The Trouble With Insanity
the beginning of the end
Nardecca Caillat, the daughter of Winifred and Harold Caillat, learned to hate Muggles and anyone with “tainted” blood, from a very young age.
“What are Muggles, Nardecca?” Winifred quizzed.
Nardecca, who was three years old at this time, looked up at her mother. She was sitting in the large armchair listening to old records and downing a bottle of red wine. Winifred always liked the red kind better, for its rich color reminded her of blood.
Nardecca was playing with a doll. It was given to her by her father. She absolutely loved the doll. She had named it Mimi, and it had yellow curls made of yarn.
“Would you like some tea, Mimi?” Nardecca asked in a quiet voice.
“Nardecca,” Winifred said again, her voice now a warning. “what are Muggles?”
Nardecca held Mimi close, her little face scrunched up as she tried to remember. Being only two, it was hard for her to close onto the memory of her mother telling her, but finally she got it. “A Muggle is a girl without magic!”
Winifred sipped her wine. “Not just girl’s, dear. Both genders. Boys, girls, anyone without magic. And what do we call non-magical beings?”
Nardecca had to think once again. “Mudbloods.”
Winifred smiled. “Very good! And what do we do to Mudbloods?”
The next couple words that came out of the young child’s mouth were completely unemotional, as if she sensed deep down that they weren’t good. “We kill them.”
Harold and Winifred stood in the kitchen of their mansion, as their daughter played in the next room.
“She’s showing signs of improvement, Harold.” Winifred said as she sipped her wine. Today it was white, a nice change, but she couldn’t wait to go back to her usual red. “Nardecca walked up to me just this morning and asked if there were any Muggles living near us. When I asked why she wanted to know, she said it was because she didn’t want them ruining the great view from her bedroom window!”
Harold smiled at that. Winifred was overjoyed. She sipped her wine and even undid her bun, which let her hair fall down her back. They were relaxed, comfortable. Everything was going perfectly. Their daughter was not going to be a blood traitor, like many of her friend’s children were doing. Winifred had worried for a while there, but now she was perfectly sure that her family’s great name would be upheld.
At that moment there was a loud banging on the front doors of the mansion. The noise radiated through the lobby and the main room, finally drifting into the kitchen. Winifred froze, her wine glass was tilted to her mouth. She lowered the glass.
“Were you expecting anyone?” Winifred asked Harold. When he shook his head, she stiffened. No one knew the password that opened the main gates at the end of the property. No one. “Grab Nardecca and wait in the main room, I’ll go see who it is. Do not come out unless I say so.”
Winifred approached the doorway very cautiously. Many possibilities were zooming through her head. What if it’s the ministry? She thought. Or someone here to kill us all?
Winifred pulled her hair behind her back and drew her wand from her bra, holding it into a ready position. She was ready to fight if it was called for. She then swung open the large ornamental door. There in the doorway stood a woman with the same black hair as Winifred had, and the same superior stature.
Winifred did a double-take before lowering her wand and speaking. “Hello Tinsel.”
Tinsel Pierce looked at Winifred. “Hello sister. How’s life?” Behind Winifred’s sister stood two younger girls, one blonde and the other brunette. “Come on in, dears. Come see Aunt Winifred.”
“You had me worried for a moment, Tinsel. I thought someone was here to kill us, seeing as no one else knows the password to the property. And considering I haven’t seen you in about six years, I didn’t think of it being you…” Winifred said as she gave her nieces each a pat on the head.
“Who are they?” Nardecca asked from her father’s side. “Are they Mudbloods?”
Winifred turned and gave her husband a glare. “I told you not to come out.” To which Harold only shrugged.
“We are not Mudbloods!” The blonde girl, who was about eight years old, shouted at Nardecca, who then hid behind her father’s legs. The blonde girl turned to Tinsel. “Did you hear what she called me, mommy? I could just kill her!”
“Hush up, Jessica.” Tinsel said, then went back to whatever conversation she and Winifred were having.
The other girl, the brunette, approached Nardecca slowly. They were the same age: three. “I’m Nimmy.” The girl said, smiling at Nardecca.
