A Countryside Surprise

“Goodness, this place reeks. I feel bad for you, Guppy,” my cousin Charlie exclaimed as she stepped over a fallen support beam.

“How many times do I have to ask you to stop calling me “Guppy”? My name is Lydia, always has been and always will be. Where did Guppy even come from?”

“You had a lot of goldfish when you were younger, like fifty-eight, all named guppy.”

“You nicknamed me after my dead fish?” I asked, turning to my cousin.

“I hope you mean fish plural, and yes. Yes we did.”

“We?”

“Anyways, if you want to trade this rickety run-down farm for the beach manor, we can. I have no problem with it.”

“It’s fine, Charlie. Grandma left it in the will for me and I already signed the papers so I might as well take care of it.”

“And what about the house you live in with your roommates?”

“They agreed to pay rent for the entire summer while I liven this place up, in turn, I’ll pay for dinner whenever we go out.”

“Are you sure that’s wise? There’s three of you and they can eat a lot after a long day at uni.”

“I’m a grown woman with a well enough paying job and I’m working towards my bachelor's degree, Charlie, I’m sure I can feed my roommates.”

“Alright. Just text me if you need anything, I’ll be on the beach.”

“Will do, now begone! I have much work to do and I am not keen on wasting a second.”

“Hah, okay. Love you kiddo.”

“Love you too.” I waved my cousin goodbye and got to work. Note to self: find someone to fix the support beam before this whole place collapses. I gently opened the door to the house and it fell off its rusted hinges, nearly crushing my foot in the process. I can’t be certain, but I thought something moved by me as I propped the door against the wall. I brushed it off and walked into the living room to matted rugs, peeling wallpaper, and dusty windows. I looked at the vintage furniture and decided that I would have to clean them first then check the state they’re in. I walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to spoiled food; the refrigerator light bulb was flickering, and there was a lack of cold air floating out of the confined space. My next location was the dining room, the chairs were stacked on the table, collecting dust.

“Exactly how old is this place?” I thought aloud as I stared up at the cobweb-covered chandelier. I looked at the bookcase adorning the wall, it was littered with miniature knick-knacks and pictures of a younger me, Charlie, and her five younger siblings (two girls and three boys). I smiled as I picked up my favorite one: my grandmother was teaching me how to read, I must have been four at the time. All of a sudden, I heard a crash from upstairs and creaking floorboards. I quietly set the picture down and frantically looked around the space for a potential weapon. The closest thing in my line of vision was a broomstick which I lunged for faster than I should have been able to. I made my way to the stairs and slowly walked up, broomstick at the ready. I heard another crash from upstairs followed by a whispered curse and the creaking floorboards as a shadow lazily stumbled in the dimly lit room on the other side of the hallway.

“Ugh, I burned my finger,” the voice was just a low whisper. With all of this natural light why would they need a candle? I crept up to the door and kicked it open. “Agh!” I flicked on the lights and looked at the stranger. 

“Who are you?”

“Who am I?! Who are you to just barge in here?!”

“This is my house, and as far as I’m concerned, I don’t need to answer you. Now, what are you doing in my house?” I demanded.

“Your house? I have lived here for fifty years and it was abandoned two years ago.”

“You’ve been living here for fifty years?”

“Yes I have.”

“Well thanks for cleaning the place, it means a lot to me.”

“I don’t need the sass, girl.”

“You can call me Lydia. And you are…?”

“A vampire named Rhys.”

“Uh-huh, sure. And I’m a friendly ghost named Casper trapped in a woman’s body,” I snarkily replied.

“Oh my goodness! Would you like some help? It will only hurt a little then you’ll be free.”

“Wait.” I extended the edge of the broom towards him. “You’re serious? About being a vampire?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just having a hard time believing you. Could you step into the light for a second?”

“You must be a sadist since you want me to do that after I explicitly told you I’m a vampire.”

“Well it doesn’t matter who or what you are because you’re leaving tonight.” I said as I walked down the stairs, he beat me to the bottom.

“You can’t be serious, this has been my home for fifty years, I don’t want to leave.”

“This doesn’t add up because my grandmother died two years ago and there is no way you could have lived in her house for all this time without her knowing.”

“Penelope is dead? What, how?”

“She died in her sleep while she was on a trip...how did you know her name?”

“We had an arrangement. I would take care of her home while she was at work, on business trips, or went to visit you and the kids in the pictures.”

“Obviously you haven’t fulfilled your part of the deal,” I gestured to the mess. “How did you two even meet?”

“Fifty years ago, I was hurt badly and was on the brink of death. I somehow wound up in the woods nearby, this was before all the surrounding trees were chopped down, mind you. I saw the house as the sun was about to rise and I let myself in. I thought this place was completely abandoned until Penelope walked through the door, dropping her groceries. She didn’t even scream, she just ushered me to the bathroom and tended to my wounds. When I told her I was a vampire she looked me in the eyes and said “I know”. I planned to leave that night but Penelope was very attentive to what was going on around her. Ever since then I’ve lived here. I tried to take care of her home, but it was too hard to manage anything without her here. Deep down I knew she was gone, I just didn’t let myself believe it.”

“I’m sorry that you found out this way, Rhys, I truly am, but I need you to leave. This is a family home and I intend to move in so I can relish in the memories. And I just met you, it would be different if we were related in some way.”

“But I was Penelope’s family so we are technically related. Doesn’t that count for something?”

“Not to me...”

“Oh,” he said, looking down at the dusty floorboards.

“But it would mean a lot to grandma so I'll strike you a deal: if you help me clean this place up and restore it to its former glory, you can stay for as long as you would like and I’ll just visit during the day. I can’t live here because I have roommates, I’m getting my bachelor’s degree, and a house that came with bills to pay; so you really will have to take care of the house. Do we have a deal?”

“Yes,” he enthusiastically shook my hand and I had to pull it away. He apologized and returned to his room, reemerging with gloves and an apron for cleaning. “Let’s get to work!” 

We spent the next five months cleaning and fixing the house, in that order. Whenever we fixed something, we would find something new that needed repairs. By the sixth month that we'd known each other, I had grown fond of Rhys and contemplated calling the deal off and letting him stay anyways. When I told him about it, he said there was no need and he was happy to help which amazed me because I was about to kick him out of his longtime home. Two months later, we had finally finished with the house: the furniture was as good as new, the refrigerator was up and running, we installed curtains throughout the house so Rhys wouldn’t be confined to one room during the day, and we applied new wallpaper to the walls. Surprisingly enough, we had much more in common than I could have imagined, mainly starting with our love for my grandmother. I never anticipated how quickly I would get along with a vampire but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise, one I wouldn’t go back on for the world as long as I can share the beautiful memories I have of my grandmother with someone who loved her as much as I did.