Chapter 1: O Dearest Grandpa
The day that I found out about my grandfather's death had already started off on the wrong footing. From the shower spitting out cold water to my limo having a flat tire (causing me to be late), I could tell that all these events were leading up to a climatic killer. However, all seemed too normal after I reached my office.
"Morning, Mr. Sheffield."
"Howdy Ron. Sleep well?"
"There he is. Ron, we saved the last donut just for you."
I really did love my work, but what made it so much more enjoyable were the people surrounding me. There was one sniveling brown-noser Perry, but that was beside the point. We were all very compatible in the office because we all had the same goal: to become successful and prosperous. For the most part, we had achieved that, but there was no way to stop. It would be insane to stop working, because then where would we go? What else was there in life to achieve? "Hello Amy, have there been any calls for me?"
"Yes, actually. Your father left a message about an hour ago."
Oh god, the man that started it all for me (literally). I could tell you that I was a talented gifted student (well I was for the most part), but in truth, I was not. My grades and study habits were not enough to get me into writing school after college. Since I was about to hit a dead end in my life, my dad immediately hauled me out of the ditch and assigned me here as an assistant. Eventually, I caught onto his work and found out what he did to put bread on the table. Although there were some things I did not enjoy about the job, I pushed aside those premonitions and realized that I could carry on the family legacy. Not only would I be happy with that future, but my father and grandfather as well. If you did not know, my family had a long line of men running the business company and it's been running smoothly ever since. And if my dad did not help me out when he did, the company would go to someone else sooner or later.
"Ron? Are you all right?"
"Oh, sorry. Thanks for letting me know."
Just realizing I had spaced out, I walked swiftly into my office and sat in my chair. I stared menacingly at the phone and pondered on whether or not to call my dad or wait for him to call back. It was strange how our relationship worked. Ever since I became an employee of his, we have barely talked as father and son. In fact, we hardly talked at all to each other. The only times he would personally call me were when big important events occurred, usually in the family since business announcements would be made to everyone. I did not want to deal with a bad family occurrence at the time, but my gut instinct ordered me to respond to my dad's calling.
"Talk to me."
"Dad?"
"Ronnie, just the boy I wanted to talk to.... You were late today."
"I know I know. But I called to see what's the matter you want to tell me."
"You can always tell when I want to talk seriously eh? Well, your grandfather past away. Yeah, I know it's a shame that he died, but what's worse is that we'll have to miss a weekend of work and go out to observe his funeral."
"... Grandpa Chuck died?"
"Yes, but did you hear me? Three whole days! His funeral's taking place at his farm in some god-forsaken place called Mineral Village. Ha ha, what a crazy name huh? It's quite a ride to get there. First we have to take plane and transfer over to the dock..."
I quit listening to my father and let him drone on about how terrible the weekend would be. Somewhere along the way his brain missed the heart of the issue: my grandpa was dead.
"...Anyways, we're going to meet at the airport this Friday at 10 AM. Ok?"
"Sure, dad, see you then."
"Don't be late, you hear me? Do not be late."
"Yes, boss. Anything you say. When can I come over and shine your shoes?"
A comment a little too sly for my own good. I was sure that my dad was going to scowl at me for letting my tongue go loose, but all I heard was a pause, and then the phone clicked.
The thought of my grandpa's passing finally kicked in. I buried my face in my hands and ever so slowly tears began to drip. Grandfather Chuck, otherwise known as Charles Sheffield IV, was such a great man. I remember seeing him often as a kid when my father took me to work. He would always take a break from his meetings and play with me. When I think about now, he really was not as uptight about work as my dad was. However, when I was 10, he suddenly disappeared from the office. No one would tell me what happened to him. Even my own parents were silent about the issue. I thought then that he had died, but then I realized a friendly call from him many years later. He had apologized for not reaching me sooner since the place he was had very little "connection to the big world". It was then that I found out where he was: Mineral Village.
We had only visited the place a few times, but I still was able to distinguish it from the string of linked islands. In the middle of the island loomed a massive mountain with a deep valley surrounding it. Only a small portion of the island was populated but it was always difficult to tell if others lived in the thick forest.
"What an interesting place, eh?"
"Oh yeah, it sure is dad."
"I wouldn't mind leasing that island to some amusement park people."
"I wouldn't mind living there."
Yet another mistake made on my part. My father bit a little too hard in his cigar at my remark and spat the whole thing into the ocean. Awkwardly he just laughed it off.
"Good one Ronny. I wouldn't mind doing that either. Except I would like some skyscrapers or industry... oh god! I'm asking for too much! I should start small with electricity!"
