The Family I Needed

The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck

Charlotte jolted awake when the jeep she and the family were in jumped from a cliff and landed with a thud. She looked around to find Launchpad looking at a map, not paying attention to the road. Scrooge angrily snatched the map away, making Launchpad focused on the road. Why am I not surprised?

"Remember, kids, no sudden movements, no eye contact. If you're cornered, the heartless heathens will give you no quarter." Scrooge said. Charlotte instinctively clutched onto her lucky quarter, which was still in her pocket. "This does not sound like a fun trip." Louie commented. "Misty moors, vague warnings, sneaking out behind Uncle Donald's back? Can you please just tell us where we're going?" Huey asked. "The less you know, the better." Scrooge simply answered. Huey and Louie gave each other nervous looks before sighing and slumping down on their seats.

Charlotte simply closed her eyes again and tried to go back to sleep. They had been driving for a while, and the drive naturally made her tired. Wherever we're going must be very important to Mr. McDuck. Otherwise, I've been sleeping in a car for nothing. No, I'm sure Mr. McDuck has a good reason. Charlotte's eyes shot open when the jeep crashed into a statue. "Found it!" Launchpad said.

"Launchpad, hide the jeep in the moors." Scrooge instructed as he exited the jeep. The kids followed suit as they stared up at a looming castle. "Every five years, the mists of Dismal Downs part enough to reveal the home of the Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar. Brace yourselves, kids. Primordial menace lurks here. The most treacherous terror I've ever faced." Scrooge said. What can be worst then what we've faced before? The doors to the castle opened to reveal an elderly couple. "Oi! Jettison that jalopy from my driveway this instant, you deadbeat!" The elderly man yelled at Scrooge. Wait a second...

"Daddy. Mummy."

Everyone stared in shock. Mr. McDuck's parents!? Scrooge groaned as he approached his parents. "Scroogey!" Downy McDuck, Scrooge's mother, called out in joy. She quickly ran up to Scrooge and gave him a huge hug, spinning him around while showering him with kisses. "Son." Fergus McDuck, Scrooge's father, simply greeted. Downy let go of Scrooge, sending him tumbling to the ground once she spotted the kids. "Oh, look at ya wee bairns! Finally, I get to meet ya!" Downy said as she began to chase the triplets for a hug. The triplets began to run away as they didn't want to be hugged. Charlotte made sure to stay close to Scrooge.

Downy soon stopped chasing after them and turned to everyone. "Welcome, all of you, to Castle McDuck!" Downy welcomed. "Your parents are alive!?" Huey asked as he helped Scrooge up. "I can't believe your still alive." Louie said. "He put a curse on us." Fergus said. A curse? "That is not fair! I very kindly rebuilt our ancestral castle for them. And I may have used some discount mystical Druid stones that accidentally granted them immortality. I didn't know it would buy me an eternity's worth of criticism." Scrooge explained. I guess that explains everything. "So, he admits he wants to be rid of us." Fergus said. Scrooge groaned. "Would you rather I'd let you pass or made you immortal?" Scrooge asked. "Neither is satisfactory. A thoughtful son would know that." Fergus answered. Scrooge growled at the answer. The tension between them is almost the same as when Mr. Duck dropped us off at the mansion months ago.

"So, this is the actual home of Clan McDuck?" Dewey asked. "Indeed, child. Within these walls, lies the secrets and mysteries of all your ancestors." Downy answered. Dewey turned to Webby and began to whisper to her, but Charlotte couldn't quite make out what he was whispering. I wonder what he's whispering about. Charlotte then noticed the way Webby was smiling. Oh boy. "Everything McDuck. Mysteries, secrets untold! Oooh-wheee!" Dewey poked Webby, only causing her to giggle. "Uh-oh! She's having a joy overload!" Dewey said.

Downy walked to her son and husband to find them still staring angrily at each other. Everyone moved to the dining room, where Scrooge and Fergus were still staring at each other. Downy walked up to Scrooge with a huge stack of checks in her hand. "Oh, we didn't know where to send your birthday gifts all these years with you gallivanting about." Downy said as she handed Scrooge the checks. Scrooge looked through the checks to find that each check was written out to him for £0.05. "Eh, thanks, Mummy. But I'm not just traveling. I'm a seasoned adventurer, seeking fortune, and-." Before Scrooge would finish, Louie interrupted.