Chapter Text
Morgan was about 25 years old when their Grandfather died. It was a sad experience for everyone in the family, but Morgan’s grief didn’t last as long as everyone else’s. Of course, they were devastated, but they didn’t exactly have a strong relationship with him. Their Grandfather was reclusive, always working away in his workshop on his next toy. They had met him a few times, they admired his tenacity for creating new contraptions, but they barely talked. It also didn’t help when Morgan moved away from Massachusetts to New York. It was only a state away, but Morgan never visited and neither did he.
In short, Morgan wasn’t expecting anything when his will was read. While their siblings got more expensive items, like his house, boat, savings, etcetera, Morgan was surprised to have received one thing. A deed to a house in a town they had never heard of. The idea of moving into a big house in a small town appealed to them far more than their current situation– living in a studio apartment in the metropolis. So, they packed up their things and drove away.
Morgan drove past many trees, their bright fall leaves blurred together as they sped past. The tires kicked up clouds of dirt from the road they were driving on. They had been following this road for a few minutes, driving away from the small, quaint town they had already passed through. It didn’t take long before a large house came into view.
It was an old house. Its wood looked dirty and rotten, like it would topple over from one wrong breeze. But despite its messy appearance, the architecture looked like it was pulled directly from Victorian England. It was extremely tall with large towers that loomed over the lawn. There were lots of windows, with misty curtains. Morgan could have sworn they saw a figure move in the tallest one, but they figured it was just a draft pushing the curtain. Still, the house freaked them out.
They stepped out of the car with a sigh. This was certainly going to be a project, but all the remodeling could wait. They walked up to the door and extracted a key from their pocket. The key turned with a satisfying “click!” and the door swung open. A thick layer of dust covered everything in the foyer, but otherwise, the inside of the house was beautiful. The main focus of the room was certainly the chandelier that hung from above. It was covered in crystals and candles and had a gold-colored chain hanging from the ceiling.
“Oh god, does this place even have electricity?” Morgan muttered as soon as they noticed the un-lit candles. Their hands traced the wall for a switch. Suddenly the candles burst into flame. The chandelier began to glow, lighting up the room and showing how much dust there truly was. Morgan stared at the light for a minute. They hadn’t found a switch or anything like one. How did they get lit?
Soon after deciding to ignore the automatic fire hazards, they spun on their heel and made their way back to the car.
The sun was starting to go down, so Morgan only grabbed the bare essentials before making their way back into the house– bedding, their phone, a premade fluffernutter sandwich, and a SpongeBob flashlight. They shoved as much as they could into a bag and threw it around their shoulder.
As they turned to walk back into the house, they couldn’t help but notice the door was closed. When they reached the door and pulled on the handle, it didn’t budge. It wasn’t a big issue, though. They still had the key. That was until Morgan patted their pockets to find nothing in them.
Morgan groaned, “Oh god damn it, I own a house for a couple of hours and I already get locked out? I swear to Elle Woods…” The floorboards creaked as they paced around the porch looking for an open window. Every single window they tried was locked from the inside. They looped around the house and eventually ended back at the closed and locked door.
They examined the door closely. Upon first glance, the door looked sturdy and cared for, but they noticed that around the edges of the door it looked rotten, especially around the hinges. Perfect. One swift kick should send it off the frame. They dropped the bag they had been carrying next to the door. They walked a good ways away from the house and turned around to face the door that had fucked them over. With a glint of bravery– or maybe stupidity– in their eyes, they began sprinting towards the door with the speed of a middle-aged white man running towards a farmers market. They kicked the door and…
Nothing.
It didn’t even look like it had been touched. But all that momentum bounced off the door and sent Morgan to the ground. They sat there in defeated silence for a few seconds.
“I’m going to scream.”
They got up and dusted off their dirty jeans, turned around, and walked away from the door. Once they had walked a good amount, they quickly turned and sprinted at the door. Instead of a kick, they tackled the door with all their force.
However, being that Morgan was a 5”3 skinny kid who spent most of their time staying up and drinking unhealthy amounts of coffee, the door didn’t move.
A sharp pain sent itself through Morgan’s body. They stumbled back, almost tripping off the porch and onto the grass. After throwing their bag around their shoulder, they began to walk away from the house once more. But instead of starting the process all over again, they laid on the ground in defeat.
For about five minutes, they laid on the grass, in a form that most starfish would envy. They tilted their head to look back at the house that had won a battle they had started. Every window was shut tight, except for one. At the top of the house, the highest window was wide open. Its ghostly curtains blew in the wind. Morgan desperately looked for an easy way to get up there. Maybe a ladder? Or a rope? Morgan didn’t have a ton of upper body strength, but they hadn’t exactly failed the Rope Climb in highschool. Unfortunately, although they were hoping for something easy, there was only one thing that would allow them to get to the window.
A lattice trellis was propped against the side of the porch. It had vines hanging from its top, which led to the roof above the porch. The wood didn’t exactly look sturdy, it was thin and dirty. But, at a loss for other options, they sat up and made their way to the trellis.