Welcome to the Smith Residence

Daniel Smith's House, Kings Park, Western Australia, August 25th, 2006, 12:00 P.M

It was a dreary and horrid stormy day. Rain poured and poured, and thunder could be heard. Lightning struck here and there. Daniel drove his car up the hill to the house that he purchased a long time ago and he stopped the car in front of his door. The driveway was curved, so you can easily get in or out.
Felix Bread, a man 10cm shorter than Dan and 49 years old himself, approached the vehicle. He was in a butler outfit; his hair was black and slick. He took out his umbrella and opened the driver's side door to help Daniel out.
"Thank you, Felix," Daniel spoke.
"Shall I park your car in the garage as usual?" Felix asked in a mid-tone voice.
"Please, I'll meet you back at the entrance to this house," Dan spoke. Daniel took the umbrella and Felix entered the car. Daniel went to the passenger side door and helped Elizabeth Everstone out of the car.
"It has been a while since we have come here." Elizabeth noted. "I just hope Eric, Liam and Victor took care of the interior. It may be stormy weather and pouring heavily, but I can still see the exterior is as beautiful as my last visit."
Daniel nodded. "I am sure that our sons, Eric, and Liam, as well as our butler Felix took care of the interior. But to expect my older brother Victor to look after the place is too farfetched. He is too busy looking at the sky to care for anything on earth." He explained.
"Oh yes. I keep forgetting how peculiar your brother is." Elizabeth chuckled. "But at least he doesn't act like Benjamin."
"They should be joining us soon I believe."
Felix approached Elizabeth and Daniel. "Mistress Everstone. I did not see you at first."
"Dear Felix, it is Elizabeth. There is no need to refer to me as such." Elizabeth added.
"Felix, is my father here?" Daniel inquired.
"Sir Harry Smith is inside your guest bedroom asleep; he does not wish to be disturbed until dinner time." Felix replied.
"Today is his 81st birthday and he decide to be unsociable." Daniel added.
"I well know what today is, Dr Smith." Felix replied.
"I was talking to my wife." Dan elaborated.
"Daniel. I may have been in a coma for seven years, but I still remember what today is." Elizabeth laughed.
Daniel chuckled too. "Let us go in. Has anybody else arrived?"
Felix shook his head. "Not yet Dr. Smith. Only Eric, Liam, Victor, and Harry as well as the cook and house cleaner are in the household currently."
"The cook and the house cleaner? They have names Felix." Daniel noted.
"Yes, Jasmine and Harrison, they are in the household." Felix clarified.
"There we go. I request that you refer to them by name as it is diminutive to refer to them by title, as if they are just background characters in the game of life."
"I am sorry Daniel. It will not happen again."
Felix opened the bronze door and Daniel, and Elizabeth entered the house.
The first to meet them was a tall, mysterious figure. A man with hair blacker than coal and eyes that were a mysterious blue, they almost glowed in the dark. This man walked down the stairs in an almost fancy manner and his tie had the image of Saturn on it. He was wearing a suit covered in stars, and his pants were long, and they looked warm. He was 55 years old.
"Elizabeth! Where were you two months ago? You were awake on June 14th, yet you never showed your face here. Why not?" Victor, the man I described above, spoke in a dark and mysterious voice.
"Liam did not invite me to his 23rd birthday. But he should have been aware that I awoke." Elizabeth replied.
"Victor? You have come down from your observatory?" Dan inquired. He was surprised.
"Our father's birthday is today. He would be ashamed if I did not honour him with my appearance." Victor established.
Daniel nodded. "Where is Eric and Liam?"
"I believe they are in the lounge by the fireplace, it is cold today after all." Victor explained. Thunder and lightning happen in the background.
Dan and Elizabeth go into the Lounge. Eric was taller than Dan, and looked like him, his shiny red hair glistened, it was silky smooth and a medium length. Liam was the same height as Dan and looked bit less similar. His hair was blond like Elizabeth's hair. They both had the same shiny blue eyes.
"Hey mum, hey dad." Eric announced in a mid-tone voice. "How are things?"
"Everything is well." Elizabeth stated. "Liam, why did you not want me to make an appearance during your last birthday?"
"I did not want you going out of your way so soon after you recovered from your condition. I was not sure if you would still be a little ill, so I chose to be safer rather than sorry." Liam explained in a light tone.
"Thank you for the concern, dear, but you did not need to worry about me, I am a survivor." Elizabeth laughed.
"Yeah." Eric added. "We know."
"Do either of you want to play a game while we wait for the others to arrive?" Dan inquired.
