𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 & 𝐂𝐥𝐲𝐝𝐞〚BRAHMS HEELSHIRE〛✅

𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮'𝓼 𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰

𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓽 16

Light spills through the windows, catching the dust that twists and turns like spirits. The attic is filled with fire-damaged furniture. Blackened wood chairs. A half-burnt painting. A fire-melted lamp. Greta stirs in a corner, opens her eyes reaches a hand up, and touches a big bump on her head. She grimaces in pain and sits up with a groan.

It's been an awful night as she remembered what happened. Frantic, she looks around for the figure she saw last night only to find a mannequin knocked on its side.

As she rambles to fix herself, she accidentally overturned a box, spilling its contents across the floor. Various baby and toddler clothes, a pair of very small shoes, and a photo album. She taught for a second before opening the first page.

Various pictures of a baby, Brahms, and the Heelshires in much happier, much more normal times. Turns the page. Brahms as a toddler, holding the doll Brahms, the same one that Greta now cares for. She looks through more pictures. Brahms smiling at the camera, Brahms opening birthday presents, Brahms showing a missing tooth. Brahms this, Brahms that, it was all normal pictures, except in each one the doll is there.

Greta turns another page. This one was different, Brahms as a young boy. Maybe eight. He was no longer smiling like before, now pale, unhappy little boy stares at the camera. In most of the pictures, he holds the doll over his face.

Turns the page again. Only two pictures left. Both without the doll.

The first one is where Brahms stares at a girl intensely, almost captivated by whatever she was doing. The little girl had brown hair, and chubby cheeks and seem to be in a heated talk with herself as she had a frown on her lips. Greta could tell at first who the girl might be until the second picture caught her attention.

The same girl, now facing the camera with a sweet smile. Evelyn. It was Evelyn, who stood beside Brahms in the picture. Both stood staring emotionlessly at the camera, clearly forced to take the picture.

When Greta flips through the album, hoping to find more only to be left with nothing else. She glances around her surrounding, noting how most of the stuff has been burnt but then it landed on the attic door. It's open now.

She looks nervous at it, feeling now scared to face the last night's intruder. She picks up a broken chair leg as that was the closest she could get as a weapon to defend herself. Taking a deep breath to calm and ready herself, she was started by a call.

"Greta?!" It was Evelyn, she was calling out for her, sounding concerned and frantic, "Greta where are you?!" / "Evelyn!" As if relief flooded her, she rushes down the attic stairs, carefully watching her steps. Then one more, all just as slowly as the first, until she reaches the floor. She was imminently crashed into a hug by Evelyn.

"Where have you been!" Evelyn begins scolding her like a big sister, "I've been searching for you all morning? You weren't in your room. You weren't in the kitchen-" Greta watch as she rambles on, her concern looking so real and genuine that Greta found herself apologizing for being absent.

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The attic stairs are still down. This time with Malcolm and Evelyn by Greta's side, the three staring before them. Malcolm walks around them, examining the attic door before giving them a tap with a broom handle. Greta, who is now clothed, stands back a few feet and watches. Evelyn stood between the two, dressed modestly in a sundress that covers her top and flows just above her ankle.

Malcolm gives the stairs another tap. This one is a bit harder. Then again and before a whooshing and a slammed filled the house. The attic stairs slam closed like the spring on a rat trap. Malcolm looks at Evelyn, "Well, that's one mystery solved."

Evelyn turn to Greta, and she gave her an apologetic smile, "Let's check the bedroom now," she took the lead as Malcolm follow after her. Greta knew that the two were now pitying her, but she was eager, she knows she wasn't crazy. There was someone else there last night.

Greta waits nervously in the hallway, her arms crossed, maybe because of the cold, maybe out of fright. She can hear Malcolm and Evelyn in her room, moving things around, "Nothing under the bed... The bars on the window are still solid..." Malcolm reported to Evelyn who was now holding a flashlight into Greta's closet.

The nanny gives a quick glance down the hallway to the Brahms Doll sitting up, hands in his lap like a real, little boy too. He's staring directly at Greta, almost as if he's watching her. She turns her attention back to the room when Evelyn spoke now. Just as she turns her head, she catches sight of Brahms out of the corner of her eye as he blinks. Or at least it looks like he does. Doing a double-take. Brahms sits there, motionless, inert, harmless, staring back at her with big, black, lifeless eyes.

"...closet's clear..." Evelyn walks out of the room with Malcolm on her trail, giving the room one last glance. Greta snaps out of her staring contest with the doll. "That's the last room. The house is clear." Malcolm said he didn't want to say it or look like it, but, by how the investigation going. It's only making Greta look worse. "Someone was in here, I know it."

"But you were drunk too, Greta," Evelyn whispered, her voice gentle trying not to hurt the nanny's feelings. Greta couldn't respond back to that, she was a light drinker and did have a few drinks that night.

Staring at Evelyn, Greta watches as the female talked about other justifications trying hard to believe her. Greta frowned, she thought about what Evelyn was doing that night, but the girl had a good alibi. Especially with how Malcolm saw her drunk dancing in the living room before leaving.

Evelyn wouldn't lie to her, would she?

"The doors were locked when I got here, there are bars on the windows and I've checked every nook and cranny in this very lovely and very large home." Malcolm sigh there was nothing much he can do. Evelyn smiles sadly, "I'm not sure what else we can do, Greta..."

"But my clothes..." The nanny looks down - a bit confused and embarrassed. Could she really have imagined all this? "You know, I used to sleep-walk as a boy. One night my parents found me outside in my pajamas washing my bike with my sister's bra. As you can imagine my therapist has a really good time talking about that one." Malcolm got Greta to laugh a little. Wanting to keep this atmosphere, Evelyn left them two, something about making tea for them.