creds; versatahl
"So you didn't die."
We were sitting in a large, comfortable parlor on the other side of the hall from where I had burned the doll a few minutes earlier. After forbidding me to leave, Teddy had carefully placed the black hair he held in a small glass jar tucked away in the shadows of a recessed wall shelf. Only then did he step out of the room briefly to retrieve a crimson robe. Beckoning me to follow, he led me across to where we currently sat, his hands clasped in his lap as he regarded me with a small smile.
"No, I did. What did they tell you killed me?"
I started slightly at that, but decided to go along with it for now. I didn't believe he had been dead, of course, but I knew something was going on, and while I couldn't rule out an elaborate trick of some kind, it seemed unlikely. "Okay, um. They said it was a stroke."
He winced. "Shit. I'll have to watch out for that. I need to eat healthier for one thing." His smile widened. "But I'm getting off-topic. You saw something pretty remarkable tonight I guess. And you deserve an explanation."
Nodding, I shifted in my chair. "Yeah, that'd be nice. I'm kind of freaked out right now. And please be honest. I know you faked your death."
Teddy raised an eyebrow. "Faked my death? No, I was really dead. They really buried my body. In fact, that body is still laying there rotting as we speak."
"But how? That makes no sense. How are you here then?"
He leaned forward, his eyes glittering in the meager light offered by the lamps set in the distant corners of the room. "Because I went to Hell and you brought me back."
I stood up. "Look, I don't have time for this weird bullshit. Pay me my money and I'll be out of your hair."
He waved his hand, gesturing for me to sit back down. "Calm down. You need to hear me out, believe me. For your own good."
I sunk down into the chair again, a ball of ice slowly forming in my stomach. "Why? Why for my own good?"
Teddy sighed. "Look, I didn't want to involve you in this. You're Sam's kid, and you always seemed like a sweet girl. But you're the only blood kin I have left, and it has to be blood kin for the ritual to work. If you had left like you were supposed to, no harm, no foul. But you didn't."
I frowned, my stomach twisting further. "So? I can just leave now."
He shook his head. "You can, but I wouldn't. Not yet." Teddy raised a finger. "Let me explain. Describe to me the people that were at my wake. Better yet, let me tell you. A bunch of well-heeled, slightly creepy strangers right? Maybe overly friendly to you for no apparent reason?"
Nodding, I swallowed before answering. "Yeah. They were really weird. Especially Dilly and Milly."
My uncle's eyes widened slightly. "Shit, I should have guessed. Stay away from them. They are very dangerous." He ran his hand through his hair. "Fuck, they're all very dangerous. But the point is this. My death, and my return, are of utmost importance to these people. There are probably half a dozen people watching this house right now, and some of them will already know that I'm back and you haven't left yet. Which means you might be learning things they want kept secret."
"Ok. Like what?"
Sitting back, his expression dark, Uncle Teddy began to explain.
When I was in my twenties, I came out here to try and make a living as an artist. As you might expect, that went about as well for me as it does for most. Within six weeks I was close to starving and no one had bought a single one of my paintings or sculptures. I was on the verge on selling my remaining art supplies and using the money to buy a bus ticket back home.