I ignored him. Sometimes that man could be such a pompous ass. In fact, I could not remember a time where he would not make a snide comment about something he thought less than him...
"We're about to land!" a black man, who I assumed the captain of the ship, yelled, "Everyone, please be ready to disembark!"
I went inside the cabin to grab my things but then I bumped into a large muscular man. His towering vein-bulging body intimidated quite a bit.
"I'm so sorry sir!"
"Don't worry about it, little man... say, I think I've seen you before. What's your name?"
"Ron... Ron Sheffield."
"Oh right! You're Ron, Chuck's grandson. Pleasure to meet you buddy. The name's Zack. I used to deliver Chuck's produce to the dock market. We were pretty good friends. He told me a lot about you."
"I hope everything he said was good!"
"Oh, are you kidding? Of course! He praised you like no other! Boy, he was such a nice guy... it's too bad he had to leave us."
"It really is a shame. I loved him a lot."
"I'm sure you did... say, will you residing in his house or the inn?"
"Actually, come to think of it, I'm not too sure anymore. I would not mind staying in his house, as long as his body's not there that is."
"Nah, we've kept his body somewhere else for the funeral. His house is very nice... you would like it there. Oh, what am I saying? You've been there at least once!"
The ship horn blared like a terribly dissonant alarm clock.
"All right, I've got to be going. But we'll see each other later. Take care!"
"You too."
For a scary-looking guy, Zack was extremely friendly. I would never have expected the same in the city. Once we got off the ship, a short portly man with red top hat greeted our family.
"Ah, you must be the Sheffields, Chuck's relatives! I am Mayor Thomas. It is a pleasure to meet the three of you."
The cheery dwarf extended his hand out to my dad, but, like in his usual nature, he kept his hands frozen stiff at his side.
"Likewise, Mayor Thomas. Would you mind telling us where we will stay until the funeral commences?"
"Uh... certainly. Harris, please escort these fine people to the inn."
"Sorry to interrupt, but may we stay in our grandpa's house instead?"
"Son, what in god's name are you thinking? Why would you want to stay in that dump?"
"Are you Ron Sheffield?"
"Yes I am, Mayor Thomas."
"Pleasure to meet you."
"It is all mine."
"All right you know what Ron. Do whatever the hell you want. Your mother and I are exhausted from those trips. Just make sure to be at the funeral tomorrow morning, understand?"
"Ok, see you then."
Time to explore Mineral Village.
The day that I found out about my grandfather's death had already started off on the wrong footing. From the shower spitting out cold water to my limo having a flat tire (causing me to be late), I could tell that all these events were leading up to a climatic killer. However, all seemed too normal after I reached my office.
"Morning, Mr. Sheffield."
"Howdy Ron. Sleep well?"
"There he is. Ron, we saved the last donut just for you."
I really did love my work, but what made it so much more enjoyable were the people surrounding me. There was one sniveling brown-noser Perry, but that was beside the point. We were all very compatible in the office because we all had the same goal: to become successful and prosperous. For the most part, we had achieved that, but there was no way to stop. It would be insane to stop working, because then where would we go? What else was there in life to achieve? "Hello Amy, have there been any calls for me?"
"Yes, actually. Your father left a message about an hour ago."
Oh god, the man that started it all for me (literally). I could tell you that I was a talented gifted student (well I was for the most part), but in truth, I was not. My grades and study habits were not enough to get me into writing school after college. Since I was about to hit a dead end in my life, my dad immediately hauled me out of the ditch and assigned me here as an assistant. Eventually, I caught onto his work and found out what he did to put bread on the table. Although there were some things I did not enjoy about the job, I pushed aside those premonitions and realized that I could carry on the family legacy. Not only would I be happy with that future, but my father and grandfather as well. If you did not know, my family had a long line of men running the business company and it's been running smoothly ever since. And if my dad did not help me out when he did, the company would go to someone else sooner or later.
"Ron? Are you all right?"
"Oh, sorry. Thanks for letting me know."
Just realizing I had spaced out, I walked swiftly into my office and sat in my chair. I stared menacingly at the phone and pondered on whether or not to call my dad or wait for him to call back. It was strange how our relationship worked. Ever since I became an employee of his, we have barely talked as father and son. In fact, we hardly talked at all to each other. The only times he would personally call me were when big important events occurred, usually in the family since business announcements would be made to everyone. I did not want to deal with a bad family occurrence at the time, but my gut instinct ordered me to respond to my dad's calling.
"Talk to me."
"Dad?"
"Ronnie, just the boy I wanted to talk to.... You were late today."
"I know I know. But I called to see what's the matter you want to tell me."
