Disclaimer:
All characters in this fictional story are 18 years old or older.
House Rules - Pt.1
Mikes back was aching. He had been carrying boxes all morning and was now lying on his bed, trying to stretch and ease the pain. He looked up at the ceiling of his new room and wondered about the strangeness off it all.
A few months ago, his mother had gotten a letter in the mail notifying her, that her great uncle had died and that she was the sole heir to his estate. Something about her being the only remaining next of kin alive.
Mike hadn't really cared as, they all thought it a joke at the time. His mum had never even heard of a great uncle. But then, a month ago, the notary had actually visited them in person and indeed confirmed the truthfulness of the letter.
The estate had consisted of several assets and some amount of money, most of which had gone to charities and taxes. But the biggest item on the list had been the house itself. It was very old and must have been in the family for many generations.
The will of his mother's great uncle had stated that if there were any remaining family members to be found that the only condition to inherit was that the beneficiary had to move into the house. Otherwise, it was to be demolished and the property, using the remaining funds, to be turned into a nature reserve.
They had discussed it as a family. Neither Mike nor his twin sister Jessica had been eager to move state and more or less into the wilderness. But in the end their mother Monica had put her foot down and soon they all had packed their belongings and moved to the middle of nowhere.
They had arrived yesterday, and a few hours later the moving company had called. Their truck had had a flat tire and it had taken another day for their stuff to arrive. So, they had had to make do with bare necessities and whatever furniture had already been in the house.
This morning Jessica had declared at the breakfast table, that she didn't much like their new home. She had said it was creepy and old, and that she had heard strange noises at night. But thinking back on it now, Mike had actually enjoyed his first night.
Sure, the noises were creepy but he had soon discovered, that it was just the old wood settling when there was a strong breeze. Also, he thought it was cool living in a house with an actual entrance hall and a dining room, instead of the cramped apartment they had been living in for most of his life.
Mike closed his eyes and tried to relax his back but was suddenly interrupted by his mother's voice. "Mike, come down here. You're not done yet. I want you to carry these boxes up to the attic."
Mike sighed. "Can't Jessi do it" he yelled, not moving from the bed.
"Fuck off!"
"Language, Jessica!" he heard his mother scold his sister. "No Mike, they are too heavy. Please don't make me come up there and get you."
"Fine," Mike mumbled and made his way downstairs. He spent the next hour lugging the remaining boxes from the moving van up the stairs and into the attic.
When the last one was in place, he took a moment to catch his breath and sat down on one of them. Looking around he wasn't too impressed with what he saw. Nobody had been up here in years, decades maybe. The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust and Mike could see his own footprints leading to the trapdoor.
Apart from the boxes he had carried up here, there wasn't much else. Only a broken floor lamp and a desk missing one leg, lying tilted on the floor. He got up and wanted to go back down the ladder when he noticed a case on the underside of the desk. Had the leg not been missing and the desk not been tilted he would have missed it.
His curiosity getting the better of him Mike decided to investigate. He took a closer look at the case and ascertained that it was crudely nailed to the desk. With a solid yank Mike managed to pry it loose and discovered a small book with a black cover and golden letters on the front, reading
House rules,
on the inside of the case.
Flipping through the pages Mike found that most of them were empty except or the first two. He pinched his eyes together, tying to read the letters, but the lighting was very poor and he had a hard time deciphering what was written inside.
He closed the book shut and climbed down the latter, wanting to find a better spot to read it. In his room Mike sat down at his own desk and opened the first page of the book. It read as follows:
"These are the house rules of Pearson Manor
Anyone, be they guest or resident, is obliged to follow these rules or the duration of their stay or be swiftly removed from the premises."
Following this there were a number of passages which were unreadable apart from the first cypher of every paragraph, which always was a number beginning at 1 and ending at 11. The rest was crossed out with ink.
Mike sighed with disappointment. Someone had apparently crossed out the actual house rules and there was no way for him to recover what was struck. Annoyed he dropped the book laid back down on his bed to relax his still sore back.
Just when he had found a comfortable position, he heard a creaking noise and his sister's head peaked in through the door. "What's wrong Mike, already spent?" She gave her brother a wicked smile. "Mom says you should stop lazing about and carry my boxes to my room too."
Mike gave her a hard look. "Is that right?" he asked. "And what else, should I maybe clean your room as well?"
"If you don't mind, sure. Actually... yes, she totally said that. Come, on. No time to idle."
Mike tossed his pillow at her face but she ducked out of the room, narrowly avoiding being hit. He heard her giggling and her swift footsteps quieting with distance, then a door opened and closed. For a moment he just laid there thinking about how to get back at his sister. As nothing came to mind, he groaned and got up to recover his pillow.
