Fable (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #3)(8)

It was antiquated and hauntingly beautiful at the same time, as if the architect couldn’t decide which era to design the house after, so he merged all of them. Or, better yet, as if the house had been there for centuries, and each century something modern was added to it. It was in need of quite a bit of work and a coat of paint. The outside shutters had fallen off and needed to be fixed, the bushes were overgrown, and the front steps were missing a board. A large greenhouse was attached to the house, and even from this distance she could see that quite a few of the glass windows were shattered and overrun with foliage.

“Welcome home!” Terry chimed happily as she put the van into park. “I made a few phone calls and pulled a few strings, but it’s yours.”

“What is?” Sara asked.

“Why, the house, of course! It’s one of the estates that my company has had a contract with…well, forever. It has sat empty for most of those years, and the owners have no desire to sell it and are hardly ever here, either. So it continues to sit empty, which isn’t good for a house. I contacted them and explained your situation and that you were one of my most trusted employees and a dear friend, and they offered it to you and your daughter…on one condition.”

Sara looked at the large house, her hand jumping to her heart in fear and wonder.

“You will have to live in it and take care of it. I can recommend a great handyman to help fix up the place, and soon it will be as good as new.” Terry’s head bobbed in excitement. “Don’t get me wrong, I love having you two live with me, but it’s about time for you to start anew. Especially since Mina has to go back to school in a few days—”

Terry continued to relay her news to a shocked Sara and unlocked the front door and walked them into a spacious entrance hall. What the hey? A spiral staircase? The house looked like it had come out of a movie, all right…a horror movie.

Off the entrance hall was a sitting room with a library with a very dusty grand piano, while to the right was a formal dining room. In every room there were obvious blank spots on the wall where pictures had been hung and looked like they had been recently removed, because of a slight, barely noticeable discoloration of the wall. They were all prime locations: above the fireplace, in the library above a desk. Each newly discovered bare spot made Mina irritated. Were these priceless portraits removed because the owners thought they would steal them?

There were multiple wings of rooms to be explored at a later date. They kept going and walked into the largest kitchen she had ever seen. It was a chef’s dream, with multiple islands and granite countertops, but things Mina didn’t really care about. What she zoned in on first was, of course, the dishwasher.

“It’s all very nice, Terry, but I don’t know how comfortable I am with this commitment. I’ve never even met the owners. How do I know that they want us as tenants?”

“Pish-posh.” Terry frowned at Sara. Mina had to hold back a grin; she didn’t think people spoke like that anymore. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I’m telling you, I pulled a huge favor out of my hat, and I can tell you there’s not going to be another offer out there like this. I did this for you because I think of you like my own daughter. And you deserve this.”

Just then a weird buzzing sound came from a square box in the kitchen. Terry ran forward and pushed a button. “Yes, who’s there?”

“It’s meee. We bring Sara’s car like you asked. Now push button and let us in.” It was Mrs. Wong. Terry rolled her eyes before she pushed the button. Mina assumed the big iron gates at the end of the drive were opening. A few minutes later the Wongs entered through the front door, carrying boxes from the Happy Maids van.

“Eh, nice big house you get, Terry. What ex-husband did you get this from? Maybe you can give him my number.” Mrs. Wong’s broken English made her attempts at being funny sound awkward.

Mei’s husband placed his hand over his heart with dramatic flair. “Oh, Mei, you wound me. Now stop yammering, and let’s help them settle in.”

With only a few more failed attempts to talk themselves out of the house, Sara finally gave in and helped haul the last cardboard boxes into the foyer. The Wongs and Terry tried to keep some light chitchat going, but it was obvious from the rings under Sara’s eyes that it was time for them to go. Once everyone was gone, the house was eerily empty.

Sara stared at one of the blank walls covered in striped wallpaper in puzzlement. “This house. There’s something about this house.” She reached out a hand to touch the wall and then shook her head as if to clear the troubled thought from her mind. “I’m sorry, honey, I’m exhausted. Let’s find a room and unpack and talk tomorrow. It’s been—” she started to sniffle but held it back, “—a long day.”

Mina agreed. Was the funeral only a few hours ago? The rain was still coming down outside, and the occasional lightning illuminated the night sky. The second floor was filled with more turns, wings, and darkened rooms. Sara found a room to her liking and settled in by immediately crawling onto the bed and not moving. Not wanting to leave her mother alone, especially tonight, Mina crawled onto the large king-size bed and lay next to her mom.

Sara’s eyes were shut, and Mina could see the barest glimmer of tears sliding out of the corners. Her mother’s long hair had fallen out of its bun, and a hint of gray could be seen mixed in with the brown. Had this tragedy aged her mother years in only a few days? Mina took a deep breath and quivered with pain and sadness. She slid her hand into Sara’s hand and squeezed gently, comforting her mother without words. Sara’s breathing evened out, and she squeezed her daughter’s hand back. A few minutes later, they were both asleep.