You'd spent the better part of a year backpacking around Europe when you got the news. Uncle Bill was dying, and he wanted to see you one last time. Your friends were sympathetic, and within 24 hours you had hopped on a plane back to the United States. All your thoughts were turned towards your Uncle, an eternally cheerful white-haired man who never failed to make you smile. It was one of the hardest flights you'd ever made.
At the airport, you were met by two women in maid outfits holding a sign with your name on it. One was a trim redhead, the other a soft-looking albino. You learned that their names were Anya and Kate, and not much else. Neither of them were very talkative, which was just as well since you didn't feel like talking much yourself. They led you to a limo which brought you over to your Uncle's estate. As you pulled up to the old building, a wave of nostalgia washed over you; you'd spent several summers of your childhood within the building, at least before your family had to move when your Mom had been promoted.
The limo was stopped at the gate; outside, you could see Anya talking with a security guard. A rather round security guard, as a matter of fact. When she got back into the limo, Anya muttered that the guard's name was Mika and something about her being an idiot. The limo ride through the estate grounds to the mansion itself wasn't too long. After you got out, Anya and Kate led you through the twisting hallways of the mansion, though you were sure that given enough time you'd be able to remember the way yourself. Along the way, you passed the kitchen, where a rather short and chubby woman in a chef's outfit was cooking something that smelled delicious. Anya mentioned that she was Mimi, and not much else.
Finally, you made it into your Uncle's room. Sitting in a chair near his bed was what looked like a bodybuilder with a lab coat on. You would later learn that she was Suzu, the mansion's resident doctor. All you cared to see was the sickly old man lying in the bed. During the few times you'd managed to visit Uncle Bill since you'd moved away, you'd seen him looking sick before. This was on a level that broke your heart.
As you approached the bed, he opened his eyes and said, "Hello, little Gumdrop." You smiled despite yourself; it was a nickname he'd called you since you were little. You'd loved it as a little girl, hated it as a teenager, but now you wished he'd call you nothing but Gumdrop if it meant he'd live on for many years to come. The two of you spent some time, just talking. You told some stories about your travels in Europe, and he about some of funny things that had happened around the Mansion. Eventually, though, he was overcome by a coughing fit that Suzu used a syringe filled with some strange liquid to suppress.
"It's good to hear you doing well," Bill said after the fit subsided. "Now we need to get on to business. The reason I called you here... Let's just put it bluntly. I'm going to die. Very soon. And when I'm gone, I'm going to need someone to look after this place and everyone who works here."
You already knew where he was going with this, but let him continue. "Could you do that for me, please? I can think of no one more suited to do so." With tears in your eyes, you accepted. "Good. I thought you would. It's in my will, so that should be that."
You spent a little more time talking with him, until he started to get sleepy. Suzu then quietly suggested that you should let him rest for the night. Wishing your Uncle Bill goodnight, you left and were guided by Anya and Kate to a guest room. That night, Bill passed away peacefully in his sleep.
The next week was a whirlwind. Ever the prepared one, Uncle Bill had made all the arrangements for his own funeral before he passed. It was a last gift of his you were grateful for; you weren't sure if you would have been able to handle that with the grief. The service itself was a fairly small affair, for one so affluent. You got to briefly reconnect with your family for a short time, before they had to head back to live their own lives.
The morning after they left, you found yourself waking up in the guest room that you'd been staying in ever since you got the mansion. You realized, as Anya came in to inform you that breakfast was ready in her usual trying-hard-to-be-emotionless manner, that you really had no idea who was working for you now that you had the mansion. You needed to fix that somehow.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
