gn reader.
-
As you sift through your mail, one really intriguing one catches your eye. It was from some lawyer, addressing you about some inheritance.
Some great grand uncle of yours that you didn’t know had passed, and his lawyer has contacted you about his inheritance. Strange. After some quick research, you find out that this isn’t some scam and the guy indeed was a real lawyer. That uncle of yours dying had made the news since he was a somewhat famous rich guy.
When you find the time, you make your way to the lawyer’s office, awkward, dressed in the best appropriate black clothing you could find. You shake the guy’s hand as he explains to you that your great grand uncle was what you would describe as eccentric, and he left the inheritance up to pure chance. Rather than a typical will, he told his lawyer to contact every relative he knew he had, and put them up to a challenge.
The will stated, “Enter the house. If the house chooses you, you may take the property and everything in my name.” And then proceeded to list what might be some signs of the owner being chosen.
Strange words, but the lawyer has gone through with it. Tells you he’s contacted more people than he has had as clients in his 20 something years of work. He drives you to the place, at which you get out and stare. Because it wasn’t a house, it was a mansion and then some. Castle would be more accurate. It was obviously ages old, but it still looked upkept. As you continue your gawking, a shrill scream pierces the air and moments later, a group of three rush out the door. They don’t glance at either you or the lawyer and scurry into a car that you didn’t notice earlier. You look toward the lawyer for an explanation, wearing a confused expression. He sighs.
“As you can see, I’m having trouble with this particular job.”
As he leads you to the front door, he continues explaining. “I entered the place long ago, and checked everything out. It seemed to have no problem. But every relative I bring here almost immediately runs out screaming, terrified. They refuse to tell me what happened. They all come back, try again, but it's no different the second, or third or fifth time.” He stops at the front door, opening it and stepping in, you following.
“My guess is something in here didn’t like any of them, and didn’t ‘choose’ them, as your uncle’s words suggest.” You stare at the man dumbfoundedly. What were you to do? “Well, what are you waiting for? Go on in then. I’ll be waiting in the car.”
Before you could say anything, the lawyer is out of the door, and you’re alone in the dark hallway. You stand there, slightly shaken, going over your options. You could just leave. After all, do you really need the house, or the money? You might not be filthy rich, or living in a castle, or driving that Rolls Royce you saw in the back… oh screw it, you decided to check the place out. It would do no harm to try, right? You could just see what could’ve been. And no one has died, so it should be okay, right?
He yawns, blinking slowly. Currently, he was on top of the roof, on his side, leaning on one arm. He smirks as the noisy three leave, running and screaming and probably pissing their pants after realizing that no, they can’t live here. The house didn’t choose them. He scoffs. It wasn’t even that bad. Sure, there were guts and bloods and dead rats and innards and skeletons and moving dentures, but it was all just his illusions! Fake, imaginary, intangible! Nothing real, so why were they so scared? He snickers as he remembers one of them fainting at the ghastly ‘reflection’ they saw before waking up and running out, and the other two’s screams of ‘don’t leave us!’. He lazily mock-bids farewell to the car that backed out of the driveway.
Only then does he bother to take notice of the humble black sedan and the two people next to it. It was the lawyer’s car. Did he bring more relatives? He huffs and rolls his eyes. Good, it was getting boring with the same 30 people coming by and trying their non-existent luck. He wondered how this person will be as he floats down from the roof to the pair. And nervous. What if this was the last one? He had to pick one relative, as per his master’s orders. It was a bothersome thing to do, but needed to be done- he would disappear along with the house after all, were there no owners for a period of time. And he’d much rather not choose the losers who have come so far.
As he reaches the ground, he stares at you curiously. You were dressed much more plainly than the rich, pompous jerks who have come so far. You looked plain too. Seemingly a mix of awe, confusion and excitement or nervousness. He smiles, amused. Bonus point for you, because it was tiring dealing with entitled people, who strolled in like they already owned the place.
And rather than the indifference that the others show to the lawyer’s words, your face twists to concern and fear. He amusedly follows, hovering as you seem to contemplate going in. It seems the pull of the house was too strong to resist, because you step in, albeit unhurriedly and jumpy.
