Chapter Four: The Chest

Reginald P.O.V.

We had gotten down and were helping in the kitchen. This Matthew guy actually turned out more fun and open than I thought. It had only been an hour since we got down from the tower (that's what we decided to call the roof) and he was already starting to get along with everyone, but there's something about him that seems a little off and forced. But, I still think this year is going to be a fun one.

"Reginald stop!" I turned around to see Matt running towards me.

"Are you serious? There is nothing left to the potato. How did you even peel it to get it to this state." He pointed as he took the miniscule ball of potato from my hands about the size of my thumb nail.

"What? At least I'm helping. I'm sure you can't even-" I look at his finely peeled and precisely cut vegetables.

"…What?"

"Whoa Matt, are you like secretly a mother or something?"

"What? … I'm male. I can't give birth."

"Hahahaha. Learn to take a joke bro!"

I look at him and smiled as I saw him and the others laughing. "Reginald I'm putting you on washing duty. . . Huh, why didn't I think of this before?" I looked up to see Sister Isabella taking the knife from my hand and pushing me over to the sink where I would wash the other vegetables. Turning around I looked at all of them and spoke my mind.

"You're all just jealous that I can make a beautiful, smooth, and round potato."

"He's right. Even I don't know how to make something to make a potato this round and circular." I looked back at Matt and seeing him praise my beautifully sculpted potato marble made me proud. I did not care about the other's laughter for I am proud of my amazing talent. (I have more talents just in case you're wondering)

"By the way I will only talk to those who has seen my amazingness and admitted that I am very talented, like my good pal Matthew. Ain't that right Matt?" I put my arm around his shoulder, raised my head high and they all laughed… again. I couldn't hold it in me anymore so I laughed as well making the kitchen a joyous place once more.

Well Father Joshua did say that I had a knack in making people happy, might as well put my talent (just another one of them) to good use.

OOOOO

I looked over at Matt to see him glare at the food like it was some sort of foreign object. it amused me for a while… okay it amused me a lot, but hey it wasn't my fault his face looked of an unsure mixture of terror and amazement. I leaned over enough so he could hear what I said in a whisper

"It's okay it won't kill you, but the fish eyeball might."

"What?!!!"

"I'm just joking *laughs* that's just carrots, flower petals, and sauce. It tastes better than it looks."

I looked at him trying to swallow the first then gobbling up the rest. I laughed at the thought of how much he had reminded me of my cousin.

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*Flashback*

It was a hot summer's day, the sun rays bouncing of the dew on the grass and my cousin, Charles, was once again as active and hyper as always. He was insisting that I joint the others to play but it was too hot and I was too tired and lazy to even stand up. I almost fell asleep under the tree until my father came to get us for lunch.

I'm proud to say that most of my family were happy and kind hearted people (not like that town clerk with a permanent stick up his butT!) I say most because our grandmother, Amelia, is pretty cranky. Well she did just lose her husband and could no longer walk because of her old age, don't get me wrong I don't hate her or anything I just wish that she was like how she was before. A kind, giving and cheerful grandmother and not a pessimistic emo-like one. *shhhh – puts index finger on lips*. Don't tell her I said that.

Yes, I do help her out the best I can; after all, I still love her. Even if she has changed drastically she is still my Amma Amelia – that's what I used to call her when I was a child, I don't say it out loud but I still think it.

Anyway, we had arrived at the dining table where the two brothers, my and Charles' fathers, we fighting again. They usually fight about tiny and useless things, yesterday they had fought about if they should cut the potato seeds into 4 or 6 pieces each before planting them on the ground, they had reached a conclusion of: the big ones get cut into 6 pieces and the small ones 4 pieces.

To tell you the truth that was the opinion I had thought of and told them, I mean, who wouldn't get tired of 2-3 hours straight of debating about slicing potatoes.

I had done the rest of the family a favor and am proud of it once again. s(-^o^-)z sfx. HOHOHO.

As soon as the plates and food were set on the table we said our grace and dug in, well, all except Charles. He had that look of distrust on his face as he looked at the Foie gras.

Just in case you might not know… Foie gras is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. It looks way better than how I describes it as and tastes way better as well…

"Mom what is this?" he said as he pocked the Foie gras. And again, very amusing.

"Charles just eat up. You need the nutrition." Aunt Cecelia said while taking his plate to cut his food into smaller pieces.

"Mom you don't need to do that!"

"Shush, it is to make sure you eat your food. look at your cousin, he is eating his why can't you eat yours."

"But mom…"

"No buts."

I couldn't hold in my laughter that was on the verge of bursting and accidentally gave off a slight chuckle. And if stares could kill, I would already be dead.

I looked away hoping that he would just look at his food and when he did I immediately look a slice and shoved it into his mouth. I knew that he might never forgive me but it was worth it. His reaction was classic, it even made grandma Amelia laugh.

It wasn't until he had swallowed it that his face morphed into an ecstatic look and started gobbling up the rest which made the room burst into laughter once more.

When we had finished Charles but his hand on my shoulder and said.

"Don't ever do that again I'll just let you off the hook this time." When he went back outside to continue playing games with his pals, William, my dad, had called on me to help him and Uncle Rupert carry some stuff into the storage room.

OOOOO

After placing the last box down on the floor I look around to see if there had been anything interesting. Aside from all antiques and jars on the shelves and useless junk scattered all over the place, there were two things that caught my eye.

The first thing was a picture frame that was facing the floor and the other was a small chest about the size of two fists. I walked over to the more interesting one, the box, after dusting off the dirt from the surface, which by the way looked awesome – like a small gold encrusted forest - I continued on to look inside it. But with no luck, it was locked.

"Is everything alight son?" my father said while walking into the room with a few more boxes.

"Oh its nothing dad."

"If you like anything just let me know. By Sunday they'll either be sold to the antique shop or in the dump."

"Okay, thanks dad." I said waving my hand as he turned around ready to leave.

"I'll be in the garden or wherever your mother will drag me to if you need me." He grinned, and shuffled the hair on my head as I laughed and waved good bye as I watched him walk away

*End of Flashback*

Now that I think about it where did I keep them?

"You alright Rege? You've been sitting there staring into space for quite some time." I was shocked out of my thoughts and faced the voice who spoke. Matt.

"Huh?! Oh yeah yeah. I'm fine just thinking about a couple of things."

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