Sex, Death, and Other Strange Ideas is a steamy supernatural romance novel with multiple chapters. Contains language and situations (utterly) inappropriate for those under 18.
https://www.literotica.com/s/sex-death-and-other-strange-ideas
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CHAPTER 2
Having nothing to do but wait, Alex killed time wandering about the attic. He had already explored the place countless times, but it was still fascinating in a morbid way. When Alex first arrived in this house the attic was already packed to bursting, and ever since then as people came and went in singles, couples, and families, all of them left some sign of their passage behind. Over time it all accumulated up here, turning the attic into a history museum ranging from the mundane to the bizarre beyond words.
Here, a box of vinyl records, water damaged and probably unplayable but sorted carefully by a collector who was a fan of rhythm and blues. There, a box of ancient hardcore pornography with questionable content and foreign words. Here, a rack of clothes that might have come out of a classic actress' trailer. There, something that looked like a wooden phallus propped against some cracked garden gnomes. On a table rested an antique music box that would fetch quite a price at an auction. Next to that was a moldered baby doll with nails sticking out of her at every angle. There were an unusual number of mannequins stored up here, dressed in assorted clothing that ranged from modern to back in the day when 'talkies' were still a new thing. Alex could spend all day cataloguing the oddities that crowded the attic, piled so high that navigating it was like a mouse maze.
Overshadowing them all was the pièce de resistance, the masterwork of the whole confounding attraction. It dominated the northwest corner of the space, and long withered flower petals had been scattered about at some point in its history. It was a life-size plaster statue of Jesus with a lamb in his arms and a female supplicant at his feet. The Light of the World had been painted so his beatific expression became a horrid leer, and his robe was black with strange symbols both Satanic and obscene. The animal in his arms had been decapitated and red Tempura paint gushed from the stump. An elephantine cock had been sculpted and gifted to the Savior, and the woman throwing herself at his feet was spread-eagled and presenting her full nudity. She had an extremely bad case of
vagina dentata
, her exposed genitals looking like the mouth of an angler fish. Alex could stare at this thing for hours, pondering the mindset of the artist who would create something so unsavory and perplexing. It was clearly blasphemous and intended to offend, but Alex felt whoever had sculpted this was trying to say something specific. Attempting to figure it out was a good way to kill time.
Time. That seemed to be the only thing Alex had to his name anymore. It sounded petty to say out loud, but Lord above this house was
boring
when it was empty. Alex picked his way through the labyrinth of debris, ducked to avoid a low ceiling beam, and looked out the round attic window into the night. Raindrops spattered the glass as they so often did, and Alex was extremely tired of looking at them. There was no thunder or lightning to accompany the shower, just the depressing gray drizzle this part of the world was famous for.
Alex hadn't seen the realtor yet, so he assumed she'd be here in the morning. All the hedges and gardens had been expertly tended to, and the massive lawns were trimmed neat as you please. Rick probably was the cheapest deal they could get, but he did a damn good job for his money. Alex propped his arm on the sill and rested his chin, staring glumly into the darkness and wondered what the new people would be like.
All kinds of people had attempted to call this place home over the years. Some were pleasant enough, and some were just plain rude, and one had an especially unfriendly dog that barked incessantly whenever Alex was on the same floor of the house. Maybe he would get lucky this time. An elderly couple might be nice, at least they would be quiet. On the other hand, maybe some rich young socialites who would play music and throw parties would break the monotony. Alex hadn't been to a party for who knew how long. A family could be acceptable, even though the last one spent so much time screaming at each other that Alex was happy to see their taillights for the final time. Mysterious sounds and inexplicable motion were
their
reasons for deserting, once again blamed on an unstable foundation.
The truth was, Alex didn't care much who his new housemates might be. He genuinely liked other people and enjoyed their presence. Being alone, well, it
sucked
. It made him feel disconnected and he got confused easily about time passing. When Alex had company, he was practically a student of humanity. He would lurk, listening quietly to their private conversations, watching what hobbies and activities they practiced, even reading someone's diary over their shoulder when the opportunity presented itself. His curious nature caused him to emulate them in his own ways, attempting to discover what they gained from their varied behaviors. Like when the family moved in who said Grace for every meal. After a few days Alex joined them, even though he only had a vague concept of who he was supposed to be thanking for what.
"Just no dogs this time," Alex implored to no one in particular. "Cats, rats, birds, monkeys, pigs, cows, elephants, I don't care. Just no blasted barking dogs." Alex didn't hate the beasts, he adored them. But they sure as hell didn't return his affections, and their incessant aggressive racket started to pierce the base of Alex's skull after a few days. He prided himself on being a tolerant and understanding man, but everyone hit their limits eventually.
