Chapter Text
“Sir! I have the most fantastic news,” an elated butler came swiftly into one of the studies of the Frankenstein Estate. Pale greyish-blue fingers delicately flipped a page in a book. Dark, deep set eyes flicked up to the butler.
“Fantastic news?” came a low toned voice.
“Yes! I have just received an email from a professor in York. He’s requesting to do archaeological and historical research on the estate. He’s hoping to find the remnants of a Roman settlement.”
“I don’t understand how that is fantastic news. I do not want people to see me.”
The butler tutted, “I have told you Adam, it is the 21st century now. Things have changed. And who’s to say you’ll be seen? We can keep them to the East Wing. There’s plenty of room there.”
“John-” Adam sighed and closed his book, suddenly losing interest in its story. He didn’t outright dismiss the butler but he was hesitant about having people other than the few staff here. A lot of what ifs came to mind, about two hundred years worth.
“It’ll be a small group, seven I believe, and not to mention the optics would be good for you! People coming here, staying here for an extended period of time. They’ll have to go into town sometime and when everyone sees the guests of the Baron are just fine, then perhaps some of those rumors will fly off into the wind.” John fluttered his fingers toward the window in an effort to get the point across. Adam had stood from his chair as the man rambled on. It wasn’t a bad idea actually.
“Not to mention, having humans around may keep them at bay. You know who I’m talking about.”
“Let them come if they must. I will dispatch them.”
“Adam.” John moved closer to the hulking man, nearly matching him in height, which Adam had always appreciated. John placed a reassuring hand upon Adam’s arm. Even beneath the long sleeves, one would be able to feel where the patchwork of skin had been stitched together. “They will not break decorum with humans here and if said humans put this place in the spot light, then perhaps you will not have to dispatch with anyone for a long while.”
It took some time for Adam to respond. How would people react to seeing him? In the times he tried, the reaction was almost always the same; fright, disgust, nervous flickering of eyes and shocked murmurs. Only a handful of people in the last two centuries had actually taken a liking to Adam and had not minded his appearance. Very few of his own staff had seen him since he acquired the Frankenstein Estate. His creator’s home. For a long time, he would not reside within these gilded walls. He never felt worthy. It wasn’t until he hired John to run the estate, that he finally moved in.
John was kind and had an unwavering loyalty to Adam since the day they met, almost twenty years ago now. He knew everything there was to know about a madman’s creation. Adam had learned to trust John’s judgment. “Very well. If-if you are certain that I will remain unseen, then... they may do their research.”
“Excellent!”
Two weeks later a van pulled up to the Frankenstein Estate. The occupants were in awe of the sprawling lawns and flowering lane, surrounded on all sides by a forest. They excitedly pointed at the statues, the tall windows, the foundation out front. It was rare for this place to get visitors. Everyone heard the rumor about the Baron. He was a shut in. He did not socialize, or go to parties on other estates, nor to the town festivals. Some people heard he was agoraphobic. Others heard it was because he was deformed or feeble. Only some of the Baron’s staff had actually seen the man and none of them were forthcoming about his appearance.
Once the van parked, all seven occupants stepped out and were immediately greeted by John. The estate house stood tall and proud, echoing its long history but these people were here for a much older history. The leader of this small team stepped forward and gladly shook John’s hand, “You must be Professor Sterling.”
“And you must be Mr. Underhill.”
“Please, call me John.”
“Then you may call me Charles.”
A woman amongst the group looked utterly amused by this exchange. Ah, such British politeness. John made his way down the line, shaking hands and getting everyone’s names. He then turned and gestured to the staff waiting by the stairs. “These fine people will take your bags to your rooms. In the meantime allow me to give you a small tour.”
The group readily followed after like little ducklings. John was the perfect tour guide, showing them all the rooms in the center of the house, the rather large library, the studies, the original kitchen, the bathrooms the size of a London flat and then to the East Wing. “The West Wing, I’m afraid, is off limits. That is where the Baron resides and he does not wish to be disturbed. He’s pleased that you’re all here and interested in your research, but uh, he’s not a people person. So if you would please not disturb him, he would be much obliged. If there’s anything you need, I shall accommodate you to the best of my ability. Now, this is where you’ll be staying. And I believe this room would be perfect for the lab you mentioned Charles.”
John led the group into a modestly sized drawing room with a long table in the center. “Oh this is perfect! We’ll put our equipment in here.”
The morning quickly faded to an early evening as the sun was beginning to go down. It was turning out to be a beautiful autumn. You had put on your long wool coat and decided to explore the gardens to get away from everyone’s chatter. You liked the group you were with but you had been traveling together for nearly six hours. You needed air. The air here was fresh, clean, free from exhaust fumes, not to mention crisp. It was perfect. A large maple tree in the middle of the garden caught your eye. Its leaves had already turned a beautiful golden color and were falling to the ground. What an odd addition to a garden like this.
One perfectly shaped leaf released itself from the tree and landed on your head. With a smile you picked it out of your hair and twirled its stem between your fingers. You decided to keep it. Clearly it was a gift. You heard your name drifting from the house’s back doors. You were being summoned with the promise of wine and you couldn’t say no to that. Unbeknownst to you, Adam had been looking out the window of his study. It was a silly notion but the word ‘auspicious’ came to mind when the leaf landed on you. The tree was a reminder of the brief kindness he had been freely given a long time ago. A kindness he never stopped longing for. However, his life felt like a curse. Though he tried to live as his creator had asked, Adam found that for someone who could not die, life was even more unforgiving. Grief was the only companion he could find.