He smirks, deciding to entertain you a little bit- play host. He snaps his fingers, and the lights flicker on, revealing a huge entrance. An enormous chandelier was the source of the light, which shone on an extravagant hall, stairs and doors that probably led to more fancy rooms.
The sudden light makes you flinch, as you glance around. You turn around ready to leave because no amount of luxury could make you want to live in a clearly haunted house-
He frowns at the reaction. It felt like immediate rejection. Too bad you wouldn’t get what you want, huh?-
Only to see the door’s closed. Your heart dropped, and your mind raced. Surely it wasn’t this cliche where the door closes behind the protagonist, to which when they try to open it, it ends up being locked? Surely not?
You tentatively reach for the door- only to find maybe you are truly cursed, because the door was indeed locked.
Ghost, demon, ghoul, soul, spirit- words raced through your mind as you glanced around the place, tense. There was no way back, so you simply had to move forward. With nothing but hopes and wishes to guide you, you start to move through the ridiculously large house.
-
It really was fit for a king, and you wouldn’t be surprised if the place belonged to a noble at some point. The size would prove that, but the house also looked so new. State of the art sink and fridges (that’s right, multiple), kitchen equipment, cars (not only the rolls royce!) in a comically large garage. The place looked nothing like what you expected. It was quite homey, actually. Rather than the intricate patterns, objects and artifacts you presumed would be everywhere, it was much like your average home…. times ten in size.
The place felt warm, yet you still shiver. Long had you felt a gaze, a stare focused on you. Hyperfocused with how much you could feel the pressure from whatever it was. Absurd thoughts popped up into your head. Of ghosts, of the house being alive, maybe a spirit really living here.
Thoughts were dismissed as soon as they came. You’re distracted by something scampering past a nearby corner, and as you glance around to it, you have accidently cornered a rat. The sight of it is so brief you wonder if you hallucinated it- and the rat dissipates. Gone, like ashes.
Then arms are wrapped around you, solid and firm, one slipping over your eyes, the other around you to hold you still before lifting off. You are somehow in the large living room, close to the fireplace. In front of you sits a man who couldn’t be past the age of his late twenties, in an outfit that seems to be straight from a comic book- the perfect vision of a butler, from the bowtie to the black suit to the gloves. Closer inspection makes you realize that he’s slightly translucent- the edges of him wisping away.
He greets you cheerfully. “Hello, master! Welcome to your new home!”
Unfortunately, you had fainted before he had even started his sentence.
-
He glances down at your arms, stretching them this way and that. Possession of a body was never an easy thing, yet yours was easy to slip into- a sign of exactly what he thought- compatibility. It made him giddy of thinking of it- finally, finally, after centuries of serving generations of lonely vampire lords, and unable to leave the vicinity of what was both his curse and lifeline, he found his match, his other half.
He imitated your gait best he can as he walked to the door, and up to the lawyer. He smiled, hoping to see the same expression on your face once you woke up. “I think the house likes me.”
-
He sighed, slumping into the chair. It was such a bother, signing things and going to court. It was so needlessly complicated and pointless. He perked up as he felt you waking up. All this time, he’d been pushing your conscious down as it fought and struggled, trying to wake up. This time, he easily slipped out, slightly mourning the loss of feeling sold in a long time. His happy mood returns as he sees your eyes fluttering open, and immediate tenseness.
He grabs your hands, feeling much more solid than you’d expect, and excitedly tells you that you’re the owner of the house now, because the rat, the spirit of the house, chose you. And plus, he liked you as well. Oh, he’s the ghost butler of the house by the way. Don’t treat him like a stranger, alright? He smiles, leaning down to place a kiss at the back of your hand.
You blink and you’re in a grand bedroom. He’s smiling slyly up at you, using your hand to brush against his face. He playfully nibbles at it. “Now, master, I think it’d do us both well if I show you the more… intimate responsibilities of being chosen...”
That night, you learnt what it meant for the house to choose its tenant, and exactly how close you'd have to be.
