The Beauty of Death and the Pain of Living
A/N:
So this is my first attempt at Fan Fiction based around Maria from Mad Father to fill in the gaps between her meeting Alfred Drevis and becoming the family maid.
Disclaimer:
I don't own the plot, characters or anything related to Mad Father. Any dialogue or characters you recognise from the game don't belong to me. The only things I own are any spelling or grammatical errors.
Please don't sue me.
Rated T for mentions of domestic abuse and implied drug usage.
The woman was covered in a moth-eaten shawl that did little to protect her from the icy wind. Her short brown hair was still damp from the recent rain and clung to her face, hiding her hollowed cheeks. Her bare feet stung on the cobbled path and every step made her body scream at her to stop.
Maria was alone. Forever, it seemed.
The street was completely deserted. The only signs of life were the birds that flew through the clouds high above without a care in the world. Crates and barrels lined the sides of the small buildings. Maria settled herself down beside a stack of crates and lay upon the ground. Her stomach rumbled with hunger but she was too exhausted to try and look for food.
She closed her blood-shot eyes.
"Please... food," she murmured. "Somebody... Food... Somebody."
Maria was vaguely aware of footsteps coming towards her and curled into a tight ball.
A tall man in a suit and glasses was kneeling beside her with a curious look. "It's pitiful to see one so skinny," he said. "Come to my home, please. I'll give you clothes and delicious meals."
Maria blinked at him in confusion.
"Food?"
"That's right," the man was smiling.
He held his hand out to Maria and pulled her to her feet. She was struck by how warm his hands were. Maria stumbled and nearly fell down. The man steadied her and grasped her shoulders gently. "Come, my home isn't far away."
***
Maria found herself staring at the biggest house she'd ever seen. The word 'house' didn't seem to fit the building. It was a mansion. A mansion that seemed to glow with warmth and safety. The man opened the large wooden door and held it for Maria to enter. The entrance reminded her of a church. There was a podium at the other end of the room and bench seats that were lined up so they all faced the podium. There were stone pillars that reached up to touch the ceiling and the floor was made up of checked stone that was partly covered by a path of red carpet.
Maria took a hesitant step forward onto the carpet. The material felt soft and soothing under her sore feet and she let the warmth of the air swirl around her. The man walked on ahead of her. Maria hesitated. Noticing that she was no longer walking beside him, the man turned around to face her. "This way."
The man led her up several flights of stairs and opened the door to another room. A room that housed a giant wooden table with upholstered chairs. The man gestured to a seat. "Please, sit. I will fix you a meal."
The man disappeared up a passage, leaving Maria alone in the dining room. She tentatively walked over to a chair and sat down, running her fingers over the soft fabric of the chair. After a while, the man came back holding two plates; one piled with vegetables and the other holding a large amount of meat. He smiled at Maria as he set the plates down in front of her, before walking back up the passage again.
Maria held her hand over the dishes and let the steam curl around her fingers. So warm. She took a deep breath and inhaled the sweet smell of the meat. Chicken. After living on scraps for so long, Maria wanted nothing more than to start gulping down as much food as she could, but she restrained herself. Living on the streets hadn't changed her manners. She would wait for the gentleman to come back and thank him. He walked back down into the kitchen, this time carrying a porcelain jug and large mug. He looked slightly surprised. "Please, eat. And feel free to go up the corridor to the kitchen if you want any more."
"Um... Thank you for all of this, Mr...?"
"Drevis. Dr. Alfred Drevis."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Alfred smiled. "My pleasure. Call if you need anything, I'll just be downstairs."
He turned and went back down the way they came up. Maria turned her attention back to the food. She tentatively picked up her fork and stuck it into a boiled potato. She took a bite and was immediately transported to Heaven. The juices trickled down her throat and the warmth spread to her entire body. Maria started shovelling the rest of the vegetables into her mouth and then started on the chicken. It tasted so much better than she expected it to.
Maria heard the creak of the door open and looked up from her meal expecting it to be the Doctor. But no one came into the room. She heard a squeak of surprise and saw a pair of small blue eyes through the crack before the door snapped shut. Maria blinked in surprise before shrugging and going back to her food.
When she had eaten all of the food, she poured herself a drink from the jug. Expecting it to be water, Maria was surprised to see that the liquid was pale green and rather warm. She took a hesitant sip. It didn't taste like anything she could ever remember drinking, but it wasn't bad either. She drunk the entire contents of the mug and sat back in the comfortable chair. She felt better fed than she had in a long time.
