| Outfit |

Backdated: 08/31/2020 at 8:00pm

Percival roamed the oddly quiet halls of the manor without any real destination in mind. It seemed as if the life within these halls was completely sucked out after his Grandfather's death. Not a soul in sight, everyone still at the after-funeral reception. Percival, on the other hand, had taken the chance to make himself scarce. He truly wanted to be alone at the moment, and he wasn't too sure he could actually stomach food.

The boy could not help but still be unnerved from the funeral. Downed in black both physically and mentally. Seeing his Grandfather in that casket had left him feeling queasy. Percival had wanted to pay his respects, but he could not get past the way his Grandfather looked. He looked so fake like someone had replaced his Grandfather's body with a wax sculpture. Though he knew the truth, that it was real flesh and bone that would soon decay in a satin prison. Still, Percival couldn't help but find it hard to connect his Grandfather to the man in the casket. The man that had laid surrounded by a silk lining barely resembled his Grandfather only days before. It was possible that the ashy look of his face was what threw him off. Though, it was entirely possible that the stillness that surrounded the casket was the cause. No signs of life. No chest rising or the fluttering of eyelashes. Simply nothing.

His chest felt strangely empty. Hollow. As if something had gone missing down there. It made his lips twitch down into a frown and his heartache as he realized this. He wondered if he would ever feel whole again or if this ache would be with him forever. Percival was brought out of his thoughts as he stared at the large wooden door. His Grandfather's study. It occurred to him that he hadn't been in front of this door since the night his Grandfather died. His mouth felt like it was stuffed full of cotton as he gripped the handle. Last time he hadn't gone inside. Last time he had simply run back to his room like a scared child.

Walking into his Grandfather's study was like walking into a moment stuck in time. The smell of tobacco lingered in the air. An ashtray on the large mahogany desk was most likely the culprit. The shelves were filled to the brim with old books. There were so many that they spilled out into the rest of the room. Books had been stacked next to the leather armchair in the corner, and books had even been shoved under the footrest. The large windows behind the desk seemed to illuminate everything in an ethereal glow. Percival walked past the armchairs in front of the fireplace. Ignoring the missing tea set that usually sat on the coffee table. The boy rounded the large wooden desk, tracing the smooth surface with his fingertips as he did so.

Percival didn't dare sit in the large leather desk chair. It didn't seem right to simply take his Grandfather's seat. In truth, being in the study at all didn't feel right. His Grandfather had loved this study to the very end, and in a way, he could understand. Percival guessed it to be a refuge of his Grandfather's. One where he could disappear off too and not be bothered. The boy sighed to himself as he took a cursory look at the items on his Grandfather's desk. Papers were strewn about, and he wondered what his Grandfather had been looking for in such a rush. His gaze was caught by something shiny in his peripheral, and he quickly glanced to his left. Next to the ash tray lay a metal lighter of sorts. Percival picked up the item to get a better look at it.



The lighter appeared to be rather old and had the brand Zippo on it. It had an engraved pattern on the front and back. With the initials W.R in the center of the design. Percival turned the lighter over in his hand for a few seconds. Before putting the lighter into his pants pocket. He wondered, and somewhat hoped, if having the lighter would make it feel like his Grandfather was still with him. There was no way to know for sure unless he tried it. So, the boy turned to leave only pausing to look back at the office once he reached the door. A melancholy look replaced the grim look that had been stuck on his face for the past couple of days. A part of him didn't want to leave the calm stillness of the study, but Percival knew he couldn't stay in here forever. The boy exited the study closing the door on the study and his Grandfather.

Percival exits the thread