Alex stood there a time, watching the rain fall and allowing his thoughts to wander. It was easy since it had been his major activity for months. People who didn't have to suffer through it had no idea how devastating solitude and boredom could be. It was way too much time to be left alone with one's thoughts, and they would inevitably move into dark territory. To make things worse, Alex's naturally inquisitive nature had no target left in the house. He'd read every scrap of paper, studied every painting, and knew every nook and cranny of the grounds like the back of his hand. With nothing more available to discover, he felt lost and pointless. Self-examination had entertained him for a while, but he was such a frustrating mystery to himself that he only timidly plucked at that Gordian knot. Perhaps if he could learn to understand others, Alex could define himself by context.
His idle thoughts were interrupted when low-mounted headlights appeared on the far side of the front gate. The decorative lamps that glowed from above illuminated a bright red car that looked expensive and sporty. At first, Alex assumed it was someone on their way home from a bar who had gotten lost and was turning around, but then the door opened and the driver got out. The distance was too far to make out many details, but the general size and shape of Alex's visitor appeared to be feminine. She walked over to the keyless lock, punched in a code, and pressed the button that opened the gates. Returning to her car, she guided it soundlessly up the wide driveway that led to the turnaround. Rather than taking advantage of the attached four-car garage, she pulled up to the walkway that led to the front porch. By craning his head, Alex could just catch sight of her below as she got out of her car and eyeballed the house, unperturbed by the rain.
The strange woman definitely wasn't the realtor, Alex knew the older woman by sight, and it was way past her bedtime. Nor could he imagine any kind of cleaner or service showing up in the middle of the night in a luxury car. The woman had gotten past the security measures, which pretty much meant she belonged here unless she was a spectacular thief. That left one possibility - this was his new housemate. Alex tried to get a clearer view of her, but could only make out damp, strawberry blonde hair. She crossed to the other side of her car and extracted a single bag from the back. From the passenger seat appeared a cat-carrier rather than a passenger. These items in hand she paused once more to ogle the house, and then walked up the pathway toward the porch and out of Alex's range of vision.
Holy shit, maybe Alex had lucked out! The prospect of sharing space with a single woman held remarkable appeal. Deciding he wanted a better look at her before her husband showed up with their seventeen children, Alex deftly made his way through the clutter to the narrow staircase that led down to the second floor. The steps were wooden and badly in need of repair, but Alex made no noise as he descended. A quick sprint down the hallway and he was at the landing, looking over the handrail down at the great hall. His timing was perfect. The latch clicked audibly, and the decorative front doors opened to admit one of the most stunning women Alex had ever laid eyes on.
"Honey, I'm home!" she called. Then she set down the cat-carrier and released a fat and fluffy tabby cat, giving it a loving stroke as it strutted out to take in its new surroundings. The woman appeared to be somewhere around thirty, but it was difficult to tell. The hair she was wringing the water from was a gorgeous strawberry blonde and reached nearly to her slim waist. She looked around the great hall with admiration, and even from this distance, Alex could see her eyes were the color of a clear sky shining through glass. Her face was diamond shaped with fine, high cheekbones, a pert nose with a delicate gold ring hugging the nostril, and full, sensuous lips that were naturally red. A hint of freckles dusted her cheeks, and the room seemed to light up when she smiled and picked up her cat.
"Welcome to Cairnwood!" Alex called down cheerfully. "Hola! Shalom! Czesc! Marhaba! Salut! Hallo!"
"Can you believe this, Jean-Luc?" the woman said in amazement as she stroked the fuzzy animal. "Are we actually going to
live
here? Look at that chandelier! Look at those stairs! Sheesh, Mom sent pictures, but she missed all the best parts."
"It's a nice place," Alex agreed, descending the sweeping staircase and stopping a respectful distance away. "Needs to be cleaned up, like, a lot. I apologize for that, but I'd be happy to show you around. My name's Alexander but please call me Alex."
The cat reacted to Alex's presence with a loud hiss and began to attempt to escape. "What's the matter with you?" the woman asked. "You're never this squirmy. Okay, sweetie, go explore. There's probably plenty of mice in this place." She released the struggling animal, and it scooted away to hide under the stairs, its green eyes glittering in the shadow. "Weird fucking cat", she muttered to herself and set to looking around, starting with the portraits that adorned the walls of the great hall.
"That's Cornelius Cairnwood," Alex informed his new companion when she paused before an especially large and elaborate painting mounted above the northern doorway. "He was a railroad tycoon, captain of industry, robber baron, whatever you want to call him. He built this place and left it in his will that his portrait never be taken down. I don't like this one much, myself, he looks like an insufferable ass."
"Who's
