The Estate

I dropped my bag and sat down on the large bed in the center of the room. It was made up with an expensive floral comforter and plenty of lace-covered throw pillows. The ancient wooden walls were hung with impressive paintings that depicted beautiful landscapes and people wearing puffy, outdated clothing. The room had clearly belonged to someone of great wealth and high importance at some point in time. What a fucking dump.

I laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Natalie should be here.

There was a knock at the door.

“It’s open.” I called out from the bed, sitting up.

The door opened slowly, as if on its own, and revealed an old man with his hands crossed behind his back. He was dressed in a suit that was at least a century old and looked at me through bushy grey eyebrows.

“Good evening, sir,” the man began. “My name is Billings, Caldwell Billings. I hope you have found everything to be in order.”

“Uh, yeah.” I said looking around. “I dig it.”

Billings looked unimpressed. “Very good, sir. I am the groundskeeper here at the estate. If you please, I’d like to show you around, give you a quick tour of the house and the property.”

“Oh, like right now? I don’t know man, I’m pretty tired and I think I’d―”

“You see, this is a very old property,” Billings interrupted, as if he hadn’t heard me or simply didn’t care. “It requires routine maintenance and continual upkeep. Now of course I don’t expect any of that responsibility to fall on you, but there are a few things that you should know in order to ensure that you don’t interfere with the comings and goings of this place.”

I waited a moment to make sure he was done speaking, not wanting to be cut off again. Billings stood in the doorway, arms still folded behind his back, waiting for my response. I guess it was my turn to speak. “Sure thing.”

“Very good. Meet me in the library in fifteen minutes. And bring a coat. It does get quite cold here once the sun dips low.”

“Cool, thanks for the tip.”

“You’re welcome, Mr…?” Billings trailed off, waiting for me to finish.

“Greenby. But call me Paul.”

“Mr. Greenby will do fine for me, sir. Will there be anyone else joining you this weekend?”

“Uh, no. Just me.” I felt stupid, like I shouldn’t be here. Billings seemed to agree based on the way his bushy brows lowered and converged towards his nose.

“I see. Very well Mr. Greenby, see you shortly.” Billings gave a slight bow. “Oh, and Happy Halloween.” He turned and walked away.

I laid back down on the bed and reached into my pocket to grab my phone. I opened it up and went to my recent calls, scrolling down until I found Natalie’s name. My thumb hovered over it as I debated the call. My pride won out. I clicked the side button and the screen went black.

I entered the library and found Billings standing once again with his arms crossed behind his back, gazing into a roaring fire in a giant stone fire place. He had grey hair that was combed back tight against his head and fingernails that were long and sharp. The space was massive, with books from floor to ceiling. There were two large leather chairs facing the fire and an impressive rug that covered nearly the entire wooden floor. I cleared my throat and Billings turned to greet me.

“Ah, Mr. Greenby. Thank you for joining me. Tell me, what do you think of the library?” 

“It’s great.” I said. “Got a real cozy vibe to it.”

Billings frowned. “Yes Mr. Greenby, a real cozy vibe indeed.” He walked to the other side of the room. “This was the owner’s favorite room in the house. He used to spend almost all of his time here. I was just a boy, but I remember him sitting in this chair here, obsessively reading through every book he could get his hands on.”

“You’ve been here a long time then, huh?”

“Yes Mr. Greenby,” he said with a crooked smile. “A very long time. Now then, let me show you around.”

Billings led me through the estate, stopping in each room and explaining its importance. By the time we made it outside onto the grounds, the sun had set and the sky was a mix of dark blues and silvery greys.The property was surrounded on all sides by thick woods.

“What‘s that over there?” I asked, pointing to a small cabin at the edge of the tree line. 

Billings stopped and turned to face me. “That is meant for staff and permanent residents only, Mr. Greenby. Under no circumstances should you find yourself over there.”

“Well now I’m definitely going to check it out.” I teased.

“Under no circumstances.” Billings scolded, looking me directly in my eyes. “Is that clear Mr. Greenby?” There was something off about this guy. And It wasn’t just that he was kind of a dick. Natalie would have agreed. 

“You got it captain,” I said with a sarcastic salute. Billings held my gaze a bit longer before turning and heading back to house. I guess the tour was over. 

I waited for Billings to gain a nice lead before I made my way back to the house as well. I looked up at the first stars beginning to emerge for the night and thought about the argument that had landed me here without Natalie. 

“It’s not about that Paul. It’s the fact that I have to ask you to take me places. I just want you to come up with the ideas yourself.” Natalie said with frustration.

“What difference does it make?” I responded. “Either way you’re going to get to do what you want to do.”

“I want it to be something we enjoy together.” She said. “Not something I have to drag you to.”

“Baby, I booked the place weeks ago. It wasn’t cheap and you said you wanted to go.”

“Yeah I did want to go. But that was before you went on and on about how it was going to be a waste of money. You know I love Halloween. Can’t you just pretend like you’re excited to do this with me?”

“Sure Nat, I’m through the fucking roof.” 

“You’re such a dick.”

There was no winning this argument. I knew that. I knew what I should have done. I knew that I should have told her I was sorry, cancelled the booking, and taken her somewhere else. It didn’t even need to be somewhere fancy or spectacular. It just needed to be my idea. Something that I thought she would like. Something that would remind her that I still loved her. But I didn't do that. Instead I did the same stupid thing that I always did. I got angry and I tried to prove that my own pointless side of the argument was better than her hers.

