“Legacy” — FWG Flash Fiction for 9/6/2025

Family secrets never die.

The prompt is:

https://pixabay.com/photos/house-fantasy-place-dark-gate-4917063

LEGACY

The museum was tucked away on a side street in Olde City Philadelphia.

“They say it was built by an industrialist in the nineteenth century.” Joe tried to impress his date by playing tour guide. “It caused quite a stir when it was built because it doesn’t fit into the whole colonial vibe down here.”

Dani eyed the gray stone building with its large, leaded glass windows, Italianate architecture, and ornate wrought-iron gate.

Joe continued. “It was the setting for an episode of ‘Wednesday’ and one of Jordan Peele’s movies. It holds the collection of the robber baron who built it. They say he lived here for over a hundred years and traveled around the world after sucking the life out of his workers. They got their revenge, though.”

Dani gave him the side-eye. She might like him, but not if he was launching into a misinformed save-the-world-from-the-oligarchs rant.

“Come on,” she said to change the subject and led him by the hand through the gate.

Inside, the creepiness of the exterior was magnified since the giant windows of the façade provided little illumination.

Dani rushed into the library. “Look at all these books,” she gushed.

The walls were covered floor to ceiling with ornately carved bookshelves that practically groaned under the weight of thousands of volumes.

She ran her fingers along the leather-bound spines. “Some of these are very old,” she said, then opened one of the oldest to its title page. It was written in an ancient language. “This one says it holds the secret to eternal life using an elixir of rare herbs and…other stuff.”

“Since when did you become a linguist?”

Dani smiled and ran her tongue over her newly sharpened teeth. “Since I learned that those poor, exploited workers burned my great-grandparents for being vampires.”

THE END