"As long as it is not 'connect four.'" Eric laughed and Liam chuckled. Daniel and Elizabeth laughed too.
"I have brought you drinks." Jasmine Kyla stated in her soft angelic voice, she was a modest height for a lady, and she had a medium sized bosom which was well hidden by her outfit. She was young yet not naïve. She presented herself as innocent and elegant. But she was also a black belt. Anyone trying to take advantage of her will learn fast that taking advantage of her is something you should never do. She had tea and cookies, milk, and water on the tray she carried.
"How is your sensei, Jasmine?" Daniel inquired.
"He says my skills could take down the best karate user in the movies. He is doing well." Jasmine explained. "I expected your presence and made you earl grey tea and a cottage pie."
"Looking to please him, are you?" Elizabeth inquired.
"I just wish to see him smile like he makes me smile." Jasmine explained. "Nobody could ever replace you Elizabeth, not in a million years."
Elizabeth smiled. "Good."
Three new visitors arrived. Catherine Prode was one of them, she was Daniel and Elizabeth's only daughter, she was as tall as her mother and had the same long blond hair and sharp dark blue eyes. She looked youthful for a 31-year-old and her breasts were small. She wore shimmering blue lipstick, and her lips were so shiny that they reflected some of the flames dancing in the fireplace. Her husband was 10cm taller than Daniel, his hair was short and blond, and he had some facial hair and sharp emerald eyes. Alex Prode was their child. A small description of him has already been provided in the previous story. He was wearing a shirt with Leonard Raycloth's face on it. He was wearing chessboard pattern pants.
"Where's the chess board?" Alex asked.
"Do you recall where Dan-Dan left it?" Daniel inquired.
Alex nodded and headed off. "Be careful." Daniel yelled after him.
"You don't mind him calling you that, right Daniel?" Brian Prode asked.
"It is fine, Brian." Daniel noted. "He is only eight after all."
"Uncle Victor was acting odd as usual" Catherine added.
"I heard that." Victor announced.
"That man is creepy. I cannot believe he is your brother." Brian whispered to Dan.
"Have you met Ben?" Dan inquired.
"Oh, yes. He does not seem like your brother either." Brian laughed.
Brian, Megan, and Megan junior now arrive in the room.
"Oh no! Did I summon you?" Brian noted.
"Sorry?" Ben asked.
"He spoke your name mere moments ago." Dan explained.
"Oh, I guess I did not hear. So now three of your children are here. Looks like we are still waiting for Joseph, Abigail, Thomas, Tiffany, Rafael, Shark man and Charlie." Ben noted.
"Shark man? There is no need to refer to Bruce like that, this is not a trading company." Daniel laughed.
Everyone found a place to sit, and Alex shortly appeared with a chessboard in hand. Everyone looked worried. There was no chance that any of them were going to beat him.
"Dan-Dan!" Alex spoke.
Daniel gave a look like he was saying, 'Dang it! Why me?'
Alex set the pieces up and allowed Daniel to move the white pieces. He was beaten in less than 80 moves.
"Who is next?" Alex asked with a cute smug smile on his face. Everyone was sweating buckets, and the fire was not even that warm.
Everyone took a turn going against Alex. He won every time. The only one who beat Alex was Thomas. But Alex did not look upset. He allowed Thomas to win since he did not want to make another child chuck a temper tantrum.
But when did Thomas arrive? He came in with Joseph and Abigail Smith during the game Alex was having against his father.
Abigail had long violet hair and a moon shaped face. The shade of lipstick she wore was black cherry and her eyelashes and eyebrows were well kept, her eyes were chestnut brown. Today she wore a purple dress with sequins which was revealed when she took off her raincoat. Her breasts were medium sized.
Joseph was yet another one of Dan's children, about 29 years old. He had the longest hair of the males in the family and his hair was crimson like his fathers and his eyes were a brilliant blue. He wore a warm hooded jumper and long brown tracksuit pants.
Thomas had dark purple hair and brilliant brown eyes. His stature was small, he was less than Daniel's height. He wore a shirt with the image of 'rainbow roller' (the rainbow-coloured wooden coaster in Everleason theme park) on it. He was holding a big brown elephant he won from a stall at the theme park mentioned in brackets some time back. He had a black backpack on his bag. His parents keep relaying that it is so heavy that they believe that Thomas has a pet elephant in there.
Daniel went to Alex. "Do you think that was the right thing to do?" Daniel asked.
"What do you mean?" Alex whispered back.
"Allowing him to win? You demonstrated that you were better than every other adult, including me. Yet you allowed Thomas to beat you. You do realise that gives him the thought that he would be invincible against us when he plays chess with us. So, if he loses then he will think that you tricked him, and he will be doubly upset."