Maria couldn't remember the last time anyone had ever shown her any kindness. Even when she had been working as a nurse at the local medical centre, her colleagues and managers had been less than civil towards her. Her parents hadn't been the best either. With her father passing out on the couch clutching an empty bottle every night and her mother standing at the kitchen sink and staring out the window, showing no emotion while her husband stomped up and down the house, breaking whatever he saw and bellowing insults at her and their daughter.
Maria absentmindedly touched the burn on her forearm and was immediately transported back to that day. She felt her father's hot breath on her face, stinking of alcohol. His strong grip as he pressed the metal into her flesh, only clutching harder when she tried to pull away. She felt the tears in her eyes as she tried not to cry out… Her mother turning her back… Her father screaming… She forced herself back to reality and looked wildly around the room. Maria wiped the sweat and tears off her face with her shawl and tried to calm herself down.
Suddenly, a yawn escaped her throat and her moment of fear was replaced with extreme tiredness. She suddenly felt like she was floating above the clouds. Her thoughts seemed like faint echoes in her mind.
Maria picked up the empty plates, jug and mug and took them up the passage to the kitchen. She was vaguely aware of herself running hot water in the sink and beginning to scrub at the remains of the food. When she was done, she set the dishes on the side of the sink and stood there, swaying slightly. She yawned again.
"Oh you didn't have to do the washing up," Alfred appeared behind her. He had taken off his brown suit and was now dressed in a lab coat. He was holding what looked like a bundle of white material. His voice sounded slightly muffled.
"It's the least I could do after what you've done for me," Maria said earnestly. She yawned again. Even her own voice seemed like an echo.
"Are you tired?"
"A little bit," she admitted.
He held out the white bundle to her. It was a plain white dress, it reminded Maria of the clothes the patients at the medical centre wore, but she was too lost to put two and two together.
"You can change into this," Alfred said. "I'll take you to your room."
Maria changed behind a screen in the dining room and was led out and down the stairs by the Doctor. He kept his hands firmly on her shoulders, as if to keep her from stumbling over. They went down two flights of stairs and along a stone corridor. Even in her dazed state, Maria couldn't help but notice that the basement was a lot colder than the upper floors, and Alfred had taken her shawl. Still, she didn't complain.
He pulled out a key from his pocket and turned it in the door. It swung open without making a sound. He led Maria into the dark room and lit several lamps. The room had been partly sectioned off, with bars running down the centre to form two cells. In the furthest one, there was a bed that was already being occupied and a dusty shelf full of half empty bottles and several rolls of bandages.
To Maria's surprise, Alfred gently pushed her into the occupied cell and shut the door. "Wait here. I will tell my family about you," he said.
"Family?" Maria hadn't seen anyone else in the house.
"I have a wife and a girl turning seven…"
Maria could see his lips forming words, but she couldn't hear anything. There was a slight humming in her ears.
The Doctor left the room. Maria heard the key turn in the lock, surprised that she could suddenly hear it in her state of fatigue. She sat against the wall, rocking backwards and forwards slightly, her head lolling on her shoulders. A groan of pain drew her out of her trance and focussed on the person lying on the bed. He was wrapped up in blood stained bandages, but Maria could still see the severity of his injuries. She wondered if the man was like her; taken in by Alfred when he needed someone the most.
Her mind completely snapped back to reality at the sight of the man in pain.
She couldn't leave him like this, not when she could help. Maria went over to the cabinet and examined its contents.
Alfred ascended the steps again and made his way to the library. A small girl with black hair tied up in two bunches looked up from the white rabbit who was hopping around the floor.
"Father!" the girl cried delightedly and ran up to hug him. Alfred chuckled and hugged his daughter. When she drew back, he saw that she looked rather worried.
He frowned and kneeled down in front of her.
"What's wrong Aya?"
"Father, I was going to the kitchen to get a snack for Snowball, but there was a strange woman in the dining room. Who is she?"
"Oh, Aya," Alfred smiled. "You don't have to worry about her. I found her out in town and she was starving, the poor thing hadn't eaten for long time. I gave her some food and she went on her way. You needn't be frightened of her."
"You're so kind father," Aya smiled. But her face grew serious again. "So… she left?"
"Yes Aya," Alfred sighed. "She's gone."
