The Morleys were a remarkably well established family for their time - in a world so plagued with left-wing beliefs, they had managed to maintain their time old honor of several personal servants, an extraneously and pointlessly large manor (half of which was simply used as storage for their extraneously and pointlessly large collection of valuable but entirely dysfunctional items), and, of course, the weekly tradition of shopping in the poorer parts of town to flamboyantly flaunt their wealth.
Set atop of a hill by the humble village of Wellington, Morley Manor was a gargantuan demonstration of drunk architecture.335Please respect copyright.PENANAbUIAqe0qyx
No doubt it was a highly attractive building, but the matter of the fact was that it simply made no sense. From the exterior, one could hardly tell that every second corridor in the building was at a fifteen degree slant, and that there were multiple inset doorways that simply opened to a wall.335Please respect copyright.PENANAV8cQS2q6zO
The doors are justifiable - lock all the fake doors and they create a false sense of magnitude for visitors. But as for the former deformity, local rumor has it that the building was never designed to go onto a hill, and that the original Lord Morley simply declared it to be built there for effect. Wealth is no guarantee for common sense nor intelligence - and indeed, in the day of the Morley's life you are about to experience, this fact shall never seem clearer.
We begin, perhaps, on the Sunday morning of the Incident. Lord Mortimer Morton Morley begins by retiring to his washroom to expunge himself of his digestion products. This is the last we shall see of him.335Please respect copyright.PENANAmCwLwARJmi
Lady Morgana Mortabella Morley begins by sleeping to the fine hour of noon, which is why, as she later claims, she missed all the excitement of her husband's disembowelment. This may or may not be true, of course, as it is not always the narrator's role to provide an impartial view of events.335Please respect copyright.PENANA9x45ryhyUF
The children arise in their separate rooms, and drift towards the dining hall with the prospect of a three course breakfast, lovingly prepared by Nanny Amy and Nanny Emily who had woken several hours before to clean and cook - they put sweat, blood, and tears into everything they do, including the meals for the Morleys.335Please respect copyright.PENANALgaBlhboy2
Moving on from the fact that the Morleys were blissfully unaware that the Nannies prepared rather unethical meals (I do believe that at least two of the Morleys have unwittingly contracted blood viruses from their meals), one of the children was of particular interest.335Please respect copyright.PENANAgCACdjcPf0
Cara had brought home her peasant lover, Druid, and was presently attempting to inconspicuously smuggle him out of the manor.335Please respect copyright.PENANASxYZOi7AVJ
'Cara!' It was David. 'Come join us for breakfast. What could ever be taking you so long?'335Please respect copyright.PENANAgOBok1NUgA
The young woman quickly ushered Druid into a closet. 'Just stay in here', and then, to David, 'I'm coming now! Your impatience most disturbs my Sunday relaxation. It's all really quite blasphemous.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAETvsO0lx91
Cara arrived at the breakfast table late, to the watching eyes of her siblings, David, Eric, and Rachelle.335Please respect copyright.PENANAqhmkchWTO0
'Really, Cara. Your soup must be cold - we have all finished already. It was quite marvelous, I don't know what it is Nanny Amy puts in these.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAtEDbvVvBIh
The elderly woman quickly hides the fresh cut in her thumb. 'The special ingredient is Love, Rachelle! Now Nanny Emily and I must go to prepare the next dish.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAUkC2VDAySM
'Ta ta.' The girl responds.335Please respect copyright.PENANAbWL6fwP5Xf
Eric, the oldest of them all, was tall and dark, a slim figure that resembled his mother's. He stood up from the table and excused himself quickly.335Please respect copyright.PENANA3vrsqtLK8x
'But we haven't even reached mains yet!' Rachelle complains.335Please respect copyright.PENANAEnYLS0Dzw2
'Now, sister. I simply must finish my latest composition. The inspiration is simply flowing right now, my dear, I can't let it escape!' With that, he spun out of his chair and strutted out of the dining hall.335Please respect copyright.PENANAnRhHO3e1vi
Cara thought about her precious Druid, waiting in a closet, and took the opportunity to also leave the table. 'I, um, I - '335Please respect copyright.PENANAY03XjkjUwn
'Yes?' Rachelle looks up at her, expecting an unarguable excuse.335Please respect copyright.PENANAo167EeRR8B
'It's just that phase of the moon.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAk03v9wJfxN
'That makes no sense, Caraaaaaa!!! Breakfast is no fun if you all go away doing silly things!'335Please respect copyright.PENANAeczZd3Mkvk
David smirks to himself. 'Nonsense, Rachelle. I'm sure Cara has very important business to attend to. Perhaps with a little age, you shall too.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAmQwlCUa4ZY
'Hmmph.' The girl crosses her arms as Cara leaves.335Please respect copyright.PENANApDeFoT9tsI
The reader should take care to note, at this moment, that a situation has been constructed with a large number of people not accounted for. Then it is now, of course, that Lord Morley's body will be discovered.
'EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!' Lady Morley's scream brought everyone in the manor to her washroom, where they were greeted by the sight of Lord Morley feeling rather turned out. Inside out, to be precise.335Please respect copyright.PENANARNGk2egEm1
'Good gracious!' Exclaimed the Nannies.335Please respect copyright.PENANAjtvrtkJgN7
'Oh dear!' Cara shouted.335Please respect copyright.PENANAHltwCGlJ6p
'My God!' The sons ejaculated.335Please respect copyright.PENANAzsmMaBxVlQ
'What's daddy doing?' Rachelle asked.335Please respect copyright.PENANAL8HAabxPiy
'How on earth could such a thing have happened!' Lady Morley wept. 'I woke only a few minutes ago, and went to the washroom to freshen myself up, only to see my dear husband has been murdered! Who could have done this terrible act?'335Please respect copyright.PENANAVsa8aAIQOf
Eric was exceedingly fast to turn on his mother. 'Kind mother, I find it remarkably odd that you were the one to discover him in this state, and so close to your room, no doubt!'335Please respect copyright.PENANAnTTmsdg6hJ
'Eric! You naughty boy! How dare you insinuate such terrible things. I am in the right mind to call the police on you, for trying to inherit your father's fortune by way of murder!'335Please respect copyright.PENANAyZbpwyNA0B
'That is a lie, mother! You and I both know I loved father more than you ever did.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAXZSmvhgt9q
A simultaneous gasp from the two Nannies. What a very juicy Incident this would be for their gossip circles!335Please respect copyright.PENANAABluZY5lsK
'Well! I must ask you to leave. You are disturbing my grieving process.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAXB0xsTpAsx
David chimed in with an observation. 'But mother, your husband has not simply died, he has been killed! Given the security of our house, one must wonder how the killer got in - or if the killer is one of us. We cannot waste any time grieving, (very sorry), our lives may very well be in danger!'335Please respect copyright.PENANAmiESSaJKjW
Rachelle began crying in consternation, not quite comprehending but aware of the distress nonetheless.335Please respect copyright.PENANAvrbjA9UM0U
'Rachelle! Come here.' Nanny Emily gave the girl a strong embrace. The little one was always fond of the servant women.335Please respect copyright.PENANAM0D9Pxhnvl
Cara was only mildly interested in the course of events - she simply hoped that Druid had taken this commotion as an opportunity to leave unnoticed. 'Excuse me, this is all very worrying and such but I must answer the woman's call!' She interjected loudly, reusing her earlier excuse to leave.335Please respect copyright.PENANAEQOZwPx8yv
'Very well!' Lady Morley said. 'After all, we don't want any more blood spilt today.'335Please respect copyright.PENANA4lw8I13ASk
Cara ran out of the room and tracked down the cupboard she had so suddenly farewelled her lover in. Empty.335Please respect copyright.PENANApDRWhsYqQu
Where could he be? She passed by the entrance hall and saw Druid by the door.335Please respect copyright.PENANAsRPYZijcwP
'Dru! Why have you not left yet?' She whispered to him loudly.335Please respect copyright.PENANALUPnKcK4qk
His face goes white. 'The doors and windows are barred. From the outside. I cannot leave!' 335Please respect copyright.PENANAte2XEbvgZ7
It is only at this point that Cara began comprehending the situation.335Please respect copyright.PENANA2TqKaSFjXV
The killer did not intend for Lord Morley to be the only fatality that day.335Please respect copyright.PENANA9jB0c2qUEV
Cara burst back into her mother's room. 'We are trapped inside!' She announced, to which the response was a chorus of 'WHAT!?'s.335Please respect copyright.PENANA1qGXKWmtqt
Nanny Amy began taking down notes. What an exciting day!335Please respect copyright.PENANAfgUuprOt1V
'All the doors and windows are barred from the outside! We are trapped inside with a killer!'335Please respect copyright.PENANAVN2aOjZvKs
Nanny Emily felt the need to fan the flame. 'And why, dear Cara, were you checking the doors of the house instead of dealing with downstairs business? Were you trying to leave? Flee from the scene of your crime, perhaps?'335Please respect copyright.PENANAzuGrPWXkBP
'No! I was - I was, um...'335Please respect copyright.PENANAKCRykBRXEx
Druid walked through the door. 'Hi.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAj79feSgoBP
'Who is this, Cara?' Lady Morley was positively concerned at the arrival of this lowly stranger.335Please respect copyright.PENANAYjxoJ4xWn1
'Druid and I are lovers, mother.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAB2KHKZEyZe
'PFFFFFT! Nonsense. Try again. Who is this, Cara?'335Please respect copyright.PENANAqhG6Lb1FC9
'Druid is my boyfriend?'335Please respect copyright.PENANAXxPAUEDsR8
