Gluskin & Ichor Family Funeral Home

Prologue

The air was a cool-mist hanging in the air, taking a long drag from a cigarette was perfect for a day like this, making the mood of dreary and mysterious evermore present.

"Wren!" a voice called out. "Are you ready to head out Birdy?"

"Dad, you know how much I hate that nickname..." Wren sighed.

"Are you smoking again?!" Her Dad curled the bridge of his nose in disgust. "Birdy, you know how much I hate that smell, and you shouldn't be smoking either, you'll kill your lungs." he shook his head in disapproval.

He stepped closer to her, yanking the cig out of her fingers and dropping it on the ground, flattening it into the pavement with the toe of his dress shoes.

"Do you want ash on the bottom of your nice dress shoes?"

"Shush." he snapped, "I'd rather have it on the bottom of my shoe than have you stink of it when we visit the home."

"Gahh, fine, not like they're gonna care, all of the people there have issues of their own, and those are worse than smoking."

Her Dad sighed again.

"Yeah I guess you're right, but your mother wouldn't like it either," he said smugly.

Eh. he has a point. Wren thought.

"C'mon hop in the car, not the hearse this time, don't wanna make the rest of the crazies any crazier."

Wren giggled at that.

The drive to the crazy home was always a boring one, an hour or so at least. The road was never smooth, always throwing Wren and her Father into the air with any slight turn. The driveway to the institute wasn't any smoother, if anything, it was worse.

"Ugh, this road is gonna pop one of my tires..." Her Dad huffed, white-knuckling the steering wheel, he rarely used both hands, but bumpy roads were his worst enemy.

"Geez, you're right, you'd think they would've paved the driveway sooner or later," Wren commented.

Suddenly, they were both lurched out of their seats. A large rock made Wren's point even more evident.

"God Da-" Her Dad began, Wren shot him a look, staring daggers into him. "Dang-it..." he finished, less vulgar this time.

Hopping out of the car, Wren slammed the door behind her, making her Dad flinch in the process.

"Easy there killer!" He laughed, "You're gonna dent my old girl!" he slapped the top of the car, throwing his keys over to Wren, "Here, you take them, make your mother happy by pretending you drove us here."

Wren snorted at the idea, "No way on earth pops, there's no way you'd let me drive Betty."

"And there's no way you ever will." he replied smugly, elbowing her in the bicep, "Let's head on in Birdy."

The doors to the crazy house were large and heavy, always needing to use both arms to push them open, luckily, Wren and her Father were pretty strong, and they did it one-handed. Those doors were used to keep the crazy in.

"Well Hello there sir!" a Cheery voice called out to them. "Come check-in!" A small woman waved them over, wearing a pair of minty green smocks, and a small pink cardigan over her arms. Understandably, it was always cold there.

"Name please?" she chirped out, holding a clipboard and worn pen in her worn hands.

"Gluskin, Maddox." Her father stated, a slight smile on his face, "This is my daughter, Wren."

"Hey," Wren remarked, she was always nervous around new people, especially around the nurses in the home.

"I've never seen you around here before." Her father pointed out.

"Ah! I'm brand new, so that's why." she smiled. 

"Ooh," he sighed. "That explains it."They both laughed in unison.

Signing the paper out for their visit, Wren wandered around the waiting room, waiting for when she could see her Mother, since, well, forever.

"This way please!" the small woman called out, motioning Wren and her father down a long, bleak corridor. Begrudgingly, Wren followed her Father and the Nurse in a suit.

"My name is Ryeo Eun Sun, but people nicknamed me "Jinx" cause of what a klutz I am." she grinned.

Ryeo was quite small compared to the both of them, though both Wren and her Dad were considerably tall, Ryeo was quite petite, only coming up to about the top of Wren's shoulder.

"Your name sounded Korean? Is that what you are by any chance, not to be rude or anything y'know..." Her Dad chimed in.

"Ah! Yes, I am Korean, my parents are the first generation, so we're fresh off the boat," she responded cheerily.

The conversation ended quietly and awkwardly, Wren didn't like it.

Small talk was never Wren's specialty, especially when it was with people she didn't know. At least the screaming of schizo patients and sobbing of grief broke the silence of the Ivory stained hallways, fluorescent lighting beating down on her face, blinding her in cleanliness and craziness.

"Hi, Mom." Wren entered the small room within another brightly lit room.

"Hey Birdy," she responded to her, sitting up straighter in her bed, a shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders. "How are you two?" she asked, padding over to the doorway where Wren and her father stood. 

"Good Mom, Dad got me a job at the home and we're getting pretty good business thanks to the newest employees," she commented, embracing her mother in a warm and welcoming hug.

"And who are they again, sorry Birdy, you know how bad my memory is..." she admitted.

"Ah, yes, the Ichors. Right now it's just Aleksandr and his daughter Hestia." she began, "He's our new embalmer, and his daughter is currently studying to become one, she's going to mortuary school at the moment." she informed her.

"Oh, that's nice, what about Tammy,  is she doing well?" her mother inquired.

"She fully transitioned last month, we're very happy for her." Wren sighed. "And she's helping me out around the home, so no need to go beating a zombie..." Wren chuckled. 

A short conversation or so later, Wren and Maddox were already out the door, making their way back to the car. 

"Goodbye, now Mr. Mad dog." Ryeo's voice called out to them.

What's with that nickname?  Wren thought, she'd never heard her father be called that, and not by some random mental hospital employee for that matter, strange.

"How do you know that name?" Maddox's demeanor turned cold and serious, his eyebrows dropping, his expression turned into a look of both disgust and anger. "How. do. you. know. that. name." he demanded an answer.

Ryeo never gave one, leaving the room promptly. With an awestruck Wren and an angered wild dog.

"We're leaving, Wren, get in the car," he grumbled, pushing open the heavy doors with both arms, stomping out to the dilapidated vehicle.

"Sure thing..." Wren agreed silently.