House of Dolls

His Final Goodbye

Nathan remained at the Cox house for several days, except for a few hours when he went to hide his doll collection in storage. Nathan spent every moment with Anna, feeling she was an excellent source of support. She consoled him while she was being manipulated daily by someone she trusted.

After a week, it was time to lay his parents to rest. Investigators ruled their deaths to be an accident, so no autopsies were performed. Nathan had their bodies cremated quickly to ensure that his lethal secret was never revealed to anyone.

Nathan marveled at the thought of his parents' funeral. While most people would be devastated that day, he welcomed it with open arms. He would soon put an end to a chapter in his life as he welcomed the birth of a new one. The day of the funeral had finally arrived. Nathan was getting ready for his last and final act of desperation. He had a once-in-a-lifetime audience, with everyone focused on his unending agony.

"Hey, Nathan, are you doing OK?" Anna entered the basement to check on Nathan. She wanted to see how he had been holding up since she believed it would be the most heart-wrenching day of his life.

She was dressed in a black dress fit for a funeral. Nathan was quickly smitten by her beauty and couldn't help but stare at the lovely creature before him. His mind told him to run up and kiss her, but he kept his cool and continued his act.

"I'm OK. Thank you, Anna." Nathan replied in a sorrowful voice. Nathan hung his head to cry as he fixed his crooked tie in the mirror. "I shouldn't be getting ready to say goodbye to my parents! It isn't right." At that moment, Nathan began to sob with such persistence, something the average person would not accomplish with ease.

He was a narcissist, so putting on a show about himself came naturally to him. All eyes needed to be on him, fooling everyone around him, even the person he claimed to love the most.

"Oh, Nathan, I'm so sorry. I'll stay by your side today, OK. You just stick by me. We'll get through this together," Anna reassured him that she would cling to his every move at the funeral home. She didn't want him to have to deal with any of it alone. Nathan had a family, but they had been estranged for some time. Some family members flew in for the service, but he refused to let them stand next to him in honor of his parents. It was a bridge that had been destroyed by a family feud over their farm years before.

As they arrived at the funeral home, Nathan, Anna, and her parents were greeted politely by the funeral director. He ushered them to the room where his parents' service was to be, "I'll just give you guys a minute before everyone starts to arrive." He exited the room and closed the double doors behind him.

Nathan then proceeded to the next scene in his final act. His parents' urns were lovely, detailed with blue and silver, and displayed on a rose gold embroidered altar during the service. The aroma of many flowers that sat nearby filled the air. Pictures of the loving parents and son were meticulously placed throughout the room. Nathan wanted people to see a happy family who lived a happy life, never questioning their bond.

Nathan then slowly walked to the front where their ashes were on display. He knelt before the altar and expressed his grief over the death of his parents. Anna stood behind Nathan, both hands on his broad shoulders, and sobbed alongside him.

The entire town of Bloomsburg, as well as Nathan's estranged family, began to show up shortly after Nathan, Anna, and her family had their moment alone. Nathan stood by the front row with Anna by his side, while her parents, Darren and Debbie, sat in the first row next to them. Relatives and friends began to express their condolences to him one by one. As the line grew longer, Anna stood silently beside him, quietly weeping for the loss of his parents, and the love of a dear friend who was hurting. The crowd wrapped around the side of the century-old structure and up the worn sidewalk that led to the main town. Nathan was taken aback by the number of people who had come to the service. He knew it was time for him to shine once more.

"Oh, Nathan, I'm so sorry for your loss. Your parents were such wonderful people." One by one, that was the statement Nathan would hear from each of the guests. If they only knew the evil that he had perpetrated on his parents.

Nathan invited the Pastor of his church to give a brief sermon to the congregation. Pastor Michael was his name in the community. He was an elderly, frail man with grey hair tufts around his balding scalp. He had adored Nathan's parents and was delighted to provide them with the appropriate end-of-life service. Nathan realized that when Pastor Michael spoke, the smoke and mirrors would continue. He had lost his parents, and now he had to learn to live with his loss, or so everyone thought. While Nathan's audience looked on, he leaned over and sobbed in Anna's open arms. She began to stroke his head as if he were a child. Nathan bawling in agony from a broken heart was a difficult sight for everyone who had come to see him. That was Nathan's biggest audience, and his best performance yet.

Nathan blubbered uncontrollably as the Pastor described Warren and Shari's lives, and the wonderful people they once were. As each member of the audience cried at the sight of Nathan's anguish, the audience began to join him in his grief. He had no thoughts of his parents because he was focused on the next chapter of his life. He had a few minutes left in the service before making a quick appearance at the re-pass held at his church hall. All planned to attend the gathering, with the entire town of Bloomsburg closing its doors temporarily to honor Warren and Shari.

Nathan, Anna, and her parents went to the church hall after hearing endless praise for Warren and Shari. Nathan ignored the stories about their contributions to the town's greatness. He only knew them as the monsters he had to deal with for the previous eighteen years.

I only have an hour left before I can get rid of these people.

He felt like a puppet master, with the entire town on a string. The crowd greeted him once more as he walked into the hall. They approached Nathan, repeatedly expressing their condolences. He tried not to appear distracted by his constant glance at the clock. He had only given himself sixty minutes to make one last appearance.

As the hour came to a close, Nathan walked up to Anna, "Hey Anna, I am emotionally drained, and have a massive headache. I'm going to head back to the house." He had a look of exhaustion on his face that he wore so well.

"Oh, OK, Nathan, do you want me to come with you?" Anna knew she had to stay with her friend. She didn't want Nathan to spend one minute of that dreadful day alone.

Nathan grinned a devious grin in his mind, but outwardly still had a mask of sorrow on his face, "Yeah, I would love that," He responded as Anna gave him a warm embrace.

After their hug, Anna quickly turned to find her parents. She walked up to them, explaining what she planned to do, "Hey guys, I'm going to go head back to the house with Nathan. He seems like he needs to rest." Anna glanced at Nathan and nodded to show him she would escort him back to the house.

"Of course, sweetheart," her parents replied, "We will be back in a little bit. We're going to stay until everyone leaves, and then help clean up." And with that, Anna hugged her parents and started toward Nathan.

Anna approached Nathan, wrapping her arms around his waist and his around her shoulder. He returned his attention to the people he had just successfully duped. He quietly exhaled a sigh of relief as he made his grand exit. His captivated audience applauded him for a job well done, followed by a standing ovation in his mind. He looked forward to the rest of his life, knowing that the wealth from his parents' farm would soon be his, and that the imprint he would soon leave on the town would be magnificent.