CASE 1, ACT 1: CHANDELIER
Macarius's stone castle was a masterpiece of beauty and decay.
Built with sandstone, it consisted of the lofty towers and formidable walls commonplace among the upper-class castles of Ancient Greece. While not the largest of castles in the land, it was certainly the most decadent.
While the place was Macarius's pride and joy, time had not been kind to it. Indeed, it was on the verge of ruin.
But nevertheless, Macarius had selected his own castle to host the twentieth anniversary of his healing center's operations.
The 'Macarius Healing Center', based in the heart of Athens, had traversed through many highs and lows over the decades. Through the Government of Athens generously funding the center’s activities, to its various worker strikes that had plagued it during times of recession, the enterprise had, through sheer persistence and perseverance, survived no matter what.
But at what cost?
***
Macarius, the large bodied and middle aged head doctor of his prized healing center, entered his castle's dining room amid its preparations for the night's celebration.
The walls were decorated with old oil paintings, and the perimeter was furnished with numerous old marble statues of various saints and Greek gods. In the center of the room lay a long wooden table of which the servants were setting.
Macarius preferred to manage through his presence, rather than be hidden away in a room somewhere. He wanted to oversee everything that was happening and visualize his upcoming event ahead of time. It had to be perfectly run, just like his healing center.
The castle manager, Jessun, a short, bald and inquisitive middle aged man, held his trusty papyrus board and quill in hand. He observed his two servants as they set the table. Melia was a plain looking woman in her mid twenties, with shoulder length black hair and freckles, and Sevius was a tall and slim young man, with short blonde hair and an aura of grand intelligence around him.
The head maid, Flesuna, a young, tall woman with long brunette hair and glowing skin, watched over Melia and Sevius and occasionally guided them on their work.
Sevius ensured that the crockery was set flawlessly, and Melia checked the vases of flowers for any imperfections. Melia then focused her attention to the large vase of anemone, aster, and bellflower before her, which was to be placed in the center of the table. She took pride in their beauty, and perked them up to showcase their full color and delicacy.
But the charm of those flowers were quickly shattered as terrifying sounds invaded from outside.
Concerned, Flesuna went over to the window, and observed the rain pouring hard, and the thunder striking viciously. Melia, on hearing the noises, gave Sevius a frightened look, but no words left her mouth.
Melia could not speak, for apparently, she had a curse placed upon her by a descendant of Harpocrates (the god of silence) some years ago, which had silenced her vocal cords.
Sevius had no issues in reading Melia's face.
"Worry not, Melia. The storm will subside soon enough," he reassured her. "The sun will then pierce through the clouds, and all will be well again."
Melia tried to smile, but she knew deep down that many guests would never make it to the celebration.
Macarius coughed twice, and this focused everyone's attention on him.
"It had to be today," announced Macarius stubbornly. "Twenty years of my healing center’s work had to be celebrated on its anniversary. If some doctors cannot make it, then they will surely celebrate with us in spirit!"
His positivity brought a smile to everyone's faces. Before she knew it, Melia's initial half smile became full.
"You are correct, my lord," exclaimed an energized Jessun. "Come, everyone, the guests will be arriving soon!"
Melia, Sevius, and Flesuna continued on with their work.
Jessun went into the kitchen and was greeted with the great feast that the chef had prepared. There were all manner of Greek foods present, from briam to keftedes to yiouvetsi. It was a spread worthy of royals.
Jessun, pleased with what he saw, thanked the chef and sent him home.
"Godfather…"
Jessun turned around to see Flesuna sneaking into the kitchen, being sure to not be seen by the others.
"Flesuna! Do not abandon your work now. There are only a few precious moments left before the event," exclaimed Jessun quietly.
"I apologize, but I could not wait any longer. I just wanted to know about, you know, our lord's reply…"
Jessun knew that Flesuna would, sooner or later, come asking about his meeting sooner or later. Jessun took a deep breath to calm down his annoyance.
"Worry not, my dear. I will get my raise, and you will be able to study abroad," Jessun announced.
An overjoyed Flesuna wrapped her arms around Jessun.
"Thank you, Godfather," she whispered. "It's what Fir would have wanted."
"I agree," said Jessun. "Now come, let us get back to our work."
Flesuna promptly wiped away her tears, then the two calmly left the kitchen.
As they re-entered the dining room, they found the dining table fully set. The preparations were finally complete, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
On the other side of the room in the far corner, Macarius spoke to Sevius.
"I see great potential in you, Sevius. After your training is complete, you can look forward to a very rewarding career, indeed!"
"Yes, sir," Sevius hastily confirmed. He bowed to his master. "I am grateful for the opportunity."
"Good boy!" responded Macarius enthusiastically.
He placed his hand on Sevius' shoulder reassuringly.
Sevius watched on as his master walked away with a spring in his step. The servant then noticed Melia looking at him from a distance. Her brow was tense - She knew something was wrong. Not wanting her to become too clouded with suspicion, Sevius did not react. Instead, he promptly walked away, but this only added to Melia's concern.