“Oh they’ve taken to each other already!” Winifred said from the doorway. “Go on, Nardecca, go play with your cousin.”
It was the beginning of the end.
“What are Muggles, Nardecca?” Winifred quizzed.
Nardecca, who was three years old at this time, looked up at her mother. She was sitting in the large armchair listening to old records and downing a bottle of red wine. Winifred always liked the red kind better, for its rich color reminded her of blood.
Nardecca was playing with a doll. It was given to her by her father. She absolutely loved the doll. She had named it Mimi, and it had yellow curls made of yarn.
“Would you like some tea, Mimi?” Nardecca asked in a quiet voice.
“Nardecca,” Winifred said again, her voice now a warning. “what are Muggles?”
Nardecca held Mimi close, her little face scrunched up as she tried to remember. Being only two, it was hard for her to close onto the memory of her mother telling her, but finally she got it. “A Muggle is a girl without magic!”
Winifred sipped her wine. “Not just girl’s, dear. Both genders. Boys, girls, anyone without magic. And what do we call non-magical beings?”
Nardecca had to think once again. “Mudbloods.”
Winifred smiled. “Very good! And what do we do to Mudbloods?”
The next couple words that came out of the young child’s mouth were completely unemotional, as if she sensed deep down that they weren’t good. “We kill them.”
Harold and Winifred stood in the kitchen of their mansion, as their daughter played in the next room.
“She’s showing signs of improvement, Harold.” Winifred said as she sipped her wine. Today it was white, a nice change, but she couldn’t wait to go back to her usual red. “Nardecca walked up to me just this morning and asked if there were any Muggles living near us. When I asked why she wanted to know, she said it was because she didn’t want them ruining the great view from her bedroom window!”
Harold smiled at that. Winifred was overjoyed. She sipped her wine and even undid her bun, which let her hair fall down her back. They were relaxed, comfortable. Everything was going perfectly. Their daughter was not going to be a blood traitor, like many of her friend’s children were doing. Winifred had worried for a while there, but now she was perfectly sure that her family’s great name would be upheld.
At that moment there was a loud banging on the front doors of the mansion. The noise radiated through the lobby and the main room, finally drifting into the kitchen. Winifred froze, her wine glass was tilted to her mouth. She lowered the glass.
“Were you expecting anyone?” Winifred asked Harold. When he shook his head, she stiffened. No one knew the password that opened the main gates at the end of the property. No one. “Grab Nardecca and wait in the main room, I’ll go see who it is. Do not come out unless I say so.”
Winifred approached the doorway very cautiously. Many possibilities were zooming through her head. What if it’s the ministry? She thought. Or someone here to kill us all?
Winifred pulled her hair behind her back and drew her wand from her bra, holding it into a ready position. She was ready to fight if it was called for. She then swung open the large ornamental door. There in the doorway stood a woman with the same black hair as Winifred had, and the same superior stature.
Winifred did a double-take before lowering her wand and speaking. “Hello Tinsel.”
Tinsel Pierce looked at Winifred. “Hello sister. How’s life?” Behind Winifred’s sister stood two younger girls, one blonde and the other brunette. “Come on in, dears. Come see Aunt Winifred.”
“You had me worried for a moment, Tinsel. I thought someone was here to kill us, seeing as no one else knows the password to the property. And considering I haven’t seen you in about six years, I didn’t think of it being you…” Winifred said as she gave her nieces each a pat on the head.
“Who are they?” Nardecca asked from her father’s side. “Are they Mudbloods?”
Winifred turned and gave her husband a glare. “I told you not to come out.” To which Harold only shrugged.
“We are not Mudbloods!” The blonde girl, who was about eight years old, shouted at Nardecca, who then hid behind her father’s legs. The blonde girl turned to Tinsel. “Did you hear what she called me, mommy? I could just kill her!”
“Hush up, Jessica.” Tinsel said, then went back to whatever conversation she and Winifred were having.
The other girl, the brunette, approached Nardecca slowly. They were the same age: three. “I’m Nimmy.” The girl said, smiling at Nardecca.
“Oh they’ve taken to each other already!” Winifred said from the doorway. “Go on, Nardecca, go play with your cousin.”
It was the beginning of the end.