Never light a fire in the grand fireplace

A real estate in the mountains of Tennessee

My name is Jackie Ritzy, and...

Huh, never thought I'd inherit something like this.

I stood in front of this, quite frankly decaying mansion, a real estate I've inherited by my unmarried father, Sir Ritzy. No will, apparently, so I inherited it as per Tennessee law.

Father was a really caring man, so much so he left the entire mansion in ruins it seems, couldn't bother to hire General Contractors to assess the place so now I'm left to pick up the remainders, or what's left of it.

The weather-beaten stone exterior, once a stately gray, is now marred by patches of moss and creeping ivy, some parts stripped away by the relentless passage of time. The roof, a patchwork of sagging shingles, holds the weight of years of snow, with several areas completely caved in, allowing the elements to invade the heart of the house. Chimneys, tall and cracked, appear like forlorn sentinels, their once-functional fireplaces now choked with debris.

The windows, many shattered or obscured by layers of grime and frost, reflect little of the outside world. Their frames, long abandoned, are now filled with frost, while a few hold only jagged shards of glass.

The paint seems to be wearing off, no surprise there given this place hasn't been maintained, at least according to my mom, for at least 15 to 20 years.

If that's true, then things would likely be even worse inside.

"Ah!" I felt something cold hit the back of my head, taking a bit of a knockback forward, "Wh-" 

Surprised, I reached with my right hand and, "Snow?"

Turning around to face the culprit, there he was. "Max...?" So he did come here to this godforsaken place.

"Hahahaha! Caught you good, haven't I Jackie?" Max's smug grin flared, clearly enjoying this.

I glared daggers at him, taking a good scare out of him.

He scoffed as he cleaned his hands from the remains of the snow, "Anyway, this is your old man's vacation's spot for the winter? Looks great, if one ignores the fact that wooden floors and beams could start to weaken and rot, while the structure may become compromised if water damage hasn't been addressed." Max didn't stop as he took on a thinking posture, "The foundation could also be affected by shifting soil or water infiltration. Mold and mildew would be rampant, and carpets, fabrics, and upholstery would degrade, potentially attracting pests. Espec-"

"Max, shut the fuck up, I know!" I cut him off, not wanting to hear anymore of his all-encompassing nerd knowledge, "It's been 15 to 20 years now, of course it'll be in that condition on the inside! You're here to scout it out with me, right? To see if my father did at least something to this place of any benefit?"

Max recoiled from my outburst, but quickly regained his composure and grin, "Right, right, your highness Ritzy. You did speak with me about it on the phone, so yes. " He then shifted his gaze at the mansion, "You can bet your entire life savings that he did NOT do anything beneficial to this place."

I rolled my eyes as he approached me, "I just want to see if there's anything worth to be salvageable here."

He nodded in understanding, as he finally reached me.

"So, the old man put you in his will?" He asked as we walked together to the front door, "If so, why would he? You and him weren't on the best of speaking terms."

I stopped at the door, my hands nearing the doorknob, "No, I wasn't. In fact, there was no will. The man himself didn't write one, and as per Tennessee law, once the owner dies...the ownership goes to his children. Since he was unmarried, then this property goes to me since I'm his only child."

Max whistled, "The guy was that obtuse?"

I shook my head, "No...I feel like he did this out of spite." I opened the door, overrun by the unyielding growth of thorny bushes and vines, and by the gods the smell was horrible. "This is what I mean!" I covered my nose, as Max did the same.

"What is this smell!?" Max, "Did you mistake this for a slaughterhouse??" His grin no longer shines on his face, that's how bad this smell is.

"Ugh...It didn't occur to you to bring respirator masks, didn't it Max?" I inquired, with a shake of his head as a response from him.

"I left them both in the car, wait here." Max then left, and I stood here waiting.

"Really father? Was this out of spite?" I said to myself, confusion coloring my tone. "I knew we weren't on speaking terms but..."

The mansion stood broken and on its knees, "I didn't expect you to see me this way..."



A good 2 minutes has passed since then.

I waited a little more for Max since he was taking a while. "What could this buffoon be up to now? Did he manage to somehow lose his way to the car and is lost in the wilderness?"

Now that I think about it, it is getting a little bit colder now...temperatures are dropping by the minute, and there might be a possible ice storm on the way...

"Gosh, where are you Max?" I tapped my foot incessantly on the floor, growing impatient with every second that passed.

I was a few feet away from the door so the smell wasn't as horrible now, but still...

What happened here for the smell to get this bad? It might be the mold and mildew, it could be rotting wood or- 

"I'm here!" Max shouted, running towards me while holding two respirators. "Sorry it took a while!"

"Yeah, what DID take you so long?" I swiftly grab the respirator from his left hand, preparing to equip it.

"My car got covered in snow, and both the doors and windows were...iced, so I had to remove the snow and break the ice." He explained sheepishly as he put on his respirator mask.

I put on mine as well.

"Well, let's head on in. Ah, before we do, did you check on the car radio?" I asked, curious if the roads leading back to the town were blocked or not due to the incoming ice storm.

"I actually did." I stood in shock as he replied, "The roads are blocked, so we'll have to stay in this mansion."

"Huh." I murmur, "Didn't expect that."

