia hit her like a ton of bricks.
Memories
There were a lot of items inside the house. Alice could even remember most of them. Growing up, Alice's curiosity would often lead her to look at all of the old treasures her grandmother had.
Alice looked through all of the old furniture and boxes of items that her grandmother owned. She got lost in nostalgia as she looked at each item. But then she saw the one thing she had always overlooked.
The Doorstep
It was a bronze statue of the Greek goddess Thetis. Alice always assumed it wasn't very valuable because her grandmother always used it as a doorstep. But she had no idea what it really was.
She knew her grandmother loved greek mythology. She would often tell Alice bedtime stories about the Greek Pantheon and more. But there was more to it than that that Alice had never considered.
Classics
After growing up hearing the tales, Alice grew interested in them too. She ended up getting a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. She knew it wouldn't get her a job instantly. But she did what she loved.
She had no regrets. She loved what she did and studied. It was all for her grandmother. Even if she wasn't as well off as she liked, that was about to change and the key to it all was the old bronze statue.
She Decided To Sell It
A lot of the items in the home were tied to a lot of memories so Alice refrained from selling them. But she did need the money and she couldn't keep everything that her grandmother owned. She needed to get rid of a few things.
She didn't want it to look like an old museum and the things would also make her sad if they were on display. Alice decided to sell a few of the items that she knew her grandmother wouldn't have cared about. The old doorstep was one of the first things to go.
Mysterious Buyer
It seemed that someone was eager to buy the item almost immediately after she posted the advertisement. The man was interested and said he'd buy it for $15, more than Alice thought it was worth.
Alice was going to send him the money, but then she had a feeling in her gut that her grandmother would roll in her grave if she sold it so quickly for a quick buck. She decided to at least get it appraised, she knew her grandmother would have wanted that.
Antique Shop
Alice decided to make her way to an antique shop nearby. She told the appraiser about the doorstop before handing it over to him. He took his time as he inspected every nook of the object.
After several minutes, he finally found it. There was something about the doorstop that Alice hadn't noticed. He brought out the blacklight lantern to show it to her.
Hidden Compartment
There was a hidden compartment at the bottom of the doorstep! Alice had never seen it. For all she knew, that was just a doorstep, and she didn’t know that her grandmother might have used it to store something in there.
The appraiser asked for her permission to open it. Alice agreed. Her heart was racing. What could there be inside that old Thetis statue?
Two Letters
It was no hidden treasure that Alice and the appraiser found inside the doorstep; it was two rolled pieces of paper. Both of them seemed pretty aged, but one more significantly so than the other.
One’s tone was yellowish, probably from the times when Alice’s grandma was young, while the other one had a brownish tone. It seemed a lot older. The appraiser took them out and handed them over to Alice.
A Message For Her Grandma
Alice unrolled the yellowish piece of paper first. Nothing in the world could have prepared her for what she read on it. It was a letter from her grandma from many years ago.
It was signed by a woman whose name Alice had never heard of before. And from the contents of the letter, it seemed like she was a woman with whom her grandma used to be romantically involved before she married her husband, Alice’s grandfather!
The Second Note
This totally blew Alice’s mind. She could have never guessed about that side of her grandma! This changed her image of her in a major way. But that wasn’t all. She still had to check the brownish note.
She unrolled it and tried to read it, but she couldn’t understand what it said. She handed it to the appraiser so he could help her. As he read it, she waited with hopeful anticipation.
There Was Something To It
As Alice watched, the appraiser’s expressions remained unreadable. However, something about the way he took his time, reading and re-reading it and going over every inch with a magnifier, seemed odd.
Alice watched with bated breath. She couldn’t kick the feeling that he was onto something. Other paranoid thoughts soon crept in too.
Trust
Since the appraiser was a professional, Alice was at his mercy. For a moment, some troubling thoughts went through her mind.
She hoped that if there was any intrinsic value to the doorstep, the appraiser would be upfront about it. If he wasn’t, that would be problematic.
