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Snowflakes fall quietly, gently piling on top of one another. The bare, black tree branches creak from the icy wind. December 14th, 1972, it is a cold gray winter day alike many others. The grandfather clock ticks away on the wall. Lucius is peering out the window, watching the snowfall intently. He will ride his new bike around the mansion and possibly visit the basement today. Yes, that sounds quite nice. After all, he has been growing quite bored these past few days. The mansion is always bustling with people yet feels so lonely and isolated. Bittersweet in a way.
Grandfather is always so secretive about the basement, denying anyone’s entrance. Lucius wonders what could possibly be down there. He has always acted odd and frankly seems insane. Rambling quietly to himself whenever Lucius is around and keeping all of his possessions locked away in his office. Father tells Lucius to leave Grandfather alone and pay no mind to it so he does. Come to think of it, everyone who resides in the mansion is odd in one way or another, Lucius included. No one had suspected him bloody murdering the one servant by locking her in the freezer. Lucius had felt no remorse seeing her poor corpse. Grandfather had taken a special interest in Lucius after the event, did he somehow know of his connections with Satan? Were the two alike?
Lucius had noticed an upside down cross in Grandfather’s office when he had accidentally left the door open. Satan tells Lucius to flip over each cross in the house so his powers aren’t weakened, and he does. Grandfather never fixes them but mother hates it. The sight makes her deeply upset and frantic. She has mentioned calling an exorcist this past week. Lucius walks away from the cold window sill and fixes the crooked teddy bear on his bed. Mother hates when his room is untidy. He changes out of his pajamas and into the tuxedo he normally wears. His dark eyes and pale face stare back at him as he straightens the bow in the mirror. No one could ever suspect the darkness that lies beneath such innocence.
Lucius walks over to the diary on his wooden desk, left by Satan. He idly draws a stick figure and reads over the name he is supposed to kill next. Gene, a long time friend of father’s who visits often. He is always smoking in the dining room, giving Lucius an unpleasant headache. His death will be nice, Lucius thinks. Father doesn’t like it either when Gene smokes, but he never mentions it to him. That must be his way of being polite. Father likes to smoke and drink himself sometimes, only on special occasions however. Lucius finishes making his bed and takes his new red bicycle out of the closet. A small smile appears on his face at the sight.
He carefully gets on the bicycle and starts riding it out of his room and out into the halls, the wheels squeaking in the process. The halls are dark with crooked portraits here and there. Creepy, but oddly comforting in its own unique way. One of the servants greets Lucius with a smile as he rides by, he doesn’t say anything besides returning a small wave. There are muffled voices coming from downstairs, Lucius wonders what the occasion is. He stops by the window at the end of the hall and peers outside at the courtyard. There are people setting up colorful lights and cheerful decorations. Christmas is near, that must be it.
Lucius will ask father to help bring his bicycle down the long steps. He notices grandfather walking up the steps with a bottle of liquor in hand, whispering something to himself. Lucius ignores him and walks past indifferently. When he reaches the main floor he makes his way over to the kitchen and dining room feeling hungry. Mother is there making breakfast, humming a sweet tune. Her eyes glance towards Lucius and she smiles warmly.
“Good morning my Lucius! Did you sleep well?” Lucius nods quietly and seats himself comfortably at the table. Mother has made his favorite breakfast today. The snow fall thickens and a wind gust rattles the windows. An eerie feeling is beginning to creep over the mansion. Lucius eats in silence and puts his dishes in the sink afterwards. Mother begins washing them and looks over her shoulder sharply at the sound of the floor boards creaking. She is anxious and on edge nowadays. Who can blame her when a servant mysteriously dies in the freezer, and upside down crosses are found all over the mansion.
Lucius enters the grand living room making note of Father and detective McGuffin conversing with each other. The chandelier is low lit and Alistair is playing a broken tune on the piano in the corner. The music is pleasant. McGuffin has been very present in the mansion now, investigating the tragedy that occurred. It makes Satan uneasy, he has told Lucius to smile and not do anything odd around him. Not that anyone could expect a small, innocent six year old of the freakish murder. As Lucius makes his way over to the piano he catches the attention of McGuffin.
“Hey kiddo! I promise we will have everything sorted out and you won’t have to live in fear of anything else happening at this mansion.” Lucius forces a small smile. “I take it the boy doesn’t talk much.” McGuffin questions curiously.
“I’m sure he is still in a state of shock after Mary’s cruel death. I still can’t believe it myself, but Lucius has always been like this. Keeping to himself quietly.” Father replies solemnly.
“Ah I see. Maybe a friend will do him some good, no?”
“Yes, a friend would probably help his boredom but he is privately schooled here and we intend to keep it that way. Thank you…for the concern.” Father is starting to seem agitated. McGuffin makes note of this.
“Well I better get back to my investigation here, I’ll notify you if anything changes or if we find something new.”
“Alright sounds good.” Father replies as he waves McGuffin off. “Anyways do you need something Lucius?”
“Can you bring my bike down the stairs…” Lucius mumbles quietly, starting at the floor.
“Of course.” Father says earnestly with a smile. He would do anything for his beloved son. He then makes his way over to the stairs, to where Lucius’s red bike is. Lucius then finally makes his way over to the piano and sir Alistair.
“Well hello there boy! Do you need something?” Alistair is a kind old man who always treats Lucius with a smile. He has been with the Wagner family for many years, knowing the mansion like the back of his hand. Lucius sits on the bench next to Alistair and brushes the tip of his fingers against the piano keys. They are cold to the touch like glass.
“I like the tune…” Lucius manages to get out. Alistair is one of the few people in the mansion he talks to. Alistair chuckles at Lucius’s words.
“Yes, the tune is quite lovely. I create a distorted sound by doing this.” Alistair carefully shows Lucius with his fingers. Lucius would love to learn how to play the piano. A grim thought then crosses his mind. Will Satan eventually have him kill sir Alistair? That would be quite sad.
Minutes tick by. Lucius stands up abruptly, deciding to make his way towards the basement. When he reaches the entrance that leads down towards it, he first checks to make sure no one is around. Grandfather should be up in his office locked away at this time. After deciding it’s safe to, Lucius begins his journey to the basement. The dark, withered steps creak with each step and cobwebs dot the ceiling. Shadows and spiders dance across the walls. A chilly draft runs through this part of the mansion. Lucius wonders what could be down here that makes Grandfather so secretive and ill.
After some time he reaches a tall wooden door with a dark symbol on it. There is a lock and key hole on the handle. Lucius doesn’t have the key. He would have to somehow get it from Grandfather’s office, if he could even find it at that. He sighs disappointedly and makes his way back up the creaky steps. As he reaches the top there is a servant nearby but Lucius doesn’t think she saw him, hopefully. It is dark outside by now. The doorbell rings and father gets up from his chair and book to answer it. Gene is at the door with that damn cigarette. Father greets him with a laugh and gestures him inside.
Lucius notices his red bicycle in the corner of the room. Lucius smiles a bit. His bicycle is everything. A bit of fun in this dark hollow mansion. The smoke from Gene’s cigarette quickly fills the room, giving Lucius an annoying headache. Lucius jumps on his bicycle and starts riding away contently towards his room. Gene’s corpse will be found in the morning. All will be well