Before I knew it, he had already entered the mansion. "H-hey! Wait for me!"

I finally passed through the doors, and well...the condition could not be any more predictable.

The floors are a mix of warped hardwood and cracked tile, most of which have given way to the growth of small fungi and moss that creep into the corners.

And the air, even through the respirators...the air is thick with the scent of mildew, damp wood, and the faint, musty trace of something...

"Wow," both me and Max echoed the same awe as we looked at each other.

We passed by the grand staircase in our exploration, I wanted to go upstairs to see the view because judging from outside, this apparently leads to a balcony...the issue is that its railing are twisted and warped, and the floors up have sunk and buckled under the weight of...well, decades of decay. So we decided to scrap the plan.

Passing through the hallways of this decrepit mansion, we saw old paintings, their frames splintered and cracked, hang crookedly on the walls, their once-vibrant colors faded to ghostly whispers...though still somewhat recognizable, at least one of them.

"A painting of Mona Lisa," Max spoke in recognition, "Done by Leonardo da Vinci himself..." 

"No need to remind me of what I already know, smart-ass." I cuss him out playfully, "I received good grades in art."

"Outside of that, it saddens me you know?" His tone mournful, and filled with empathy. And I knew exactly why.

"How could my father abandon all of this?" I asked the question that both of us wanted answers for but likely will never get. "Is this even recoverable?"

We continued to explore, but it was getting cold really fast. The windows were cracked and broken, so the cold air from the storm had no resistance getting in.

"Leads head to where the grand fireplace is." I suggest, "We could light the fireplace."

Max looked at me as if I was insane, "Are you insane, Jackie? This mansion is falling apart as it is, if we light the fireplace, it could lead to disastrous consequences! Never light a fire in the grand fireplace of a crumbling mansion!"

I looked at him unimpressed, he tensed in response, "Come on now, Jackie..."

As I pondered how I should light the fireplace, we arrived there.

"Jackie, we have the car! We could wait in there!" Max insisted.

"Yeah, and risk us getting trapped in there because of the snow pileup." I retort back, getting some matches from my backpack. "Either this or we possibly get hypothermia and die."

As I light one of the matches to light the remaining wood inside the fireplace, Max grabbed my hand and took it off from my hand throwing it away.

"Hey!" I shouted.

"You're going to get us killed, you know!" Max pleaded, "Use common sense! We can use the roo- Oh wait, they're upstairs..." He stopped to think, "But Jackie, just wait and let's think together. No reason to light the fireplace when its thi-"

"Wait," I interrupt him, "Do you smell smoke?"

Max's face paled, slowly turning around...to see the wood burning. Max had unknowingly thrown the burning match onto the wood.

Years of soot and decay trapped in the chimney start to shift, unsettled by the sudden rush of heat. A muffled cracking echoes from above, followed by a deep rumble as loose debris clogs the flue, sending a plume of smoke curling into the room, startling both me and Max.

"Oh, thank goodness for those respirators!" Max's gratitude was cut short as I grabbed his arm, geting ready to leave.

The flames surge, struggling against the lack of ventilation, and a new sound rises: the groan of wood weakened by decades of rot and neglect. The beams above the fireplace shudder, and the mantelpiece trembles. Sparks leap from the fire, igniting dry, brittle remnants of the room's once-opulent décor. The ceiling creaks ominously, the sound reverberating through the mansion like a warning.

"Max, let's leave, now!" I drag him running across the hallways and straight for the door...managing to run away just in time.

Running for a good feet away from the mansion, we stopped to look. "Well, I don't think a simple fire like that can-"

We hear then suddenly a deafening crash, part of the chimney collapses inward, sending a cascade of bricks and soot into the hearth. The impact sends a shockwave through the structure, causing other parts of the house to tremble.

Max and I stood in silence.

"Yeah, let's get out of here, Jackie." Max starts to get the keys of his car from his pocket until I interrupt him.

"The roads are blocked, remember?" He scratches his head in response.

"Damn it...!" I slap myself, "That mansion was the only thing that dad left for me, and now I managed to fuck it up!"

Max put his arms across the back of my head in a show of comfort, "To be honest, even if you hadn't taken that match and lighted it up...recovering that mansion is an impossible task. The place was beyond saving long before we got here."

He sighed, looking back at the wreckage. "Your dad clearly didn't take care of it, and even with all the money in the world, I don't think it could've been restored to its former glory. Sometimes... things are just meant to be let go."

I stared at the ruins, emotions swirling inside me. Frustration, sadness, anger—but also, oddly enough, a sense of liberation. That mansion had been a looming weight, a decaying reminder of a strained relationship and unfinished business. Watching it collapse almost felt... cathartic, in a twisted way.

Max gently nudged me with his same shit-eating grin, that cocky grin. "Come on, Jackie. Let's find some shelter. We'll figure out the rest later. Though you owe me for putting our lives at risk there!"

I turned to him, a smile across my face. "You're right, once we get out of this snow, I'll treat you some video games, deal?"

As we trudged back through the snow, leaving the ruins of my father's legacy behind, I realized that sometimes, destruction clears the way for new beginnings.

"By the way, how do we explain this to your Mom and to the cops?"