"Okay. Now I can get Snowball his snack!" Aya made to rush out the door.
"Just don't try to feed him any more of your mother's hamburger meat."
Aya looked at the ground.
"I just thought that he might like it since I love it so much," she said quietly.
"I know Aya, but it really isn't good for him. You can give him some carrots, he'd like that."
Aya perked up.
"Okay!" She opened the door and ran out. "Hi mum!" he heard her say before she disappeared out of his sight.
Alfred picked up the rabbit and sat down in an armchair as his wife entered the room, her arms were folded and she frowned at her husband.
"You brought a strange woman into our home?"
"She was starving Monika," Alfred replied while he scratched Snowball behind his ears. "Anyway, she's gone now."
Monika stood in front of him, confliction crossing her face.
"What if she comes back? What if she tries to break in? I know that you mean well Alfred, but we can't set up a homeless shelter here."
"I wasn't intending to Monika," he said patiently. "I doubt she would have the strength to even attempt to break into this house anyway."
Monika sighed and sat down in the armchair next to Alfred. She reached over and stroked Snowball gently.
"Has anyone applied for the maids job yet?" she asked.
"Not yet," Alfred replied. "But we only put up the advertisement a couple of days ago. Someone's bound to answer soon, we just have to be patient."
At that moment Aya ran back into the room, holding two large carrots.
"It's time for Snowball's dinner," she announced. Monika smiled at her daughter.
"I will go check on our dinner." She stood up and walked out the door.
Alfred stayed silent as Aya giggled when Snowball licked her fingers to get at the carrots.
With the man's condition beginning to improve, Maria settled herself against the wall and fell into an uneasy sleep. The next day she woke up to the sound of a key turning in a lock and self-consciously drew her knees up to her chest. She still felt incredibly tired and her vision was blurred slightly. Maria could see an obscured white shape coming into the cell and it took a moment to realise that it was the Doctor. He seemed to stop beside the injured man, but Maria could not see the look of astonishment on his face.
Suddenly Alfred kneeled in front of her.
"What is your name?"
Fog clouded Maria's brain as she tried to process his question.
"M….m… Maria," she murmured. The fog seemed to clear slightly.
"Maria, will you be my assistant?"
She said nothing as her vision slowly became less blurred and she was looking into the warm brown eyes of Alfred Drevis. She frowned.
"I…I..."
"Will you intrust me with your life?" He persisted.
Maria looked back into the eyes of the man who had saved her life, the first person she could remember to show her any sort of kindness. There was no decision to make.
"I will." She said.
Maria had no belongings, so it didn't take long for her to move in to the spare bedroom in the archives. It was a small room with a single bed in the centre, a bookshelf in the corner and several spider webs, but it was more comfortable than Maria could ever imagine. She was given a maid's dress and hat to wear and she was even given her own hairbrush.
On her second day, the Doctor knocked on her door and let himself in. Maria had been watching a spider make a web with fascination.
"I think it's time that you met my family."
Maria felt butterflies flutter in her stomach, despite the Doctor's warm smile of encouragement.
He led her down into the entrance hall where Monika and Aya stood. Aya was clutching Snowball.
They stopped in front of them.
"Maria, this is my wife Monika and my daughter Aya," the Doctor introduced them. "Maria will be our new house maid and my assistant."
Maria curtseyed.
"I will do my best to serve your family through illness and wellbeing. I will be loyal to you for as long as I am in your service," she said solemnly.
Monika gave a hesitant smile.
"Welcome to our home, Maria."
"Thank you mistress," Maria replied.
Aya said nothing. She looked at the ground shyly.
"Say welcome to Maria, Aya," Monika said gently.
"Welcome to our home, Maria," Aya said quietly.
"Thank you, mistress," Maria curtseyed again.
Maria had no idea that her decision to remain loyal to Alfred Drevis would ultimately decide her fate. That evening, while she cooked the family dinner, she couldn't help but notice that throughout the meeting, both Monika and Aya had looked at her with distrust in their eyes.
And it was only a week later that Alfred took Maria down to the lab for the first time since Maria had spent the night in the cell with her patient. Maria could never imagine that the seemingly warm and secure mansion held so many secrets, some more deadly than others. And the man who hid them would show her the beauty of death and the pain of the living.
A/N:
Not sure if it's any good or not, but I'm open to any constructive criticism :)