She carefully takes out the china wrapped in packing paper and sets in on the edge of her grand dining table as she takes out the other contents of the cardboard box. She stands up and unwraps the dishes and sets them on the corresponding display shelf. As she unpacks, the china cabinet quickly fills up with porcelain plates, teacups, and bowls. After all of the dishes are put up, she takes a break.
Margaret Edwards has always believed that taking breaks between tasks makes the time pass faster. She walks down the old wooden stairs to the basement. The concrete is cold on her feet. She spots a small figure buried under pile of forgotten items left by the previous owners of the mansion. She picks it up and discovers that it is a goat figurine about the size of her satchel. She notices that it has a small box attached to it. Margaret opens it to find a necklace with a light blue pendant. She takes it out of the box and feels the warmth it emits. She thinks nothing of it and puts it in her pocket and heads back up.
On her way to the waiting room to unpack more, a sudden wave of laziness hit her. She decides to lay down and watch the television for a while. Before she knows it, the sky is dark. She takes the necklace out of her pocket and puts it back in the bow and goes upstairs to prepare for bed. She closes her eyes and when she opens then, it is day once more.
Margaret got a second wave of motivation and unpacks all of the living room decorations. She decides going out to town and getting groceries is a good way to relax after unpacking so much at once. Margaret looks in the mud room closet and sees another figurine, this time, a dog. Inside the box attached is a bracelet made of richly colored jade beads. She slips it on and grabs her jacket before heading out the door to her car. She gets into her Mercedes and heads off into Bampton.
Arriving at the local grocery store, Necessities Inc., she spots a woman holding a new Louis Vuitton bag. Margaret was suddenly filled with envy and follows the woman to her car. The woman looks back and asks, “Um, can I help you?” in a soft, timid voice.
“I was just… looking at your bag.” Margaret answers awkwardly. “Where did you get it?”
“Oh, it was a gift from my husband,” The lady replies.
“Th-thank you. Have a nice day,” Margaret says and she walks away. What came over you? She thinks to herself. She shakes it off, gets her groceries, and heads home. She takes both of the pieces of jewelry she’s found and puts them in a box in her closet. As she walks out, she sees another figurine.
They seem to just be popping up because she already inspected her room. She picks it up. A frog. In the box is a yellow brooch in the shape of a crown. Margaret holds it in her hands for just a second and feels the urge to go back to the store and buy it out. She drops it on the floor and realized that these figures are more strange than she originally thought. She looks to find the rest of the figurines and the jewelry that goes with it. She finds a horse with a purple ring, a pig with an orange tiara, and a snake with a pair or deep blue earrings.
She puts all of them together and counted six. She locks her closet door just in case. As she nears the stairs to the attic, she hears a faint ringing. She follows the sound into the attic and spots a figurine near the window. A bear. She feels a bit uneasy as she walks towards it. She picks it up and opens the top to the box and finds a gothic choker and a necklace with a brilliant red pendant. Before she can take it down to her room, the whole house shakes. She falls to the ground and waits until the shaking stops. Was it an earthquake? She stands up slowly and stares at the choker, wondering if this is what may have caused it. Before she finishes her thought, there is a knock at the door.
Margaret makes her way down the stairs, thinking of who it could be. George? Probably not. It’s too soon after their divorce to even think about talking to him. If it’s him, I’m not opening the door, she thinks as she approaches the grand doors. When she checks the peephole, however, it’s a complete stranger. He’s tall and handsome, though his features are sharp. She opens the door and asks if there is an issue.
“No, ma’am, but I just hear a ruckus and wondered if there was a problem.”
“Don’t worry, sir, everything seems to be fine here.”
“Are you sure? Do you need e to stay for a while? You look the slightest bit stressed.”
“Actually,” Margaret says, “I’d appreciate some company.” and smiles politely.
Margaret opens the front door wide so the man could enter the mansion. “Very nice house you have here, Miss…”
“Lewi- I mean Edwards.” She replies awkwardly. “May I get your name?”
“Uh, actually, may I have a glass of water, my throat is a bit dry.”
Slightly confused, Margaret got the strange man a glass of water. When she returns to the living room, the man is gone. Margaret searches the house gets to her closet. She hears the man going through her things. She tries to open the door but he locked it from the inside! Frustrated, she yells for him to get out of the closet. Less than a minute later, he slowly unlocks the door and emerges. She pushes him out of the way and enters the closet. All of the figurines and pieces of jewelry are gone! She turns to leave but he slams the door and locks it.
Margaret screams for help and begins to cry. What’s happening? She sits in the closet as the sun slowly sets and everything is dark. She hears a crackling sound and a bit of light. Has someone come to help? She stands up and asks who is there. Slowly she realizes what is happening. Flames lick the underside of the door and fill the closet with heat. Margaret screams as the fire quickly spreads and she is engulfed. Margaret dies a slow, painful death alone.
Outside, the man waves his hand and the house extinguished the fire and repaired itself. Replacing the seven deadly figures to their places. The man puts a ‘For Sale’ sign in the front and morphs back to his original form. His horns glow as he walks off into the vast field.
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