Snapdragons

Dark Superstitions

If you see a funeral procession approaching you head on, turn around immediately. If walking past is unavoidable, hold a button until the procession passes. Lock the door immediately after returning home.

Hold your breath while passing a graveyard.
It would be very unfortunate to be buried alive.

If you drop or open am umbrella in the house, somebody will be murdered. Be sure to put your umbrella in its proper place.

If a dog is howling at night while somebody in the household is ill, turn a shoe over underneath the bed. That is a very bad omen that must be reversed immediately.

And always, always cover your mouth when yawning. You can not have your spirit leaving you or the devil welcoming itself in.

This was how Alistair spent the earliest years of his life. Following his mother's superstitious beliefs and watching his behavior to avoid bad omens. But whenever someone said they felt bad that he grew up constantly thinking about terrible luck, he would only chuckle and respond with "I find it quite funny, actually." Because that was the truth. He could not help but laugh at what he was taught to do by his mother who would do anything to avoid the unknown. Death. Which was ironic, as she was very dead now.

Alistair Fairfax grew up as an only child. He had no siblings and, for the most part, he liked it that way. At least, he figured he would enjoy tranquil solitude rather than having to take care of or share the company of others. A quiet childhood allowed for a greater amount of reading and writing and drawing and all the simple things that children take for granted. He would revel in great works of literature and sketch the world around him in admirable detail. He would even play piano, imitating famous pieces until he could play them with grace.

Alistair's family was considered upper middle class, his father was a banker and his mother grew up well. The family was happy, the days were short with glee, school was fancy and familiar. And, though he would never admit it, Alistair was  a choir boy (a talented one, too) at his Catholic school and his mother was so proud of it that whenever she would bring up his singing while company was over, he would turn bright red. It…it's just choir, mother. He can still remember his huffy responses, irritating then but now only bringing warm nostalgia that he wished to keep to himself.

Through his past, there were many notable things that Alistair would occasionally still ponder. There are two types of people in this world; those who walk away when their heart flutters, and those who continue forward. That was something his mother would regularly say in the happiest parts of his childhood. It had seemed awfully poetic for something his mother to have said. That's why it wasn't surprising when she admitted that it was originally Alistair's father's quote. Something he made up to explain why he had been so shy and anxious as a young man. But whenever Alistair's mother would recite those words, his father would only smile gently. He was a quiet person, especially toward the end of his life.

Alistair had been just fourteen when his father passed away from illness,  nineteen when his mother died. The most superstitious period of his life was between those two deaths, his mother doing anything she could to keep the rest of the family safe while still mourning. That's why, spewing like smoke from the corners of grief, many would say that Agatha Fairfax passed from heartbreak.

Stop the clock, Alistair, please. And cover the mirrors while you're at it. I'd feel much safer…

Alistair would never once question this behavior, even though he knew well that it was just nonsense. There was no way that stopping a clock could prevent untimely death. Covering mirrors was not going to do anything but maybe cause you to look more disheveled than usual. Yet Alistair would abide by whatever his mother wanted, whatever would help her recover, bring her smiles back sooner. That is why he never took up the superstitious lifestyle himself. He would only follow the odd beliefs in hopes that his mother might finally feel better.