Alex picked up one of the pawns that Thomas captured earlier. "I did not think of that. I just wanted to see him smile. I did not know I was setting him up for sadness."
Daniel patted Alex on the back. "It is okay. You are a child, there was no way you could have known." Dan smiled.
Alex got up and hugged Daniel.
"Thomas, I am sorry." Alex spoke and bowed toward Thomas.
"Why?" Thomas asked. "That was a fun game."
"I let you win. Now if you lose against the grownups, you will be sad."
Thomas laughed in a way that only a child could laugh. "You are so funny Alex. Apologising for that."
Alex and Daniel both looked shocked. "You knew!" They said simultaneously.
"Of course, I knew. Someone wearing the face of Leo Raycloth would never lose against his family members, unless on purpose." Thomas explained.
"That is surprising astute of you Thomas." Dan added.
"Well," Abigail spoke. "He is your grandson and you yourself are pretty sharp."
Joseph laughed in his light voice. "She is right, you know." He slapped his knee in hysterics. "Your friend, junior detective Damien Thrifter shared all the intimate details of all your cases so far, including the day you spent with the great and dreadful Dr. Draconias Myth."
"I told him to burn that one." Daniel spoke.
"Yes, I heard that you described him as quite a dreadful man, a character so extreme that how anyone is able to handle him is a mystery in itself." Joseph elaborated.
Daniel nodded. "That must have been something the commissioner wrote."
"Pardon?"
"Are you aware that Damien titles the mysteries I solve."
"Yes, 'Murder on Entitlement Island' is when he explains that to you. He said that the commissioner rewrites the details to make the files a more interesting read."
"Well, I do tell him everything since he despises my lacklustre writing. My writing is so boring that reading the writing on the file holder is enough to make people fall asleep. Which is a proven fact, you can ask David if you ever run into him."
"Oh, David Lancer: 'He who stares a lance into your soul.'"
"You've been in contact with Ben I see."
"He still has nightmares of his meeting with him during the events of 'misfiled for murder.'"
Daniel nodded. Two more guests arrived at the house.
"Will lunch be ready soon?" Bruce 'Shark man' Smith asked. "I did not drive all the way up here just for the ambience."
Bruce Smith was a stockbroker. He was halfway between Daniel's height and Thomas' height. His hair was grey, yet he was only 48. He always had a glint in his emerald eyes and his smile was always hungry. You could see it in his face, everything about his expression told you that he was looking for the best deal. He earned the name Shark man because of his sharp teeth and his snazzy grey suit and for the fact that he was the best in his stockbroker firm. Today he was wearing an emerald, green suit with a silver tie. He wore tan long pants made from linen. He packed away his tiny umbrella and put it into the umbrella basket by the front door.
His son Charlie however was wearing something much more fun. A shirt with a clown on it. Strange wear for a 25-year-old. His pants were covered in multiple-coloured spots, and he wore suspenders and as he entered, he took a funny wig from the suitcase he carried and placed it on his head.
"I will provide free entertainment for tonight." Charlie stated in a funny high pitch voice. He had a talent for making his voice sound like he inhaled helium when he never inhaled helium.
"It is nice to see you, Bruce and Charlie." Dan spoke.
"Hey, thanks for hosting us." Bruce added.
"There is no food currently as I am still waiting for Leopold Smith's daughter and her husband." Dan spoke.
"Why do you care? Leo is not going to care, because he is six feet under." Bruce spoke bluntly.
"Harry wanted to see them." Daniel added.
"Ah yes, the one who is still alive." Bruce noted.
Dan was shocked at such a statement. Harry's wife and Daniel's mother, Jennifer Smith, was still alive and was still in Africa trying to get a flight to met her husband on his special day. Still Dan pushed his feelings aside, Bruce was family after all. "Can you just be polite? Just for today?" Dan asked.
"Why? He is your father, not mine. I will act the way I want, and if you do not like it, sue me." Bruce slammed the front door just as Felix was about to enter. Felix reopened it with his right hand and held his left hand to his nose.
"Felix! Are you okay? Let me get some ice for you." Daniel stated.
"Thank you for your concern, Dr Smith. You are always helpful." Felix replied.
"Be on your best behavior Bruce." Dan spoke with an angry tone.
"I will be when I get food into my stomach." He rebutted with a slight anger. He took his son's wig off before he went to entertain Thomas and Alex. "Do not wear such ridiculous things."
Charlie stomped off. The storm was getting stronger, and the rain was heavier. There were still two more guests to arrive. Nobody yet knew that something terrible was going to happen later.