Blackthorn Manor

Part 1

January 29, 2018

It is not my imagination that the days have grown longer ever since my arrival. Ever since I came to this godforsaken piece of land, the days have increased, in inverse proportion to my ability to tell the difference. Time is tracked by the calendar hung on my wall – small red exes, in the corner of small white boxes. Each day bleeds into the next; already, the faint marks of last month are visible, which means the length of time I have been living here is longer than that.

Time is a funny thing here. It seems to be at once both longer and shorter, because on the one hand, I still do not know much about my employer and on the other, it is difficult to remember my life Before. Please note the use of capitalization, as I feel it is important. Capitalization distinguishes an epoch or an era, a certain length of time wherein one part of life is divided from another. In this case, the time is before and after I came to Blackthorn Manor. I cannot say for certain why I feel this to be important, only that I do.

The air here is strangely permeated, as though we stand on the edge of a precipice. The word holds its breath, conserving its energy before – well, I do not know. I only know that I am waiting, and that I am not alone.

If I count backwards on my calendar, I have been here for sixty days. Today is the sixty-first, since it was seventy days prior I read the ad in the newspaper. The first reading struck me as odd, although it was also intriguing. After I first passed the ad by, I found myself circling back to read it again. There it was, laid out in black and white letters in the Help Wanted section.

Needed: One organized, self-starting individual to assist a scatter-brained, recluse writer in various tasks of a both professional and personal nature. Experience preferred, but not necessary. Live-in requirement. Salary negotiable. Call: 555-5666.

My first instinct was to shut the paper. I did so immediately, standing and walking around my room for nearly twenty minutes before I re-read the blurb. The wording was odd, but I could not shake it from mind and after several days of deliberation, I broke down and called. The man who answered the phone was, well – jolly is the first word which came to mind. Such a voice was unexpected, given the tone of the ad, until he explained he was not the employer. Kim Seokjin is the caretaker of the grounds and works for the man in question – a one, very familiar name of Min Yoongi.

When I heard this I was, understandably, impressed. Few alive have not heard of his name – Min Yoongi is known as much for his prose as his eccentric living habits. When Seokjin spoke his name on the phone, the manner of advertisement no longer seemed as strange; Min Yoongi has expressed upon multiple occasions to the press that he has a strong distaste for technology. Seokjin informed that the position in question was a personal assistant, one which could open doors later on down the road at multiple companies.

It was this which led me to accept, in the end. One, fairly bizarre, interview later I found myself standing on the front steps of the manse. Blackthorn Manor is a fabled residence for its history alone. The most trustworthy of sources state it was built shortly after the crossing of the Mayflower. Less trustworthy sources maintain it has stood for much longer than that, but whatever the case, it stands alone in the dark dreary hills of Dern. It cost me a pretty penny to reach, due to all the respectable cab drivers flat-out refusing to drive within a mile of the mountains. Apparently, these lands have quite the reputation. This is something I do not care to ask about, nor learn. The one cab driver who agreed to take me was a seedy fellow named Albert. We drove near enough to the manse before he ordered me out, demanding triple the cost said at the beginning.

That scam was enough that I complained about it to Seokjin, who compensated my bank account suitably the next day. One thing I can say about my employer is that he is not stingy. My chambers are well-made, filled to the brim with luxurious fabrics and exotic amenities. Seokjin explained the rooms are built this way on purpose; quality items break less often, and it is difficult enough to get someone out here to fix them.