Greta gasps, as she bolts up in bed quickly. Heart beating in her chest, the nightmare is still on her mind.
She's still half asleep when she decides to get out of bed. She opens the bedroom door and sees her shoes in the doorway. The same shoes she had lost on her first day. Underneath the shoes are a small stack of papers. Greta lifts them up.
Brahms rules.
Never leave brahms alone, has been circled in a red crayon. She looks at the next pages - the schedule, starting with Tuesday. Today.
The hairs standing up on the back of her neck, she slowly walks into Alice's bedroom. She notices that Brahms and that other doll are no longer in the bedroom. Greta remembers that both dolls were sitting on her bed.
Greta goes back into the hallway and sees it empty. She goes into Brahms bedroom, and she sees something that makes her go cold.
Brahms laying peacefully in the perfect made bed, just like Mrs. Heelshire would do it. Brahms is face up, one hand by his side, and the other on his chest, just like a real little boy might sleep.
Her eyes widen when she sees stacks of papers all over the floor with the list of rules. Sitting next to the bed, is the other doll with no name, it's huge doll-like eyes looking at her. Chills run down Gretas spine as she notices a red crayon in its hand, snapped in half.
Greta bolts from Brahms bedroom and into hers. The doors slams shut. She locks the door. Greta grabs the phone and dials. She puts the phone up to her ear... Nothing. She turns the phone on and off again. Still dead.
Greta starts pacing. She runs her hands through her hair like a mad woman.
The phone rings, she quickly answers it.
"Hello?"
"Greta!" a child-like voice says, almost a whisper.
"Who's this?" she quickly asks.
"Why aren't you following our rules?"
Greta screams, throwing the phone across the room. She stops breathing when she hears humming.
The crack underneath the door, she sees something. Tiny feet. Two sets of tiny feet. The dolls?
"Come out Greta. We'll promise we will be good." The child-like voice says.
The foot steps move away from the door and something replaces it.
"we're sorry. Hope this will make you feel better... Its your favourite."
Greta stands up, unlocks the door. Carefully, silently opens it and peeks. On the floor is a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,and a glass of wine beside it. The papers, rules and schedule underneath it.
She picks up the tray. She puts the tray on the bed and picks up the sandwiches. She smells it. Opens it up.
It's peanut butter and jelly.
She starts laughing out of shock. She was scared.
**************
Greta stands over Brahms.
He layes there, the little smile on his face. Greta looks at him and the other doll then to the papers. She notices something on the list: bath time.
Greta looks at Brahms again. Dirt smudges on his face.
"Okay, Brahms and.... No name"
Brahms sits in the bath while Greta gently wipes the dust and dirt of his face and hands. The other doll sits on the floor wrapped in a towel.
Brahms and Greta and no name, sit directly a cross from each other. Plates of food in front of them. Greta eats, never taking her eyes of both dolls.
"Brahms?" She says almost a whisper.
Silence.
"Are you there? Can you hear me?" she asks.
She waves her hands in front of his face. Nothing.
"Just give me a sign. A blink. Or move or whatever you do, just let me know that you can hear me." she asks.
Greta looks up at the ceiling, calls out in her best spirit medium voice...
'If there is a spirit in this house... Um... Let your presence be known" she calls.
Silence.
She tries again.
"Spirit come forth into the land of the living. Give, uh, upon me a sign." she shouts in frustration.
A long beat silent. Brahms remains perfectly still, the same half-smile look on his face.
Feeling stupid, greta stands up. She takes her dish. Walks around the table and picks up both dolls plates up.
" RAAAAH! " She screams into the dolls ears. They didn't flinch.
Greta stands there, embarrassed. Looks around if someone might be watching her and then gathers herself and continues into the kitchen as if nothing happened.
****************
Classical music is blasting. The dolls and Greta sit side by side on the couch. The music is so loud, she had her fingers to her ears. She takes one finger out just long enough to turn the page of her magazine.
Later on, she tucks both dolls into bed. She turns of the lights and stands there for a moment under the moonlight, both dolls look like real looking boys.
A flash of tenderness on Gretas face. She softens. She relaxes for the first time. She leaves his bedroom and closes the door behind her.
She turns to walk into her bedroom and then stops. Something suddenly occurring to her. She walks into Mr and Mrs. Heelshire bedroom.
Greta heads directly to the bedside table. Opens the drawer and takes out the envelope.
She sits down on the bed. Waits a moment. Then pulls out the contents.
"LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT" written on top. Lower on the page, she finds what she's looking for. The typed words.
"CONSERVATOR OF THE HEELSHIRE ESTATE AND FURTUNES" followed by a blank underline portion that's been filled in with Mrs. Heelshire's handwriting with two words at the bottem.
Alice Evans.
YOU ARE READING
Family Secrets
Fanfiction18+ Great Evans gets a job as a nanny to look after a little boy called Brahms. She takes her sister Alice with her,to keep her safe. As the Heelshire parents go on vacation, they must follow the rules. Little do they know there is more that one se...
