Horror stories, urban legends, e.t.c

My Grandfather Died and His Will Demands That I Kill My Father

cr. u/WeirdBryceGuy (Reddit)

He left several things for the family. My father received his collection of watches, my mother received a few books he felt she would like—mostly historical diaries—and I was bequeathed a letter, a small wooden box, and his cane. In his will, my grandfather insisted that I read the letter alone, and that neither the cane nor the box be placed in the hands of anyone but myself. I've read the letter, opened the box, and studied the cane. I'll retype the letter, leaving out a few personal details, but all the important information is there. It reads:

Dear beloved Grandson. You have not yet been born. In fact, your father has only just come into this world, and it saddens me deeply to put down these words; but I must. Your father, though I already love him more than anything in the world, must be ended before nature or accident claims him, after I have died. The task will fall on you, his first-born child, and you may not seek anyone's assistance in this matter.

When I die, this letter, my cane, and the vial will be transferred to your possession. The cane's handle may be detached, and the interior has been hollowed out and fitted with a small firing mechanism. The vial is to be inserted into the cane, the handle returned and sealed. When twisted counter-clockwise, a blade will extend from the tip of the cane. This blade, after the vial has been inserted, will be enhanced with a potent poison. You are to stab your father in the heart with the cane, or—when the jewel embedded in the handle is clicked—to fire the blade, which simultaneously acts as a dart.

If your mother interferes, do whatever you can to convince her to relent, and if not, the cane works doubly as a fine blunt weapon. I know you must love them dearly, but by reading this letter you have been charged with an irrefusable duty. You must accomplish this task within the week that follows my demise, no matter the circumstances. Your father does not know it, but he is not human, and neither was his mother—your grandmother. I have done many questionable things in my life, and perhaps the most heinous is my betrothal to that extraterrestrial succubus. I was a fool; acted on urges, rather than sense. But the past is the past, and I have slain her. I told your father that she died in her sleep—and that she did—but it was only by implementation of the same poison which you now must utilize against someone you love.

When I die, a certain charm, or enchantment shall be lifted from your father, a charm I placed upon him as a child, so that he would not know what he truly was; would not grow into the fate portended by his genealogy. Your grandmother, though kind in her own, inhuman way, wanted your father to become a leader amongst men, to usher us into a new state of civilization, but I have seen the efforts of her race's men, in the historical tomes she has shown to me. They are a progressive, intelligent race, for sure, but they achieve this progress by any means necessary. Genocide, apathy bordering on cruelty, these are commonplace among their people.

Thankfully, fortunately, your grandmother was an outcast, a self-exiled female of their kind, who came here in search of a more peaceful race. While I don't believe she found exactly what she had sought, I am grateful for her aberrant desire which brought her here. I loved her, from the moment I found her curled up in that crater, during my league's expedition to the arctic.

She learned our language, culture, and mannerisms impeccably fast, and I soon graduated from her proctor to her lover. We kept her origins a secret, and thankfully her race differed little in appearance from our own, and what was noticeable was easily concealed by makeup and the appropriate clothing. But as she grew older, she wished a fate for your father that I could not oblige, so I murdered her; using a concoction I learned about from the vast boon of knowledge she had shared with me. I want your father to live a long, healthy life, to experience humanity; he deserves that much. But only as long as I may oversee that life.