“Look I already spent the money. So I’m going to this place with or without you.” I was bluffing, hoping she would cave. Knowing that if she didn’t, my pride would force me to go alone.

“Fine. Have fun.” She said, walking away.

I got to my room and laid back on the bed. I missed Natalie. I felt like an idiot. I needed a drink. I pulled out a bottle of whisky that I had brought in my bag. The minutes limped by as I nursed the bottle, alone on Halloween night. I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Natalie. I put it on speaker and placed the phone on the bed next to me. I took a swig of whiskey, trying to come up with the right apology. The phone didn’t ring. I looked down at the screen. Not enough service. I picked it up and walked through the room, moving the phone around in the air at different heights like some sort of drunken musical conductor. Nothing. I continued my cellular symphony out into the hallway and down the stairs. I walked through room after room, scanning the air without any luck. I walked out the back door and into the field. A single bar started to glow, then went away. I kept walking. 

After countless zig-zags and no luck, I gave up. I looked up from the phone and found myself standing in front of the cabin at the edge of the tree line. The lights were off but an orange glow danced in one of the windows. I crept up to the sill and cupped my hands around my eyes, pressing them against the glass. There was a fire burning in a stone fireplace with an empty chair pulled up close. It looked warm.

I walked around to the door of the cabin and knocked. No answer. I tried the knob and it was unlocked. I opened it a crack and poked my head in. 

“Hello,”  I said in a half-whisper. “Anybody home?” I waited for a response that didn’t come, then stepped inside. The room danced with shadows from the fire. The alcohol in my system and the shifty lightplay made me a bit wobbly. I made my way over to the chair. There was a small table beside it that held a glass and an open bottle. The glass was filled with something thick and syrupy. I picked it up and held it to the light of the fire. It was red.

“So,” I heard Billings say from behind me. I jumped and spun around, spilling some of the liquid onto the floor. “Not one for following rules, ay Mr. Greenby?” Billings looked different. Much older and paler than before. His lips were bright red and his canine teeth longer and more pointed. His eyes were yellow, with long black vertical slits. I looked at the glass of red liquid in my hand, and then back at Billings. Jesus, was he a fucking vampire?

“Hey man, look… I’m sorry ok?” I put the glass back down on the table, lifted my hands and took a step back. “I was just trying to call my girlfriend.”

Billings stepped towards me as his face twisted into a grin. I jumped back, banging against the cabin wall. I was too scared to move. My hands slid frantically across the grainy surface, searching for anything that could protect me. Billings ran his tongue across his pointed canines and began to laugh, raising his chin into the air.  I told my legs to run but they wouldn’t move. I’d seen enough vampire movies to know what came next. I braced myself for the bite and closed my eyes.

Nothing happened. I cracked open an eye and watched as Billings dropped to his knees and began to weep. He reached into his mouth and pulled on his pointed teeth. They popped off with a loud click.

He tossed the fake vampire teeth onto the floor, then plucked the yellow contacts out from his eyes. These too he tossed on the floor. He stared up at me with watery eyes, then stood and walked over to the chair by the fire. He sat down and was silent for quite some time. I just waited, back against the wall.

“I’m sorry that I scared you, Mr. Greenby.” Billings finally said, eyes glued to the fire. “I was just having a bit of fun I suppose.” I didn’t respond. “I’ve been having a tough few weeks,” he continued. “You see, Mr. Greenby, my wife died last month.” 

I stayed silent. A mix of empathy and confusion swirled through my head. My heart was finally starting to slow down. I didn’t know what to say.

“Vampires,” he said, picking up the bottle and filling his glass. “It’s what we always dressed up as on Halloween.” He took a drink of the red liquid. “We even perfected our own vampire cocktail, Mr. Greenby. All one needs is a little cranberry juice, plenty of vodka, and just a touch of corn syrup to thicken it up.”

He choked out the last part of that statement and the tears returned to his eyes. I left the safety of the wall and grabbed a chair from the corner of the room. I put it down next to his. “I’m sorry.” I said as I sat down. 

Billings stood up and walked over to a cupboard. He pulled out a glass and returned to his seat, pouring me some of his homemade cocktail. I took it and looked it over with some hesitation. 

“Drink up Mr. Greenby. It’s much better than it looks.” 

We sat in silence, drinking and watching the fire lap at the logs and stretch for the chimney. I thought about Natalie, about Billings and his wife. I thought about decisions and words and consequences. I thought about how lonely it must feel to be a vampire. To continue living on in an undead state long after the desire to live has faded. To cling to a memory so wrinkled and tattered that it becomes nothing more than sand falling through your fingers. I didn’t want to be a vampire. Not yet anyways.

“That girlfriend you were trying to call,” Billings said, breaking the silence. “Why isn’t she here?”

I mulled over the question and took a swig. “Because I'm a selfish prick.”

Billings took a swig of his own and then looked at me. “A selfish prick indeed, Mr. Greenby.” His frown turned up into a smile and we started to laugh. It was a good healthy laugh, maybe the first real laugh for Billings since his wife died. “Apologize to her, Mr Greenby.” Billings added when the laughter had faded. He turned in his seat to face me. “Don’t waste your time on something as foolish as pride. If you love her, make sure she knows it. Remind her of it everyday.” Billings drew a deep breath and looked back into the fire. “Because one day, Mr. Greenby, you’ll no longer have that chance.”