Chapter 3

When Greg came into the picture, Sutekh and his friends were already decades old. Some of them were pretty worn from years of use, like Swirl the mixer. Others, like Vai and Cody, were made obsolete by newer technology. The Master didn't use them much anymore – Vai and Cody had been replaced with a color flat screen TV and a DVD player respectively years ago – but he still held on to them, for which everyone was grateful. The decommissioned appliances had their place in the basement storage now, but they were still around and glad for not having met their fate in the junkyard.

It was a windy day April when the Master's nephew came to visit for the first time, a young man in his early twenties, pale face as if he didn't get out much, and short, sand-colored hair.

It seemed like an ordinary visit at first, so Sutekh wasn't all too interested when he overheard their conversation in the living room from inside the closet. But after a while, the conversation turned to the Master's old appliances, and that was when he perked up. "So, I heard you still have some broken old appliances in your basement," the vacuum heard Greg's voice through the closet door.

"Yes, I do. What about them?" he heard the Master reply.

"Well…" Greg's voice again. "I'm looking for some old appliances. It doesn't matter if they still work or not… I still have a use for them."

"Oh, I see… Well, I don't need those old things down there… Feel free to take a look at them and choose whatever you like."

"Thank you!" Soon after that, the conversation ended, and Sutekh heard footsteps going down the basement stairs. Not much later, he heard Greg coming back upstairs, joining his uncle in the living room once more.

"Did you find anything that perked your interest?" the older man asked.

"Yeah. That old video tape recorder," came the reply. In the dark, Sutekh knew exactly who he was talking about. Vai…

"So, I can have it? I didn't bring it from the basement yet because I wasn't sure…"

"Yes, of course you can have it," the Master said. "I don't need it anymore, I got the DVD player, plus it's become a bit worn. Started eating tapes every now and then."

"Ah, that's alright," the younger man responded. "I'll go get it then…"

"Oh, I can do that," the Master replied. "I need to get something from the basement anyway."

The Master went downstairs into the basement, and when he returned upstairs, he carried Vai. "There you go!"

"Thank you, uncle," Greg said, taking the VCR as the older man offered it to him.

"What do you need it for, if I may be so curious?"

"Oh, you'll see."

That kind of ominous answer didn't sit right with Sutekh, but he didn't know what to make of it. If the Master's nephew had so much interest in Vai, it shouldn't be a bad thing, he told himself. Although… why was it so hard to believe?

The others had no chance to say goodbye to Vai, but that was often the case when an appliance left the household; there rarely was a warning sign before one was given or thrown away, except if it was clear that their time was coming, it was something that just had to be accepted. They all assumed that Vai had been re-homed into Greg's household. Although the Master's nephew had stated that he didn't mind if the appliance didn't work properly – maybe he'd take them to a repair shop, or was even capable of performing repairs himself. Appliances were lucky if they got such treatment instead of being sent to the junkyard, so they decided to be hopeful and happy for Vai.

"I hope this guy will give Vai a good new home," Cody muttered the next time they all gathered in the basement storage. He missed his best friend most of all and hoped he would have it good.

Time went by, and sometimes, Greg came and took one of the old appliances with him. And every time, a sinking feeling at the back of Sutekh's mind grew a little more. One day, he finally realized why that was, and he voiced his concern to his housemates. "Isn't it odd that, once Greg takes someone away, we never hear from them again?"

Rowenta shrugged. "Why would it be? They live in a different household now, probably far enough so there's not much of an opportunity to keep contact. It often happens when someone is rehomed."

"Maybe, but we heard back from no one, and this concerns me. Remember how Marge – you know, the old radio - promised she'd keep contact? She didn't. It's been months."

"That does sound worrysome…" Mia admitted.

"It does," Sutekh acknowledged, thoughtfully. He remembered the first time he had overheard the conversation between Greg and the Master. "What do you need them for?" "Oh, you'll see…" It had been so ominous. It still sent chills down his pole. And so, Sutekh made a decision. "I'm going to investigate."