Gasp. Winona woke up covered in beads of sweat. There is a light pitter-patter outside the window. "Rain," she whispered. This is unusual. My stomach is churning, like one of those cotton candy machines at the fairs. Something isn't right. I know it. Just as a distant roll of thunder gave a signal to the lightning, one of the servants came in, in tears and breathing heavily.
"Winny! It is your grandpa! He...He...he just had a heart attack! Your grandmother is calling the doctor and Aidan is giving CPR to him." She continued to blabber on, shouting to Winona about what was going on. Talking so fast that Winona couldn't get a word in edgewise. She couldn't speak rather. Her eyes were in shock, large in size. Her dry, pink, lips, slightly opened, as if to mutter a cry. Nothing came out.
Grandpa? Why now? He promised to do so much with me. He promised to teach me his favorite song on the piano and we were going to go have picnics in the spring. NO! He won't die. He won't. He won't... Winona started to whisper to herself the same words, barely audible, barely alive sounding. Almost demonic. In the bottom of her churning stomach, she knew he was going to die. She cried. Tears flowing like the rain, as it had gotten heavier. She realized. What is this? Tears? They are warm. I haven't cried in such a long time. Since before my wretched parents died in that car crash. My back burns when I think of them.
The servant was leading her out of her room and they both bursted into a run down the hallway to the bedroom where her grandfather lay. Winona wasn't thinking at all. Her legs ran on their own. Her heart was telling what her body was doing. Her brain was somewhere else. It was saying let go and stop where you are. It is no use. It is no use. Winona's hand gripped the hand tighter. They turned a sharp corner, both almost tumbling over. The servant tripped and did tumble. Winona kept going, gaining momentum in her night gown and bare feet. Tears were falling so slowly that they were flying off her face and creating a trail of salt water behind her as she skidded to a stop at her grandpa's room. Winona rushed in to find Aidan, hitting the bed as if he had just failed something. Something bad. Grandmother was clenching her heart and the other hand was over her face.
"Winona, my dear." Grandmother muttered under her cry. Winona could tell that she was holding back tears. Grandfather had just passed. Winona rushed to her grandfather's side.
"No! You can't do this to me! You can't! Why? Why, grandpa? Why?" She couldn't hold back her tears any longer and gave out a large howling cry. He sputtered.
"Winny, my dear. You are heavy on my chest," he whispered. He drew in shallow breaths. "My dear, I know I only have a couple of minutes left. I can't suffer anymore. I know I gave a good life to you, I hope, at least, I could do that after such a tragic start to yours. It is my time. Beth, give Winny the good life. You have our will." He sounded sincere. Happy to leave the world. Winny was holding his hand and he was gripping it hard, as if holding his life in her hands. She then felt her grandfather letting go. His hand went limp and his eyes started to close. "Goodbye my dears." That was it. He went cold.
No. No. No. No no no no no no no NO! "No!" Winona let out an unforgettable cry of angst. Her stomach and body was exploding on the inside. Everything to her was ruined. She knew that she still had her grandmother but it was her grandfather that rescued her from the place of torture and misery and hell. And now he was gone. Who will she have to do crafts with? Who will teach her poetry? Who will help her on her arithmetic? Such trivial things that Winona loved. Cherished. She knew that she didn't have the luxury before. And now she has lost the source of her emotional warmth. She screamed and howled loudly, thinking that if it was loud enough, he would wake up. Aidan was prying her from him arms. Winona was resisting and kicking him and screaming. She was already 16 and she was acting like a child. It felt right to fight him. Aidan's grip tightened and he shifted her to a position of cradling her. Winona's emotions collapsed on him and all she could do was wrap her arms around him and give up on the fight. She cried endlessly and wet his shoulder with tears. He didn't care to say anything. All he did was calmly take her back to her bedroom, laid her down, and covered her with the blanket. Just as he was about to leave, she whispered something. "Please stay with me until I fall asleep, Aidan. Please." She sounded like a child again. She fell asleep quickly and he carefully left the room. The house was silent for the death of wonderful man.
Days passed by. Weeks. All Grandmother did was stare outside the window and look for a car with her husband inside, coming to bring her flowers, like he did everyday to get her to marry him, over 50 years ago. Everyone saw it. She was going crazy. Mad. She started to get up in the middle of the night and wander the halls, looking for that large picture of Albert. When she would find it, she sat and talked to it. In some crazy mindset, it replied. Winona caught Grandmother talking to Grandfather. She almost giggled in the darkness of the night, but then felt pathetic and awful for almost doing so. Winona coped by staring out the window when it was a clear night. She would write poetry in the day and wander around the grounds outside and bring an umbrella when it rained.
Grandmother was dying as well. She stopped going to the picture in the main hall. She never replied to the dinner bell. She ate all of her meals in her room, in bed as well. Whenever Winona would go to visit her or take her outside, she would be still dressed in her nightgowns, her hair mousy and unwashed, and the smell of dirt on Grandmother. Winona would call the servants in to help her wash her Grandmother because whenever she would try, Winona would run out crying. She couldn't take the pain of losing someone else close. That woman is not my grandmother. She is a completely different person. She is mad. Insane. Insane. " Insane." She said this a little too loud and Aidan heard.
" Insane? What or who is, young master?" he asked smoothly.