"You can always tell when I want to talk seriously eh? Well, your grandfather past away. Yeah, I know it's a shame that he died, but what's worse is that we'll have to miss a weekend of work and go out to observe his funeral."
"... Grandpa Chuck died?"
"Yes, but did you hear me? Three whole days! His funeral's taking place at his farm in some god-forsaken place called Mineral Village. Ha ha, what a crazy name huh? It's quite a ride to get there. First we have to take plane and transfer over to the dock..."
I quit listening to my father and let him drone on about how terrible the weekend would be. Somewhere along the way his brain missed the heart of the issue: my grandpa was dead.
"...Anyways, we're going to meet at the airport this Friday at 10 AM. Ok?"
"Sure, dad, see you then."
"Don't be late, you hear me? Do not be late."
"Yes, boss. Anything you say. When can I come over and shine your shoes?"
A comment a little too sly for my own good. I was sure that my dad was going to scowl at me for letting my tongue go loose, but all I heard was a pause, and then the phone clicked.
The thought of my grandpa's passing finally kicked in. I buried my face in my hands and ever so slowly tears began to drip. Grandfather Chuck, otherwise known as Charles Sheffield IV, was such a great man. I remember seeing him often as a kid when my father took me to work. He would always take a break from his meetings and play with me. When I think about now, he really was not as uptight about work as my dad was. However, when I was 10, he suddenly disappeared from the office. No one would tell me what happened to him. Even my own parents were silent about the issue. I thought then that he had died, but then I realized a friendly call from him many years later. He had apologized for not reaching me sooner since the place he was had very little "connection to the big world". It was then that I found out where he was: Mineral Village.
We had only visited the place a few times, but I still was able to distinguish it from the string of linked islands. In the middle of the island loomed a massive mountain with a deep valley surrounding it. Only a small portion of the island was populated but it was always difficult to tell if others lived in the thick forest.
"What an interesting place, eh?"
"Oh yeah, it sure is dad."
"I wouldn't mind leasing that island to some amusement park people."
"I wouldn't mind living there."
Yet another mistake made on my part. My father bit a little too hard in his cigar at my remark and spat the whole thing into the ocean. Awkwardly he just laughed it off.
"Good one Ronny. I wouldn't mind doing that either. Except I would like some skyscrapers or industry... oh god! I'm asking for too much! I should start small with electricity!"
I ignored him. Sometimes that man could be such a pompous ass. In fact, I could not remember a time where he would not make a snide comment about something he thought less than him...
"We're about to land!" a black man, who I assumed the captain of the ship, yelled, "Everyone, please be ready to disembark!"
I went inside the cabin to grab my things but then I bumped into a large muscular man. His towering vein-bulging body intimidated quite a bit.
"I'm so sorry sir!"
"Don't worry about it, little man... say, I think I've seen you before. What's your name?"
"Ron... Ron Sheffield."
"Oh right! You're Ron, Chuck's grandson. Pleasure to meet you buddy. The name's Zack. I used to deliver Chuck's produce to the dock market. We were pretty good friends. He told me a lot about you."
"I hope everything he said was good!"
"Oh, are you kidding? Of course! He praised you like no other! Boy, he was such a nice guy... it's too bad he had to leave us."
"It really is a shame. I loved him a lot."
"I'm sure you did... say, will you residing in his house or the inn?"
"Actually, come to think of it, I'm not too sure anymore. I would not mind staying in his house, as long as his body's not there that is."
"Nah, we've kept his body somewhere else for the funeral. His house is very nice... you would like it there. Oh, what am I saying? You've been there at least once!"
The ship horn blared like a terribly dissonant alarm clock.
"All right, I've got to be going. But we'll see each other later. Take care!"
"You too."
For a scary-looking guy, Zack was extremely friendly. I would never have expected the same in the city. Once we got off the ship, a short portly man with red top hat greeted our family.
"Ah, you must be the Sheffields, Chuck's relatives! I am Mayor Thomas. It is a pleasure to meet the three of you."
The cheery dwarf extended his hand out to my dad, but, like in his usual nature, he kept his hands frozen stiff at his side.
"Likewise, Mayor Thomas. Would you mind telling us where we will stay until the funeral commences?"
"Uh... certainly. Harris, please escort these fine people to the inn."
"Sorry to interrupt, but may we stay in our grandpa's house instead?"
"Son, what in god's name are you thinking? Why would you want to stay in that dump?"
"Are you Ron Sheffield?"
"Yes I am, Mayor Thomas."
"Pleasure to meet you."
"It is all mine."
"All right you know what Ron. Do whatever the hell you want. Your mother and I are exhausted from those trips. Just make sure to be at the funeral tomorrow morning, understand?"
"Ok, see you then."
Time to explore Mineral Village.