A flame sparked, roaring to life in the small campfire Goldie had made. She put her flint and steel back in her pack and sat down, looking out the cave's exit, watching the pouring rain. She was cold, not just due to the cold weather and puddles in the cave she took shelter in, but she felt cold… emotionally. She looked at the huge sack of riches beside her, 457 million dollars and seventeen cents in total in that bag, it'd be enough to make any average Duck bounce with joy. Goldie however, felt only an empty feeling. Goldie sighed as she took out her wallet from her pack, looking at the picture of Scrooge McDuck she has had for god knows how long, and the newly received picture of Louie, one of Scrooge's nephews.
Goldie sighed, looking at the photos. "Why do I care?" She thought to herself, remember how she stole the sack of treasure from Louie after crashing Doofus Von Drake's party.
"I got all these riches from the places I've explored and fools I have conned," she placed her hand on her cheek, slumping down a bit. "But why do I feel so… so empty? Is there something I haven't explored yet? A treasure I haven't found?"
Goldie took another look at the photos, "Or is it a different kind of treasure…?"
She didn't understand why she was feeling like this. She never felt like this before. Goldie has tricked and stolen from so many people to get her way, and not once would she ever have a tinge of regret on her mind. However when a certain Duck came into her thoughts, she started putting pieces together…
"Scroogie…" She said out loud, solemnly.
Despite what Scrooge might have thought about her, the time Goldie and Scrooge spent frozen in an ice cap for a decade meant a lot to her in a way. The day they thawed enough to where they could hold hands. Oh how Goldie did not want to let go, she cherished every second that her fingers interlocked with his. Gripping on tightly to each other as if nothing else mattered. Then, when Goldie thawed out… she fled. She left him trapped in that ice cap, damning him to be frozen for just a little longer. She would never tell anyone this, that is if she had anyone at all, but she would never admit to feeling her heart ache a bit during that moment. The farther she ran off, the worse she felt.
"I could not have gone soft…" She said out loud quietly, "At that moment, I was afraid of going soft…" She felt her bottom lip quiver, but she internally slapped herself, shaming herself. Guilt and regret were feelings she abandoned a long time ago the moment she became a conwoman.
At the same time though, Goldie felt those two feelings. She regretted leaving Scrooge there, she felt guilty for playing with his heart and for doing it so many other times…
"I could have freed you," she muttered out, "So why didn't I?"
Truthfully, not even Goldie knew the answer. Or perhaps, she did, but she didn't want to admit it to herself.
Then there was Louie. Goldie never really was one to scam children contrary to popular belief. But that party was too much to pass up for Goldie. But something about Louie felt different to Goldie. In a way, he reminded her of her younger self. Small and daring, and thinking about every single angle that she could use to her advantage.
"I admit, that boy had potential," she nodded, "But he was a fool for trusting me." Goldie said, somewhat sternly to herself, desperately searching for a way to make herself feel better.
"Even so, he was just a kid…" Goldie felt a familiar aching in her heart.
What did Goldie want? Did she want to apologize? "No," she thought. Goldie O'Gilt does not apologize. Goldie O'Gilt gets what she wants no matter what it takes! But the aching in her heart said otherwise. Goldie sighed, getting up and beginning to set up a sleeping bag. Hoping she would feel better in the morning. After all, she scams people all the time right? What makes this any different? Just another day in the life of Goldie O'Gilt.