" Gr-Gr-Grandmother," she stuttered. She couldn't help but to tell the truth.
" So she is insane. You would be too if you loved master Albert so much. I do agree, unfortunately." Aidan was a middle-aged man of about 40 years. He should have a wife and children but has not wished to do so in order to have complete focus on the Silvershires. So loyal. Winona ran away. She didn't know why. But, she didn't know why not either.
When will it happen? Soon? What shall I do? Will they have a joint funeral? Grandpa has already been buried, but there has been no procession. She has been to loopy to do so. What will I do? Without knowing it, she had ran straight into the rose bushes. She didn't care that she was getting splintered from head to toe on her dress. Her feet wouldn't let her stop. She hid under a tree that she used to have picnics under with her stuffed animals when she was 8 years old.
The next night, it was a full moon. Fuller as can be. This is unusual as well. The air is different. Just like the other night, but I feel fine. Yet again, something isn't right. She walked out of the bedroom and walked at a normal pace down the hallway and around the corner to her grandmother's room. Winona went through the doorway, and saw that Grandmother was sitting near the fire in her favorite rocking chair. Her hands were laying on her lap. Her usual position. Winona walked closer and peered around the chair. Her chest wasn't moving. Grandmother wore a blank stare on her face. Her eyes were clouded.
"AH!" Winona let out a high pitched scream. Her grandmother was dead. The servants came rushing in and Winona rushing out. She passed Aidan. Aidan stopped her by grabbing her wrists. " Let me go! Let me go! I don't want to go back in there." Winona was crying. Hard. Aidan could hardly understand what she was saying, but he let go of her wrists and she sank down to the floor. Winona bunched up her night gown and wiped her tears with it. She buried her face in her hands, not knowing what to do. Aidan went into the room and the sound of rustling papers was heard.
Winona was found sound asleep right where she was, curled up into a ball and tears still streaming down her face. She woke up the next morning in her bedroom again. Her eyes were puffed up and her entire face was red. She changed by herself into her dress, being careful not to touch her back and chest too much. She tied the last ribbon on her shoes and walked out of the room. She heard the sounds of muttering where her grandfather's study was.
"So! We must go over who is in the Last Will and Testament of Albert Robert Silvershire and Bethanie Victoria Silvershire." It was a lawyer. Dressed in his best suit. Not caring for the emotion circling the house at the walked in as he started. " And this young lady must be Winona." Winona was not too pleased and did not hold her hand out for him to kiss it. She was emotionally compromised. "Well, we must continue." He cleared his throat as if ready to recite a king's speech. " Dear family of the household, as of now, the servants are dismissed from their work. They may stay in the house if they wish for all taxes and payments on the mansion are payed for for the next twenty years. All of my belongings are yours now and you may do as you please. All of you have been trusted with my banking numbers and information. I hope that, even in the afterlife, I can trust you with my money." The letter continued about the house and all the expensive belongings that they had. They were always the couple for explaining every detail. " And to our dearest Winona. We have a house set up for you close in distance. Please do this for us and go there. The family has been with us for many generations. I am sure you know it. The Funtom Company. We have many toys from the company. The Phantomhives have a son who is a little younger than you and they are willing to take you in out of their hearts. We give you the key to the secret study and the extra key to the house. Grandmother also gives all her jewelry and Grandfather gives his rings of great specialty. You may take the books and our connections with you. I trust that Aidan will ring them to come and take you away to their home and welcome you with open arms. Please follow all of our wishes. Our love. Our family. Our home. We love all of you. May we rest in peace. Love, Beth and Al." Everyone giggled slightly from the informality of the will. Winona, on the other hand, was crying. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay, but she did think that leaving would also be good. Being away from the good memories. The bad ones as well.
How will these Phantomhives welcome me? Will I be enjoyed? Will I turn to be hated? What will happen? Should I go? I will go. I will listen to my grandparents from beyond the grave. Winona left to start packing. She took the key to the study and the extra key to the house with her to her room. No one stopped her. They just stared until the last lock of brunette, curly hair disappeared behind the door frame. She packed all of the dresses in her bags and the phone rang. "Hello?"
"Yes. Is this the Silvershire residence?" A man answered.
"Yes. May I ask who is calling?" She answered reluctantly.
" I apologize for the informality. This is Sebastian Michaelis from the Phantomhive residence. I am the main butler. Is this Winona that I am speaking to?" This Sebastian man answered. He sounded kind.
" Yes, this is Winona. I was told that Aidan would call you." She probably sounded angry, not meaning to be.
" We heard that, but felt it would be best to talk to you personally. What time can the carriage come to your house to take you and your belongings?" Sebastian answered again. His voice was calming and playful. It reminded her of a cat.
"I should be ready by tomorrow. Around noon. Will noon tomorrow work?" Winona found that she wanted to get out quite quickly.
"That should be splendid. I shall be there exactly noon. Thank you very much." He was sincere. Why was he saying thank you?
"No. Thank you." Pause. "Good bye then." Winona heard a muffled goodbye, but she had already put down the phone. Her hands were out in front of her, almost frozen, but slightly shaking. She was nervous. Saying goodbye to a house she was happy in? Impossible. " Well." She said to herself quietly. " Better start packing!" She said with fake enthusiasm and immediately started packing whilst crying.
How can one have so many tears to cry?