'I don't think so. Who is this person?'335Please respect copyright.PENANA9Kffs1yEgA
'Mother, please shut up most presently. I am in love with Druid, and his status is of no concern to you or me.'335Please respect copyright.PENANATk6RUsTR4G
Lady Morley responded with a laser glare. 'We will deal with this matter after we have dealt with the fact we are all likely to be the subjects of successive grisly demises.'335Please respect copyright.PENANACJJYv52pkC
'Then whyyyyyy are we all in your room, mother? One fell swoop could kill us all. I don't believe in safety in numbers.' Eric began walking out. 'I believe I can fend better on my own.'335Please respect copyright.PENANA2fYY74heiT
'Nooooo, don't gooooooo...' Rachelle squealed.335Please respect copyright.PENANA5cwMULV4ZF
'It's okay darling Rachelle, I will stay with you.' Nanny Emily patted her head.335Please respect copyright.PENANAtAxnOMcsdB
'There is some point to Eric's decision.' Druid stated.335Please respect copyright.PENANArhmlbaoRKJ
'Did you hear something, Cara? I most certainly didn't.' 335Please respect copyright.PENANAW1HqqRFnFP
'Mother, this is no time for your immaturity. Suppose the killer is in this very room? I don't know about you, but I certainly don't wish to stay in here, where perhaps even you, mother, could pull out a knife and slay us all in a moment. Good day. I will find my own haven from this mess!' Cara left the room, with Druid in close pursuit.335Please respect copyright.PENANAYUnzPJXWnU
'This is idiotic! This is exactly what we shouldn't do with a killer on the loose.' David muttered. 'CARA! Come back!' He raced after the lovers.335Please respect copyright.PENANASbvSeHqYOR
'Rachelle, you stay with me.' Lady Morley said. 'I wouldn't trust a girl of your age to run off. You might get lost in this house. Or murdered.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAH5O9udzPRm
Rachelle and Nanny Emily sat down on the bed.335Please respect copyright.PENANA65CNyfzDMK
'I'll go get the coloring books, shall I?' Nanny Amy offered.335Please respect copyright.PENANA1WYmhdXMpf
'That would be lovely.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAMZUr4KZAmu
It should seem obvious to the reader that once again, we shall say farewell to a few members of the Morley family.335Please respect copyright.PENANARrb92iQ0QJ
'Oh my god!'335Please respect copyright.PENANA3Fy7dvLH3C
Pushed off the banister at the top of the stairs, Nanny Amy's and David's bodies lay sprawled on the floor of the entrance hall.335Please respect copyright.PENANAfCTkw5BPiU
Eric harked to alert the others, and they all gathered at the foot of the staircase, beside the bodies. 'The situation is getting serious.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAy41yl3XvIG
'Was it not serious before?' Lady Morley tutted. 'Rachelle. I demand that you and Nanny Emily go back to my room at once and barricade yourselves in there! I will not have my precious button be killed today.' The two women, young and old, headed back up the stairs.335Please respect copyright.PENANAnd5w2TmjOM
'Oh, Dru! I am most distressed.' Cara wept into his arms. He grunted in discomfort. 'Tell me the story of how we met again. It calms me so.'335Please respect copyright.PENANApRxDTEbrpI
'Do we really have the time for this?' Eric complained, to no avail, as Druid began telling the story to Cara.335Please respect copyright.PENANAXJpu7ux1ST
'It was a Saturday market. Your family were passing by my fake jewelry stall.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAX2z9eU2j0y
'It was fake???'335Please respect copyright.PENANA6ndq9Eb5OP
'Shut up, mother! Let him continue.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAZ8fvIiH7BW
'This is hopeless.' Eric left the entrance hall.335Please respect copyright.PENANA319TNB2SKB
'You cleaned out the entire stall. You and David stayed to apologize for your mother's behavior. After David had left, you told me that you found me ruggedly attractive.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAJRbXZYWJQ4
'This story is incredulously stupid.' Lady Morley rolled her eyes. 'We are wasting time talking about things that both of you already know! If we are really going to do this, can we at least do it out of the vicinity of dead bodies?' The three of them quickly moved to the dining hall, Druid continuing the story as they walked.335Please respect copyright.PENANANy4FIqvgr5
'I declined your offer, at first, and you were very upset. The next few Saturday markets you made sure never to pass by my stall. But the truth to my decline was, I was scared to have fallen in love with someone as magnificent as you. I hesitated in that moment and regretted it very much. So I left my stall and tried to find you. I declared my love to you, and you fell into my arms.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAgMHPGJKhGK
'Awwww, most gracious Druid. Thank you very much. Now let us vacate this room! I don't fancy sitting beside dead bodies for much longer.'335Please respect copyright.PENANASXPmlfnNEx
'Which is why,' Lady Morley muttered, 'we stayed here for the last five minutes.' Then, louder: 'I'm going to check on Rachelle. You two try not to make a mess.' Lady Morley left the two of them as she headed back to her room, and promptly tripped over Eric's bleeding body on the way.335Please respect copyright.PENANAknlMuJkO8a
'Oh well. I suppose it wasn't him after all.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAOK6BmDCaAs
She didn't feel the need to alarm anyone.335Please respect copyright.PENANAX3HxfWqJTA
'Rachelle! Are you alright?!'335Please respect copyright.PENANAeqTpjVNjqt
The girl was lying in a pool of blood. Thankfully, it was not her own.335Please respect copyright.PENANAiW8CwbyQ0x
Nanny Emily was leaning against the wall beside Rachelle. Her head was leaning on the wall opposite Rachelle. Neck wounds bleed a frightful lot.335Please respect copyright.PENANAhSdiM2uUBt
'Oh my darling Rachelle, come here, come here, what happened?' Lady Morley scooped up her youngest child through tears.335Please respect copyright.PENANAATppmhpmVD
'It was... it was... it was a man...'335Please respect copyright.PENANAF9GZxr7uds
David was dead. Eric was dead. That left only Druid.335Please respect copyright.PENANASvYRVuWgmi
'My god! I knew he was dodgy! I must call the others at once! CARAAAA!'335Please respect copyright.PENANAbjHPnkd3Sw
'Cara is dead.' Lady Morley jumped at the sound of his voice. Druid was standing by the doorway. 'A man in a cloak stabbed her in front of me! It must have been Eric!'335Please respect copyright.PENANAyRJrHvS5Qv
...335Please respect copyright.PENANAuAGESk1Iv2
'Druid, Eric was killed.' Lady Morley said.335Please respect copyright.PENANAiNHM26IJmP
'What? But...'335Please respect copyright.PENANA7znQZh94Df
'And Rachelle here also said it was a man that came and killed Nanny Emily.'335Please respect copyright.PENANAJkb22wkXcO
'No, no, that's not right. Where's Eric?'335Please respect copyright.PENANARgj7fITayP
'Lying dead at the top of the stairs. Which means that the only person that could have done this all is YOU!'335Please respect copyright.PENANAE5UFzwMxVr
'What! No! It wasn't me, it wasn't me! I have proof -' Druid tried to run out of the room but Lady Morley, with surprising speed, stopped him before the doorway.335Please respect copyright.PENANAJ76ZhWNIaL
'I think, little peasant, that we have all the proof we need.' With a blow from her knuckles, the man was knocked unconscious.335Please respect copyright.PENANAU30fk7nflh
It was a phone call (whoever thought? It is as if they were trapped with no contact to the outer world) and fifteen minutes later that the Wellington Police came to arrest Druid Ren for five charges of murder and jewelry fraud.335Please respect copyright.PENANAvDSd0AHFZm
Reader, I suppose that you may want to know what became of the Morleys in the end. Lady Morley became a cult hero (not among the poorer residents of Wellington, of course), and Rachelle grew up to become the chief of Wellington Police.335Please respect copyright.PENANAu1aHXBwOd6
But what became of their fortune?335Please respect copyright.PENANAPWkfJgOLAF
David inherited the fortune, of course.335Please respect copyright.PENANA7bCflw84bT
Now you see, David had survived the fall from the staircase. Lady Morley and Rachelle always told him that he was one of the luckiest men alive, but I must point out that there was no luck involved in his survival, for he didn't fall at all.335Please respect copyright.PENANAzdLScildKj
Druid had a boiling hate for the upper class, posh Morleys, and David realized that a little manipulation would be all he needed to get the Morley fortune. So David befriended Druid, and convinced Druid to take up his sister's offer. Then Druid could infiltrate the Morley Manor.335Please respect copyright.PENANAAFjcfscJ0Q
The agreement, as it stood back then, was to frame poor Eric for the murders. Druid did his part of doing all the dirty work - but David had a little extra step in the plan. When no one was there to witness it, David rose from his pose in the entrance hall and killed Eric, before going back to his faux-corpse location.335Please respect copyright.PENANAFQBwD4DXJe
In this way, Druid would take all the blame.335Please respect copyright.PENANAgocBKwa3dX
I presume that you are waiting for some kind of moral to arise from this story. But none really exists. This account serves no purpose but for entertainment, a brief glimpse into the oh-so-obviously fictional lives of the Morleys, a short tale of murder and betrayal.
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