The Plague Doctor [RATED R] ✓

(1) Dear Bishop,

⚕︎

WHEN I WAS BORN, my mother said that I didn't even cry. The doctors told her that there might be something wrong with me, but when they checked, I was completely fine, which was something that they found strange.

     Another thing that's strange about me was that my hair is practically white. It was strange because both my parents have black hair, but I didn't. To add it all up, my right eye is a light blue color, while the left is as brown as my mother's. Our doctors said it's heterochromia, but our neighbors said it was a curse.

     In all honesty, I never really thought of my appearance as something strange, but people's gazes and looks made it seem that way. That's why as I grew older, I ended up feeling strange about myself too. I didn't go out during the day either because my mother didn't allow it, so I had no friends. I was only accompanied by my books and my thoughts, which I believe added to my growing insecurities.

     "How old are you, Winter?" Mr. M suddenly asks, his voice pulling me out of my deep thoughts.

     I unconsciously touch my arm and look down so I could see where I'm going. "I'm twelve."

     Mr. M pauses when he heard my answer, so I look back at him to check his reaction, which I instantly regret because he was actually side-eyeing me with such an intimidating look, immediately making me look away from him again.

     "Is that so? That's perfect then. There's a girl here that's only sixteen. She moved here last year, but I honestly have only heard her speak once. Maybe she'll speak to someone younger," Mr. M tells me, and I didn't really know what to say after that, so I just kept quiet about it.

     "Alright, now listen carefully. There are a total of 58 rooms in this manor, while 32 are unusable. They're either flooded or damaged after the war. Now out of the 26 usable rooms, there are five that you're not allowed to enter. I'll show them to you later when I have the time," Mr. M explains to me while I follow behind him.

     We were now walking down this very long corridor where there are doors that are blocked by plywood, which I'm assuming are the unusable rooms that Mr. M mentioned. As we continue walking, I couldn't help but glance at the military man again. After my encounter with him downstairs, Mr. M took my suitcase and told me that he'll show me to my room, but even though the manor is partially damaged, everything else still looks well-maintained. How many people does it even take to keep it this way?

     "Other than the little girl you mentioned, are there any other people here?" I ask him.

     Mr. M doesn't even look at me as he answers my question. "The manor is still closed, but if you're asking about the people who work here, then there are a total of..." he pauses, and I was honestly expecting him to tell me a larger number when he suddenly continues, "Three. Five now including you and this other person that I have not met just yet."

     "Only three?" I ask in shock.

     "Three is enough actually, but it does make the workload heavier. I work all sorts of jobs in this manor. I fix broken lightbulbs, doors, pipes, you name it. I even kill mice and rodents, in the kitchen especially, but I'm mostly just known as the gardener," he explains, making me look back at him with furrowed brows.

     "You're a gardener? You don't look like a gardener," I honestly say, making him laugh.

     "Is it because of my clothes?" He then asks me, pointing at the military uniform that he's wearing.

      "No, it's because of the overgrown plants and vines outside," I tell him, and Mr. M laughs again, probably because he thinks that everything I say is humorous to him, considering how young I still am.