"Sonny, I need you to do something for me," she croaked, feebly attempting to sit up in the creaky hospital bed. Alfred shuddered at her movement, knowing that in the state she was in, any slight movement could kill her.

"Yes, Gran?"

She closed her eyes in concentration and ever so slowly lifted her hand to shake a stubborn index finger at her grandson. "I… I want you to have something. An old keepsake, something very dear to me." She looked around the room for a moment, dazed, before remembering to continue. "My funeral. It has already been settled in my will; it will be held in my home. When you attend my funeral –"

"Don't say that," Alfred interrupted, choking back tears.

"Oh, hush, child. It's tough, I know, but inevitable all the same. You and I both know it's right around the corner, looking at my current condition." She sighed. "Now, when you attend my funeral, you need to get away from the other folks. I don't care how you manage to do so, so long as you do it. Go to my bedroom, and open the top drawer of the old brown dresser in the far corner. There you will find a silver pocket watch. Take it and the letter lying under it. And whatever you do, keep the watch safe."

"Thanks, Gran. I'm honored that you would trust me with something so important to you." Alfred forced himself to smile slightly, reaching over to his grandmother's hand and squeezing in reassurance. His grandmother, however, shook her head.

"No, Alfred, child. This is more than just trusting you with an ordinary item. Sonny, if only it were that simple." Her breath caught in her throat. "Stash away the items you retrieve. You mustn't let anyone catch you, or let anyone know you are in possession of the pocket watch, at all costs."

"But why? Why does the watch have to be a secret?" Alfred asked, growing progressively more confused as their conversation continued. He looked down and noticed his hands were trembling. He decided to solve that problem by clasping his hands together in a death grip upon his lap.

"You'll find out in due time. Just make sure you keep the watch safe and secret." Her breathing became more rapid, and Alfred leaned closer simultaneously. "I love you, sonny," she gasped, heaving in her hospital bed in one final attempt to maintain her life. The heart monitor sang one long, continuous note, cruelly announcing to Alfred and the rest of the hospital that she had departed from this world.

I stood in the den of Gran's old Victorian mansion, awkwardly mingling beside the table filled with stale refreshments. No one bothered to talk to me, a rare occurrence. Today, though, I didn't mind. The less attention I received today, the better. I strained my ears, listening to the muffled conversations of the adults in the next room over.

"The house is worth how much?"

"A half million alone, and that doesn't even include any of her valuables!"

"Alice left me all her jewels in her will. I bet I could pawn them for quite a pretty penny."

I put my headphones in, not wanting to hear anymore. All I wanted was for this day to end. I was already nervous and upset enough without having to listen to the selfish desires of the rest of my family. I shook my head in disgust. No one even seemed to genuinely care about Gran except for me. They only "cared" for the monetary gain. Bastards!

"What was that, young man?" A stuffy, middle-aged relative of mine whom I hated too much to care about his name peered his head in through the doorway of the den. "Shit," I mumbled underneath my breath. I didn't realize I had begun to speak out loud.

"N-nothing. Sir," I tacked on as an afterthought, not wanting to piss him off more. I had a nerve-racking task ahead of me, and to have someone giving me the evil eye every two seconds would not be a good way to start off.

The man glared at me for what seemed to be an eternity before abruptly spinning around and walking out of the room, presumably back to his snobby, wealth-obsessed friends. What a dick. I looked down at my iPod to check the time. Ten minutes until the service was to start. I couldn't procrastinate any longer. With Gran's dying wish playing on repeat in my head, I forced my stiff legs to shuffle inch by inch until I made it to the doorway. I pressed my ear against the wall and listened carefully. The snobs were still blabbing on and on about their greedy desires, so I deemed it safe to make my departure. The ancient floorboards creaked as I made my way down. So far, so good. I met the end of the hallway and fumbled around in the dark for the doorknob, too afraid to draw attention to myself by turning on the light. But a set of footsteps not belonging to myself made me cease. My breath hitched in my throat, and I wanted nothing more than to make a run for it, but my feet were frozen in place, leaving me paralyzed. Of course I would get myself caught before I even grabbed the stuff. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I criticized myself.

"Alfred?"

Shit. I turned around to meet the face of the voice behind me.

Short chapter is short! They will get longer as the story progresses. Reviews are greatly appreciated. c: