Craven Manor

by Darcy Coates

Bury the bones, please. I cannot stand to look at them. You seek answers. Join me for supper in the dining room at seven tonight. -Bran

It will be fine. Go and season the door, just like regular people do all the time.

“My burden. My curse.” Bran had drawn close without Daniel realising. A change of tension in the chair’s fabric told him Bran had placed his hand on its back. “Eliza Myricks.”

“I have lived for some time now, Mr. Kane, and it has given me appreciation for how insignificant many of our daily trials are. You will not find me lacking in patience.”

“The poor creature is too foolish to know she ought to be afraid of me. Much like you.”

Bran had said something shortly after Eliza’s attack: “We will take each day as it comes.” That was the motto Daniel was living by.

But none of those eventualities felt threatening, not when compared to what he’d gained. His home was comfortable. His work was rewarding. And for the first time in years, he had a genuine friend. The job was unorthodox, but he felt as though he’d found his purpose as Craven Manor’s custodian. And so he would take each day as it came.