Rotham Manor

Origins

It was dark down here. The only light I had was through the cracks of the basement door. I don't know how long I've been there. It could be several days or even months but it's impossible to tell. Mom found out about the Rathom Manor. I didn't know how she did it and had locked me here for the meantime. I decided to go to sleep to pass the time.

"Leopold, wake up," Mom ordered.

I sat up and saw her sitting on a foldable chair with a coffee table at her side.

"You could've been more discreet about your little visits," she said. "Using the surveying notepad as a dictionary isn't the wisest choice."

"Why don't you like it?" I asked.

"How do you know I don't like 'it'?"

"You wouldn't have kept me in the basement," I pointed out.

"How observant, Leopold. Well, it's best to tell you about Mommy's childhood since you already met them."

"As a child, I grew up in a large home built right here and attended a Catholic school. I was lonely at school because I openly rejected the religious teachings. No one reached out to me so that's when I decided to imagine a place on the other side of the brick wall that bordered the property. I imagined my ideal of a family. I started off with a lovely house on top of a hill. My first companions were Stewart and Stella who were based on Father and Mother. My parents were extremely young when I was conceived; my father was fifteen and my mother was twelve. Because of how young they were, I saw them more as siblings but Stewart and Stella were the better versions of their counterparts and so it was for the other characters. I had two aunts and uncles who were younger than me so naturally I created a better version of them in my imagination. The Rotham parents were inspired by my grandparents who reared me. Helga was derived from one of the nuns at the school while the male servants were based on my family's own servants. Silas was my favorite character though because I gave him traits that will make him my perfect friend. Not too naive nor too intelligent, a child-like Roman sculpture appearance, a bit possessive, and values promises. I would sneak into the ivy wall when it was midnight. I never felt happier when I was there.

"Around the time I started junior school, I met your father. I heard that he didn't like girls who daydreamed so I stopped visiting the manor. We started to date when I became thirteen. We broke up three times but finally decided to run away together and get married since we were afraid my family wouldn't approve. Your father's uncle funded our passage to America and helped us to get married and settled. For the next decade, Lawerence worked to pay off the debt that was levied from his uncle. I became bitter and distant during that time because Lawerence said we'll explore the world if I married him but that never happened. I wanted to leave but couldn't for I had no working experience. Then I had you and felt more tied down to fulfill my duties as a wife and mother. When I had heard we were moving back here for Lawerence's job, I was afraid but found out all my relatives died from a fire accident.

"Now we're here. On top of the ruins of the old house and even on top of corpses since not all the family members were accounted for," Mom said.

I sat there too shocked to speak. Mom nor Dad ever spoke about their pasts. However, I still had a question.

"What did you do to the Rotham Manor?"

"I burned it," she said bluntly.

"Why?"

"I couldn't bear to know someone else was taking control of something that belonged to me and created by me. I never had control of anything; my family life, Lawerence, or you. Only my imagination. Now that even my creativity is contaminated, I must destroy it."

"Contaminated? Destroy? Didn't you also say Dad was beyond your control? Don't tell me you-you..."

"Yes, I killed him just before I came to see you."

"..."

"Don't look at me like that! It had to be done!"

She stalked up the stairs, slamming the cellar door. Once I accepted Dad's death, I knew I had to get help. I remembered Mom not locking the trapdoor and carefully opened it. She wasn't in the house so I quickly dashed out of the house.

I arrived at the local police station, breathless.
Several men were talking in a corner but stopped when they saw me.

"Come."