Uncertainty
Alice’s biggest worry was being unsure of how to proceed. If he said it wasn’t worth much but offered to buy it, would she really ever know if he was being honest or not?
On the other hand, if he was upfront and it was worth something, how should she proceed then? Alice wasn’t sure. This was all becoming a little stressful.
Hearing Stories
Alice had heard many stories of people that struck it lucky with antique items that turned out to be real treasures. On the other hand, she’d heard just as many stories about people being swindled.
Aside from the possibly priceless nature of the statue, Alice worried that it might be valuable in other ways. Her next conundrum was an even trickier one to navigate.
Sentimental Value
Since her granda had chosen to hide the intimate notes inside the statue, she wondered if it might have meant a lot more to her.
If grandma did indeed mean for it to be kept as a family heirloom, Alice worried about letting it go too easily.
Other Considerations
On the other hand, Alice’s inheritance had been a big help so far. However, she still did need extra income in order to be comfortable.
Her degree hadn’t quite paid off as she’d hoped, and the prospect of finding a valuable piece certainly was an exciting prospect. There was only one way to find out.
The Appraisal
The appraiser had taken so much time examining the object. After studying the note, he went back and forth between it and examined the doorstep itself.
Alice was becoming a little impatient with expectation. All his scrutiny surely had to mean something. Or was she just being foolish like so many treasure hunters before her?
He Was Ready
At one point, the appraiser even began consulting some notes he kept in a bag. The way his expression gradually grew intense and deep in thought made Alice more anxious.
After what felt like an eternity, finally put everything down and turned to Alice. “Okay, so here's what you have,” he said.
A Statue
It turns out that the “doorstep” was really a little statue. More importantly, according to the appraiser, it was crafted by one of the most famous French sculptors of the 19th century!
Alice was already excited by this news alone. She loved old works of art and was fascinated by historical artwork. However, the appraiser wasn’t done.
A Real Heirloom
The appraiser had become a lot more animated now. Far from the stuffy, severe man he had initially been, now he spoke with a twinkle in his eye and a broad grin.
It was clear to Alice that he loved this kind of work and probably reveled in finding items like these. His excitement made Alice’s own expectations grow that much more.
The Sculptor
As the appraiser went on, Alice became more intrigued and excited by the statue with every word. Not only had he been able to identify the piece and its time period, but the sculptor too.
As Alice listened to everything, she was intrigued. She began feeling sentimental, like she was already forming a bond with it. She wondered if it was just her that felt this way.
Did Grandma Know?
Now that Alice knew the true story behind the sculpture, she wondered if her grandma knew too. Her instincts told her she probably didn’t.
After all, she had been using it mostly as a doorstep. She realized now that it was probably just another trinket she’d picked up over the years and had no idea of its value. So what made it so valuable?
Who Was He?
According to the appraiser, the note helped reveal the truth. It said that the piece had been awarded the first prize in one of France's most prominent sculpture contests in 1857.
That meant the statue was well over 100 years old. Alice listened intently as the appraiser went on. The best news was yet to come.
The Value
Even by the appraiser’s rudimentary first evaluation, he reckoned the pice was worth a lot. Alice was stunned when she heard just how much.
It had been locked up here for years and years. To think that grandma had a piece of history in her home all along was surprising. The appraiser’s evaluation confirmed that it was worth around $30,000!
An Honest Man
Alice was stunned and ecstatic about this fact. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that she had almost sold it for $15. Alice thanked the appraiser. She was relieved at his honesty.
It was clear that he was a lover of antiques and not just someone who was out to enrich himself from the ignorance of others. Now, the question remained, what to do next?
A New Beginning
Alice asked the appraiser for his opinion. He advised her that he could put her in touch with the right people and arrange a sale that would be to her benefit.
Thanking him again, she took the doorstep home, along with the two letters, and began dreaming of the possibilities. Aside from all the fond memories, her grandma had also given her a chance at a new beginning in life too.