***
Later, Macarius, Jessun, Flesuna, Sevius, and Melia entered the main hall at the front of the castle. Its atmosphere was welcoming and grand, with its flat stone floor and fine marble statues lining the walls beneath the walkways. The area was candle-lit by the large crystal chandelier above, which hung from a silver chain.
The large wooden main doors to the castle were at the far end of the hall, with two small tables on each side of them. At the opposite end sat the stone staircase which connected the ground to the upper walkways where occupants could access their dorm rooms. Behind the staircase was the door to the dining room, which inside itself had two doors on its West and East side; One door led to the kitchen, and the other led to the lounge, respectively.
Macarius, undeterred by the continuing downpour and thunder strikes from outside, beckoned his staff to gather in the hall's center for their briefing.
He coughed to clear his throat. "Ahem. Mister Jessun and I will be positioned at the main door, ready to greet our guests. Sevius and Melia, you serve the guests their drinks as they wait for the others. Flesuna, please have some cloths ready, as our guests will be soaked through when they enter."
"Yes, sir," replied Flesuna.
The staff followed their orders. Flesuna gathered some cloths from the kitchen, and everyone took their positions in the hall in readiness for the first guests to arrive.
The thunderstorm outside seemed to get louder and louder the longer they all waited. It was anyone's guess as to whether or not anyone would arrive at all.
But a hope suddenly emerged as a knock sounded.
Macarius and Jessun grabbed one door each and pulled them to. Soon, a thin, beardless man with short black hair entered. He was a few years younger than the experienced Macarius, and he wore an elegant silk himation cloak, along with a head cloth to shield him from the rain.
"Ah, Doctor Rhesus!" exclaimed Macarius. Jessun took his colleague's head cloth from him, then beckoned Flesuna.
"Greetings, Macarius," said Rhesus in an exasperated voice, shaking his superior's hand with one hand and drying himself off with Flesuna's cloth with his other. "The weather is grand this evening!"
"I always admire your humor, Rhesus," said a woman's voice from the rain.
A burly middle aged man with a thick brunette beard and a confident looking middle aged woman with long blonde curls entered through the doors wearing head cloths, with the woman carrying a leather bag.
"Ah, Doctor Barlu, Doctor Cartelie! Welcome!" Macarius shook Barlu's hand, and kissed Cartelie's hand. Jessun took their head cloths and, again, Flesuna offered them new cloths to dry themselves with.
The servants and the doctors then waited for what felt like an eternity for anyone else to arrive, but their wait was in vain. The thunderstorm had prevented the other doctors from making it.
Not to let the occasion go to waste, Macarius heartily invited Rhesus, Barlu, and Cartelie into the dining room.
There, the doctors took their seats at the front end of the long wooden table, and Macarius stood up at the front.
The servants stood around the table; They tried to keep up with Macarius's optimism, though the mostly empty room and continuing storm outside rather dampened their efforts.
"The storm may have lowered our guest count, but it has not lowered our spirits," boasted Macarius with his back straight and his smile full of pride. "I am confident that you three doctors and our colleagues, wherever they may be, are as pleased as I am with our health center achieving twenty years of operation! There were many times when I felt like giving up. Indeed, I am sure we all felt like that at some point in time. But we carried on, nethertheless, and our center is in good standing to run for another twenty years and beyond!"
Rhesus was the first to applaud, then the servants and other doctors joined in with him.
Barlu and Cartelie glanced at each other with a slight unease, but they then quickly refocused on their applause.
As the applause subsided, Macarius's face became melancholier and he coughed a little.
"Thank you. Thank you, all. But now, everyone, I have an important announcement to make. I purchased this castle ten years ago as a place to house my family closer to our healing center. They have now moved on and settled elsewhere, and my staff and I are living in this… crumbling ruin. I struggled hard to sell this place, but at last, a buyer has been found! They wish to turn this castle into a guest house. I believe that that is what's best for this place. It requires a new life under a new owner. And so, I will leave here to live in a smaller home in the village, and my dear staff will continue on working in this castle without my supervision. It was not an easy decision to make, but I do not wish to see the walls crashing down on us all!"
The doctors all smiled in understanding. The servants immediately looked to the ground upon hearing the news, but they showed no signs of surprise. They knew that Macarius could never keep up with the maintenance of the old and almost empty castle, despite his vast wealth and resources.
"I thank Jessun, Flesuna, Sevius and Melia for looking after this place, and after myself, of course," announced Macarius. "Now, let us enjoy this grand feast!"
The guests were served their food and wine. During the feast, the doctors casually talked amongst themselves. Macarius and Rhesus kept the conversations positive, while Cartelie and Barlu were more muted and withdrawn.
The servants were relieved that even though only three doctors arrived, the party felt crowded and worthy of their efforts.
As midnight approached, the guests and servants became exhausted from the party. They all retired to their dorms. As there were so few guests, only the dorms on the East side of the castle were occupied.
Barlu and Cartelie were placed in the master suite. It was a well-maintained room, which kept its classy feel despite the presence of the aging stone walls and antique furniture.
