Broken House Rules

   Everything was ready for the ritual. The thing about it was that Leaf Cole could not recall how he became a part of it, at least not yet. His only assignment was to go down and take pictures of this small town in Massachusetts for a possible movie. He rented a place from the Slices when he arrived. The Slices included Bryan & Lucy the parents and John the oldest son and two daughters who where away.

    The room he rented in the Slices home was nice. It wasn’t empty but it did have some decent things in it. The Slices themselves seemed like normal people but boy he was to find out how wrong he was. He had missed all the possible signs even before he started his trip. The supposed movie he was to take pictures for was a ghost story. He didn’t think anything about it at the beginning, but he wishes now he had. What was there to ask questions about? It was a movie; he was taking pictures and that was it. He wasn’t in the movie Leaf thought. That was hint number one, he thought to himself as his eyes tried to bring into focus what his mind simply could not comprehend. The room wasn’t pitch black nor was it bright as day. That distinction led him to think, exactly how long had he been in that room? He truly did not know if it was night or day.

    The second clue Leaf missed was the houses in the Slices neighborhood. There were three stories houses that were almost identical. They were colors he had never seen on houses before. This too he gave no thought because he was from New York, there are colors everywhere. He went over in his head the many things he ignored that perhaps he shouldn’t have. The family themselves seemed fine but what he did recall was the constant warning about the “House Rules”. But there wasn’t any House Rules, as in more than one, there was only one. Bryan, Lucy, and John made it their business to make sure he was told to read them. The night he arrived after dinner Leaf made it his business to do just that. There was only one house rule, “never open the attic door."

    Leaf tried to remember how he got in this room, was this the attic? Why, what was in the attic he had wondered. Leaf for many days had shaken off the curiosity to look. It kept getting the best of him because of the repeated admonishment to read the house rules. Leaf took in a deep breath as memories of how he got in the room flooded back. It was weird to him, but he found himself more disappointed than scared. He recalled late one night when he thought everyone was gone. He turned the knob of the attic door. As he ascended the stairs he was hit on the back of his head. Today, he awakens and doesn’t know how long he’s been out.

    Leaf was tied down on what felt to him to be some type of gurney. He was tied hands and feet, but not his torso or lower limbs nor his head. With the hint of light that did enter the room he could see what looked like coffins. He started to scream and thrash about, yelling for the Slices. He soon heard steps coming up the stairs. He couldn’t believe his eyes it was Saw Sawn, his boss from New York. Leaf asked, ‘What is this Mr. Sawn, what are you doing here?” Sam walked across the room and turned on the light switch just over Leaf head. Leaf looked at him and there was nothing he noticed about the man that would have made him question anything. There wasn’t today nor had there ever been. But why would he be here as a part of what looked like something crazy. He was just Mr. Sawn. He was a suit and tie kind of guy. His shoes always polished to shine. His hair always neatly laid. Leaf thought maybe that’s what it was, Sawn was always suit and tie dressed, no matter the occasion.  Whether it was dinner, lunch, brunch, or supper he was going to be dressed. No one thought it strange especially not Leaf because he recalled his father was a little like Sawn. So, Leaf paid it no mind, he wishes he had of now. Leaf noticed that even after Sawn turned on the light switch only one solid light came on. Leaf raised up just enough to see two coffins, now clearer.  “What is going on here?” Leaf yells in Sawn’s direction. “Leaf you are a part of an experiment my son.” “There is no movie.” “The ad in the paper, I put it there.” “I knew you would choose mines. Sawn replied. Mr. Sawn already knew Leaf was going to pick his ad. He had been dropping hints about the whole thing, into Leaf’s subconscious weeks before. The boy never picked up on it, even after Sawn begin talking to him about it. Leaf was such an easy target, Sawn would say. “So, I’m here what do you want with me, what experiment?” Leaf angrily asked.  

    “What have you done with the Slices he yelled?” “Well, my boy they are fine. They’re apart of this too.” “You didn’t find them odd or better yet this neighborhood nor this house?” “No of course you didn’t, did you?” Sawm asked. Leaf continued attempts to untie himself even while Sawn was still in the room begin to aggravate Sawn. “Please stop, you must keep up your strength.” He would often tell Leaf this of which Leaf would reply, “strength for what?”  

   It wasn’t the trying to get away as much as it was his constants asking of questions that drove Sawn crazy. “What is this for” What is that for?” “Where is Bryan, Lucy and John?” “Why aren’t you gagged?” Sawn would turn and asked Leaf. Sawn had warned the Slices that Leaf needed to be gagged because he would be screaming. The Slices had assured Sam they would be back before he awoke.

    And so they were about an hour or so after Sam arrival here comes the Slices, the parents and John.

Leaf however recalled that Bryan had told him they had three kids, a boy and two girls. The girls were away, at least that was what Leaf was told. He had only met John, where were the two girls?  Leaf with shock in his eyes turned his head to the right looked over at the two coffins. There standing by each coffin was a member of the Slice family. All Leaf heard before he passed out due to shock was, everything is ready for the ritual.