The lamp was ugly even for that vintage.
Made of ceramic, in the shape of a pyramid of fruit,
it was glazed a shiny iridescent pink. Its shade was fringed, of course.
She was looking for a makers’ mark, when she saw the
note tucked inside, and she unfolded it.
The note was in spidery handwriting and notated the
wedding date of the couple who had received it. It also included their birth
and death dates, as well as the birth and death dates of the relatives who got
it after the original couple died.
Did the lamp kill them?