Cartelie washed her face in the connected ensuite, while Barlu sat on the bed with a grim look on his face.
"I want to see it again," he requested.
Cartelie looked at her husband, and noticed that his shoulders were tense.
"We are supposed to be having a good time during our stay here," reminded Cartelie as she returned to the bedroom.
"I know, but I will not be able to sleep unless I see it again." Barlu looked up at his wife. "I mean, really see it again."
One half of Cartelie's mouth tensed up.
Wanting Barlu to have peace of mind, she went over to her leather bag, opened it, and took out a rolled-up papyrus. Barlu silently took it from Cartelie, and unrolled it.
Even on a second read, the words he saw still flooded his mind with disbelief.
"Something must be done about this," he muttered. Cartelie nodded in silence, her mouth still remaining tense.
In the dorm next door, Sevius also remained awake. His mind was still deep in thought about Macarius, mainly on the kindness he'd shown, and now his sudden sale of the castle.
Sevius could not lie still in his bed. "I have to tell him," he whispered.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the hall. Sevius immediately cast his eyes to the door. At first, he believed it was a thunderstrike, as the storm outside was still raging on.
Then, his breathing quickened as he thought it could have been something else: "Was there an intruder? Had one of the walls caved in? What could have happened out there?"
He slowly got up, put on his himation cloak, and cautiously crept forward. Sevius unlocked the wooden bolt on his door, grabbed the knob, and pulled it to.
Sevius peeked his head around his doorframe, and checked the landing outside. Upon his inspection, he noticed that the hall was now darker, and that something was missing. The chandelier that had lit the hall was gone, and only the snapped-off chain remained hanging from the ceiling.
The servant advanced to the edge of the landing, his eyebrows nervously twitching.
He looked over the banisters to the hall below, and a horrifying sight awaited him.
The chandelier had fallen, and a still, bleeding body lay beneath it.
Sevius rushed down the stairs.
He reached the body beneath the chandelier, and was greeted by the silent Macarius. The doctor's eyes were cold and open, and Sevius observed that too much blood had already left his body. The servant fell to his knees, unsure of what to do next.
After a few agonizing moments, he plucked up the courage to do something. To say something. To shout something.
"Help! Someone help! Anyone!" he screamed.
One by one, the other guests exited their rooms and appeared at the balcony above. One by one, their curiosity turned into horror as they saw the chilling sight beneath them.
Rhesus bolted down the stairs to the side of Macarius's body. Rhesus shook his head quickly to throw off his shock, and he placed his two fingers on Macarius's neck to feel any sign of a pulse.
But there was, of course, nothing there.
"He is dead," said Rhesus through a tightened throat.
The other guests hesitantly gathered at the bottom of the stairs, keeping a fair distance from what was now a crime scene.
Jessun took a deep breath to gather himself. "Sevius, Doctor Rhesus, get over here, now!"
Rhesus put his arm around the shaken servant, and the two left Macarius's side to join the others.
"What is this devil's work?" questioned a horrified Jessun.
"This could have just been an accident," suggested Cartelie, her speech as fast as her beating heart.
"Or a cold-blooded murder!" gasped Barlu, looking around at the others in fear. Cartelie's jaw dropped upon hearing the words - As she had no rebuttal for her husband, all she could do was silently look away.
"What do we do now, Godfather?" asked a shaking Flesuna. "The floods have trapped us here, and we do not know what has happened here!"
Jessun straightened his back and raised his chin. "Worry not, Flesuna. I know what to do. Melia, get me a papyrus and a quill!" ordered Jessun.
Melia nodded, and ran back into the dining room.
"A papyrus and a quill?" inquired Rhesus. "You are going to ask… her for help?"
"Of course I am, Doctor!" snapped Jessun. "I believe that this occurrence carries great suspicion, and we cannot fetch the National Guard in this weather. Right now, she is our best chance for help, do you not agree?"
Rhesus could not give an answer, and the other doctors did not know where to look. As scientists, they naturally resisted people such as the one Jessun had in mind.
Melia returned, and gave Jessun what he had asked for.
Jessun wrote the name "Renka" on his papyrus, before walking over to a lit torch on the wall.
"May the power of the gods help us all." Jessun lit the papyrus on fire, then threw it on the stone ground before Macarius's body.
As it burned away, everyone became silent as they waited for something to happen.
After a few moments passed, a cold breeze suddenly swept through the hall.
Where the black ashes lay, an intense and multicolored light began to appear. The doctors and servants could not help but stare into it.
The light grew larger and larger, until it became a large sphere. Its brightness also greatly increased, forcing everyone to shield their eyes with their hands.
The sphere then morphed into the shape of a human. A deep purple himation cloak, thick long blonde hair, fine leather sandals, and a golden rope for a belt began to take form. Eventually, the light faded away, leaving behind a beautiful woman in her early thirties facing the ground with her eyes closed.
She lifted her eyelids to reveal her intense blue eyes.
She then raised her head, and eyed her onlookers.
