Here we go again!
This is the 4th chapter for today.
In this chapter an old friend of us will make his debut. Now enjoy and review, please!

The Only Bereaved

He had left him lying on the floor.

Riff Raff forced himself into a sitting position and started to collect his clothes that were scattered on the pink-tiled floor. He dressed himself slowly though his entire body was aching all over.
It was early in the morning. The old clock down the hall heralded the 4th hour of the new day.
'It seems that I have been falling asleep,' he thought and went down into the kitchen.

After he had rummaged through all drawers and cupboards he finally found a bottle of red wine.
'That will be sufficient for now.'
He left the kitchen and went into the foyer. He settled the bottle with the holy red liquid down at a side table and opened the door of the old wooden clock.
It`s occupant didn`t look healthy at all, but being a skeleton could generally be a big drawback.

Riff Raff bent forward and took a small package out of the skeleton`s right eye socket. He closed the clock and sat down into the big dusty armchair standing nearby the side table.
He started to prepare one of his special cigarettes and uncorked the bottle.
'I`ll need some new exotic stuff,' he thought and took a sip. He lit up the cigarette and inhaled deeply.
His visions started to blur and his eyes became glassy. He took another sip.
'This stuff is not strong enough. I`m not able to sneak a bottle of wine every day to get my mind free! Frank is too sceptical by now, so he will find out sooner or later...,' he took another draw, keeping the fumes inside to fill his entire body with numbness.

An hour later, he meandered through the castle.
He couldn`t sleep. His mind was still woozy and he was glad to feel like this.
'I can`t tell her ... But why not? She`s my sister and I have to tell her everything! ... No! I`ve told her too much and I don`t want to endanger her anymore. Look what Frank has done to me! ... I know what he has done to me, but Magenta will lose her faith in me if she finds it out! ... And she will lose her faith in me if I would tell her about my weakness! ... That`s no way to discuss anything. Talk to me again when my mind is more accessible to me ... No! Wait! ...'
Riff Raff leaned his back against the wall and sighed. Moments later, he slid slowly down along the wall and sat down at the floor, watching the dirty red carpet intensely for quite some minutes.

'I need some new intoxicants...'

The next day started misty and the heavy black rain clouds lurking at the horizon reflected Riff Raff's sombre mood very well. Magenta sensed his frame of mind, but didn`t say a word though she knew her brother. He would tell her when the time was right.

The preparations for the funeral service were quickly done and the first bereaved arrived at the small church.
"I am sorry for your lost," Riff Raff said and put on a compassionating face that he had practised over the last days.
Frank welcomed the humans at the door and spoke some words to everybody Riff Raff couldn`t hear. A few minutes later Frank went inside to prepare himself for his speech.

Though the doors were still open, Riff Raff assumed that someone was still missing.
It was silent apart from the hushed spoken tones coming from inside the church.

Suddenly, some black birds flew away and the sound of an old technical vehicle filled the area. It became louder and Magenta and Riff Raff looked around in a haunted manner until a motorbike came into few.
Columbia went down the stairs in a hurry to join the siblings. She just loved the sound of motorbikes and so she was eager to see what – or who – was happening.

The motorbike stopped and the dust was slightly settling down.
A large sinister guy was sitting on top of the old vehicle, looking straight ahead without any movement.
The minutes went by and nothing happened. Columbia and the Transylvanians were gazing at the man who was still staring ahead.
Magenta nudged her brother into the side: 'Do something!'
Riff Raff hesitated, but moved slowly over to that peculiar guy.

"May I help you?" he asked carefully.
"No," the man answered without moving. He was still looking forward.
Riff Raff thought for a moment.
"The funeral service will be hold in the church," he said watching the stranger intensely. "All the bereaved are inside and it will start every moment," he added still not knowing what else to do. Although he knew Columbia and although he had read a lot of books, he was still mystified by the humans.
"Hey!" unexpectedly, the guy turned his head and watched him straight into the eyes.
'Holy moons, he`s looking like he didn`t sleep for ages!' Riff Raff thought.
"Hey... who are you?" the man said in a deep gruff voice and Riff Raff could smell the disgusting mѐlange of coffee, cigarettes and alcohol.
Still, the eyes of the stranger told him something more.
"I am the caretaker," he said hoping to sound as human as possible.
The man tried to look him straight into the eyes. It seems to be quite difficult for him. He looked pretty dangerous and Riff Raff execrated this awful planet and its customers once again.
"So... caretaker..." the man bent forward taking Riff Raff by his collar.
"All of the bereaved are inside..." he repeated in a low and dangerous, but also boozed voice, pulling Riff Raff closer.
"Thhhhsis... is not thssse c-correct answer...," he said petting Riff Raff`s cheek with his left forefinger, still trying to look him into the eyes.
Suddenly, he pushed Riff Raff away. Riff Raff stumbled but didn`t fall because Magenta caught him quickly. Columbia and the two siblings watched the weird guy carefully.
"I AM THE ONLY BEREAVED!" the man shouted all of a sudden and pushed his motorbike away.
He stumbled, but regained some sort of self-control quite quickly. He stood for a moment and then sighed deeply.

Then he shot Columbia an apologising smile and stumbled inside the church, closing the doors behind him.