COUNTERTOP
On the countertop you find a few items that catch your eye. There’s a purse here which promises to be valuable, as well as a stainless steel pot of some kind and a locked cabinet.
As you’re fidgeting with the purse, you suddenly hear the sound of a woman sobbing behind you. Spinning around, you see the huddled figure of someone with their back to you, the rapid rise and fall of their shoulders consistent with the sniveling whimpers. Yet… something seems off about this ghastly form.
The figure goes silent, then turns to face you. Its eyes are red and swollen from the tears, but you’re still able to recognize who it is – Aunt Jane.
“Something terrible has happened again, hasn’t it?”
“Maybe, but I think you can help.”
“Me? I’ll do anything! What do you need?”
“This was my brother’s home. I had been staying here for about a year at his request. I… wasn’t well before. It’s as if I were cursed, you see, such awful things kept happening to me. My husband, my daughter Rose, all taken from me before their time. And then, my own life – but it couldn’t just end there. Now I’m stuck here with the others! Truly I must be cursed!“
“Why, yes, for the most part. Charlie and I were always quite close, and his new wife Vera, while a bit cold at times, was generous in welcoming me to the home. The children were a delight, of course. Though broody at times, I saw a shining young man in Virgil. Elsie was much like my own daughter, and I had known her since her birth! The lodger, well… we didn’t speak much. Since my daughter’s disappearance, I’ve been quite wary of men who are always sporting hats.”
“Absolutely so! What else could explain such an excess of bad fortune? One or two incidents are enough, but the extent to which my life has been ruined time after time can only point to an explanation more supernatural, don’t you think? My regret is that I seem to have drug the others into it. I’m sure Charlie regrets ever inviting me into his home!”
You pick up the pot and carelessly turn it upside down to see if there’s anything inside. Nothing. It looks similar to a tea pot, but something tells you that’s not quite what it was used for. You give the spout a quick sniff and to your surprise, you note a hint of chocolate.
As you’re fidgeting with the purse, you suddenly hear the sound of a woman sobbing behind you. Spinning around, you see the huddled figure of someone with their back to you, the rapid rise and fall of their shoulders consistent with the sniveling whimpers. Yet… something seems off about this ghastly form.
The figure goes silent, then turns to face you. Its eyes are red and swollen from the tears, but you’re still able to recognize who it is – Aunt Jane.
“Something terrible has happened again, hasn’t it?”
“Maybe, but I think you can help.”
“Me? I’ll do anything! What do you need?”
“Something terrible has happened again, hasn’t it?”
“Maybe, but I think you can help.”
“Me? I’ll do anything! What do you need?”
“This was my brother’s home. I had been staying here for about a year at his request. I… wasn’t well before. It’s as if I were cursed, you see, such awful things kept happening to me. My husband, my daughter Rose, all taken from me before their time. And then, my own life – but it couldn’t just end there. Now I’m stuck here with the others! Truly I must be cursed!“
“Why, yes, for the most part. Charlie and I were always quite close, and his new wife Vera, while a bit cold at times, was generous in welcoming me to the home. The children were a delight, of course. Though broody at times, I saw a shining young man in Virgil. Elsie was much like my own daughter, and I had known her since her birth! The lodger, well… we didn’t speak much. Since my daughter’s disappearance, I’ve been quite wary of men who are always sporting hats.”
“Absolutely so! What else could explain such an excess of bad fortune? One or two incidents are enough, but the extent to which my life has been ruined time after time can only point to an explanation more supernatural, don’t you think? My regret is that I seem to have drug the others into it. I’m sure Charlie regrets ever inviting me into his home!”
You pick up the pot and carelessly turn it upside down to see if there’s anything inside. Nothing. It looks similar to a tea pot, but something tells you that’s not quite what it was used for. You give the spout a quick sniff and to your surprise, you note a hint of chocolate.