The night of February 28th was a quiet one, scorned by the sounds of the harsh night winds whipping through the valleys and through the rivers, chilling the bones of any who dared to traverse empty plains. But for the Winchester family, the 28th was simply the beginning.
They all gathered in the family hall. Winston came first, his girlfriend Ally hanging off his arm. Then, Astrid, her sunglasses and beach hat masking her expression. Then came the twins, Bob and Marella, with equally matching frowns that looked painted on their faces.
Finally, Ali stepped into the room, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. They all glared at each other before Ali spoke.
"So. He's finally gone."
Bob tightened his grip on his jacket collar, staring out the window. "Marla's dropping by soon. She said that she'd go over the obituary materials and..the will." Winston brushed a lock of black hair from his eyes as he set his black umbrella down, showering the marble floor in a torrent of rainwater. "Christ, it's pouring out. I always hated the weather here.”
Astrid nodded once and they returned to silence once again. This time, Marella made the first move.
"I brought crumpets," she offered. "And some tea. Straight from our bakery."
Winston sniffed. "The bakery out in Riverton? I know how they swing there. I'll pass.”
"What is that supposed to mean?" Marella's gaze turned razor sharp.
"You know what I mean," Winston looked to Astrid for some support. "Father's always preferred places more.. conservative."
Marella looked like she was ready to hurl something. With a growl, she set the crumpets down on the cofee table in the middle of the room with a clatter. One slipped out of the plate and fell to the floor by Winston's feet, the crumbly pastry flaking bits onto the tile that mixed with the rainwater. She slammed down a teapot next to it, along with some cups. The soft scent of the buttery crumpets mixed with the sharp smell of the Earl Grey in the pot.
"If you're going to be difficult..Ali, Astrid, these are for you."
Astrid cut her gaze over to Marella. "I really don't want your stupid peace offering. It's not going to make up for the stuff you said to me at the anniversary."
Marella went bright red. Ali shrugged and lifted a crumpet to his lips, taking a bite.
"Everyone settle down. We're here to talk about Father. You know, the one that died yesterday? The one with the hefty inheritance sum?”
The mention of their late father(and their inheritance) shut mostly everyone up. With a wince, Winston came to sit by the table. Ally stayed by the curtain, her fingers twisting her brown hair nervously. Marella leaned back in her seat, tossing a crumpet in her mouth. Bob poured himself a cup of tea and handed one to Astrid, who took it with a huff.
After a couple minutes of dining in silence, Bob spoke up.
"Do you think the old man was murdered?"
Ali glowered at him. "Can we not do this right now?"
"Probably," Astrid murmured. "I'm thinking Marla did it. He was insufferable, especially to her."
Marella butt into the conversation. "My money's on Alfred. The old man's been cooking for Father ever since he was a kid. He must have a section in the will somewhere."
"Father trusted him too much," Bob muttered. "I knew it"
Astrid crossed her arms. "Father's always been like that. That's why he let a degenarate like Winston inside this house."
"Hey!" Winston protested. "I'm not even the adopted one!"
All eyes turned to Ali.
"Now that's just-"
"What if it was him?" Astrid pointed her crumpet accusingly towards Ali. "We all know that he's always had a bone to pick with Father."
"A bone to pick with him?" Ali exploded, slamming his plate down. “Christ, Astrid, I barely knew him! None of us did!”
He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his tea. Then, much softer, “We’re all just here for the will.”
The air was stricken by silence once more, and nobody moved for a moment.
Then, Marla entered the room, holding the sheet of paper that held their father's final words in her hands.
"Marla," Ali greeted.
"Master Ali," she responded, dipping her head low with reverence. "It's been a long while since you've come back to the household. It's wonderful to see you again.
Masters and mistresses, I've come with news. Please bear my intrusion upon your grieving a while longer."
"You could never be intruding," Winston said with an uncharacteristic smile. Marla had been like a second mother to them, when their own mother had been cold and distant and dead before most of them even got to know her. She had raised them, shaped them, sent them off with twinkling eyes and warm bellies and full hearts.
Astrid stood up and gave Marla a hug, and Bob followed suit after a second of hesitation. "I missed you," Bob whispered into her ear. Marla just smiled. "I missed you too, Master Robert. Now please, sit down and listen to what I have to say." The party took a seat, all a reasonable distance away from each other, as Marla began to speak.
"To my dearest children.
I will die sometime one day, and one of you will be holding the knife. But that is the way I wish to die, my own blood spilt by my kin.
All of you are monsters. Liars, thieves, pretenders. I am happy to declare that my death will not grant you a single dime."
Winston bolted to his feet with an affronted gasp. "The old man's changed the will!"
Astrid laughed and threw her head back. "Oh, this is getting interesting."
Marla continued. "Now, bask in the thought that I never liked any of you. Remember that I was nothing to you but a figurehead, but a moneymaker.
Still, my old heart cares. Even though you have become caricatures of the men and women I sought to raise, I can still see you as little toddling things, with sparkling eyes and big dreams. I can still see you running down these halls, shouting and screaming and playing and living. I can still look into your eyes and see a life in which you retained tat same innocence. I can see it in you now."
Marla was crying now, tears streaking down her cheeks like silvery comets. "This is my final will, my final wish. I raised you as competitors rather than siblings. I raised our family as an empire. This, this is my biggest regret. So for me, live. Live your lives with each other in them, and try, try your hardest, to be a family again. Then, maybe any of us can began to be worth the luck we were handed in life." Marla finished with a sob, and the paper fluttered to the ground. The room stared at each other, each one daring not to say a thing to break the fragile silence.
Then, Ally spoke up, for probably the first time that night: "So...no money, then?"
"Of course," Ali breathed, running a hand through his hair. "Of course, through his death, he'd find a way to play one final game."
Winston slammed his fists down on the table. The plates bounced into the air and crashed down on the marble. Astrid crumpled her beach hat in her hands. Marella bit off one of the edges of her crumpet with a strained smile.
“I’d like that."
The whole room looked towards Bob, who was still standing by Marla with a dumb little smile on his face.
"I'd like to be a family again. I..I miss all of you."
Winston picked up his umbrella and deployed it. The black material splayed across the metal, and he tipped it above his head. He gestured Ally to his side. With a smile to Marla, a nod to Astrid and Ali, and a glare to Marla, he said,
"Don't be stupid, Robert. We only see each other at weddings and funerals."
Then, one by one, they left the room, packing up their things, glancing nervously at each other as they scuttled out like the cockroaches they were. Then, it was just Marla left, holding the final words of her master in her hands.
"ll have to try again later," she grumbled to herself. She threw away the fake letter and went back to her master's room. She took another shower to cleanse the remains of her master's blood from her hands. Then, she hurled the knife she had stabbed into his stomach deep into the sea. As the sunset dipped down into the mountains, she watched the twinkling boat carrying five passengers once so close, now so far, away into the light.
She groaned. "Maybe I could get married? Then they'll have an excuse to talk to each other again. Or another murder? But then they'll find out it was me eventually."
Plotting quietly to herself, she slipped back into the manor. With a soft grin, she took a bite of the crumpets Marella had left on the table.
"Exquisite," she murmured. "Simply..exquisite. Tea, crumpets, and a murder."