He could faintly here the laughter coming from the East Wing and he smiled softly to himself. It was nice to have such a sound in this lonely house. He couldn’t remember if he ever laughed as joyfully as his guests and it panged his heart a little. He wished he could talk as freely to them as John does. He had hoped just a little bit that maybe one day he could. But he knew better than to feed such hope. For now, he would enjoy their company through walls and closed doors and whatever John had told him.
~*~
You didn’t sleep well. Staying in new places always interrupted your sleep cycle for at least a day or two. You awoke with the first rays of light, far earlier than the rest of your group. You should have had more wine, maybe that would have kept you under. No matter, you swung your legs over the edge of the massive bed and then settled onto the floor for your morning stretches. You and the others would be conducting a surface survey of the estate and neighboring woods and if you did not stretch now your body will protest tomorrow morning.
The quiet stillness of the house greeted you when you left your room. It felt nice somehow. The calm before the storm as it were. You wanted to bask in this a little longer but you were hungry and you wanted caffeine. You vaguely remembered how to get to the kitchen and hoped that one of the staff was already awake and making tea. The universe is accommodating. John is indeed making tea. Another staff is cooking breakfast. “Ah!” John greets you, “My you’re up early. Are the others awake as well?”
“No, just me.” You answered, settling into the little dining table in the corner.
“Excellent, I’ll make you a cuppa then. How did you sleep?”
You tilted your hand side to side, “I can’t sleep when I travel.”
“Oh I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll set you up with a lovely chamomile this evening if you’d like.”
“Thank you, I’d like that.”
You spent a little time with John, getting to know him and his story of how he came to run the estate. You noticed he was rather talented with his words, giving just enough detail to keep you informed but not too much that you started asking too many questions. He easily skirted around details about the Baron and you respected those obvious boundaries. You weren’t here for the Baron, your focus was on that potential settlement. Two months and you’d be back to regular old fieldwork, so you needed to make the most of this.
~*~
Three days had passed and the group planned to finish their survey today. It was unfortunate for Adam that the library was in the center of the house, outside of his wing. He knew he should have returned his books after the research group had gone to sleep but he didn’t want to risk someone walking around. So he waited for everyone to leave for the survey before timidly emerging from his room. John was thankfully keeping Adam up to date of everyone’s whereabouts.
However John was not a psychic. He could not predict that you would finish your section of the survey earlier than the others. After a quick shower you decided to finally hit the library and see if there was any William Blake works. You thought to ask John if any old maps of the estate were about as well but that could wait. It was truly a blessing that this library had its own reference cards. You found the stack and row of where Blake had been stored rather easily. The trick would be getting to it. Of course it was near the top. Surely there were one of those ladder step things around. You found one a few stacks down, sitting in a corner. Unfortunately no matter how much you tried to move the steps, they would not budge. You quickly discovered that its wheels were broken. Ah so you’re just a dust collector now. Next to it though, was a ladder. A wooden ladder that perhaps had seen better days. Honestly it could have been as old as the library.
It was quite light, so against your better judgment, you picked it up and brought it back over to the intended stack. Suddenly that one scene from The Mummy came to mind as the ladder thumped against a partition. “Please don’t break on me.” The ladder strained in response as you carefully climbed its rungs. With a focused alacrity you found Blake’s book. No matter, the ladder decidedly did not consider your plea. You felt the rung under your foot crack before you heard it. And then there was a rush of wind as you suddenly descended. Thankfully for you, four feet isn’t too far of a fall. So you landed on hands and feet like a cat with all the grace of a newborn foal.
You looked back at the traitorous ladder and saw the wooden rung snapped in two. You’d have to tell John about that. You then felt a warmth moving down your arm. Upon inspection there was a trail of blood flowing from your forearm where a large wooden splinter was currently sticking out. “Oh shit!” You put your other hand underneath your arm trying to catch any blood that dripped off. “Shit, shit, shit.” You sprinted from the library, looking for a bathroom to tend to your arm. You were more concerned about getting blood on the very expensive rugs than anything else.
Adam had been looking for a new story to read when he heard the library doors open. He was expecting John. Doe eyes widened when he saw you instead. Silently he hid behind a stack, walls of books providing ample cover. You had not at all noticed you were not alone. You passed Adam in search of a book and he had the mind to turn around and leave but he recognized you as the one who kept the maple leaf. He was suddenly curious about which book you would choose. He watched as you struggled in vain to move the step ladder. He could have easily moved it for you. If only he revealed himself. He then watched as you grabbed an old ladder instead and he wasn’t quite sure it was sturdy.
He stepped away from his hiding place the second you fell. He almost approached you but saw that you had landed somewhat safely. You still didn’t notice him as you looked back at the ladder and then at your forearm. Seconds later you were swearing and running out of the library. Adam thought it strange that someone would run away from him but not because of him. His outstretched hand slowly returned to his side. He didn’t realize he reflexively reached for you. To help you. The ladder was a ruin and he would be throwing out the offending thing immediately. Then he spotted it. Next to the ladder was the book you were trying to retrieve. It had fallen into a steepled position. Adam carefully picked it up, fingers holding the page it had opened on as he flipped the book over. One poem was about a dream, but the other one...he murmured to himself:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour...
And thus he proceeded to read about a litany of humankind's unspeakable cruelty to animals and other voiceless beings. He thought of Victor. He thought of the hunters. He thought of every cruel, senseless act committed against him and those he had witnessed done to others. He wished he had not lived so long. To see a World...