Inventory of the Blackwood Estate: East Wing

Fiction

ESTATE APPRAISAL: BLACKWOOD MANOR (EAST WING) Date: November 14 Appraiser: H. Thorne Item 01: Louis XIV armchair. Gilt wood frame. Upholstery: red velvet, heavily worn. Value: £400. Condition: Poor. Item 02: Sterling silver tea service. Set of four. Heavy tarnish. Hallmarks 1842. Value: £1,200. Condition: Fair. Item 03: Gilt-frame pier mirror. Glass foxing present. Woodwork intact. Value: £600. Condition: Average. Item 04: Mahogany grandfather clock. Weights missing. Pendulum absent. Value: £300. Condition: Non-functional. (Note: Clock hands were at 4:12 upon entry. They are now at 4:15.) Item 05: Flemish tapestry. Scene: The Hunt. Fraying at the edges. Significant moth damage. Value: £800. Condition: Poor. (Note: The hounds appear closer to the stag than in the initial sketch.) Item 06: Porcelain doll. Bisque. Cracked left cheek. Lace dress soiled. Value: £50. Condition: Poor. (Note: Position has shifted from the mantel to the floor. I did not move it.) Item 07: Gilt-frame pier mirror (See Item 03). Reflection shows the door behind me. The door is closed in the room, but open in the glass. Value: Negligible. Condition: Unstable. Item 08: Louis XIV armchair (See Item 01). Now positioned in the center of the room. I left it by the window. I can hear the velvet rubbing against the floorboards. Item 09: Silver tea service (See Item 02). The teapot is steaming. There is no heat source in the East Wing. The tea smells of copper and wet hair. Item 10: Mahogany grandfather clock (See Item 04). The pendulum has returned. It is swinging. It is loud. It matches my heartbeat. Item 11: I am writing this with the door locked. The porcelain doll is scratching at the wood. The tapestry hounds are now off the fabric. I can see the prints in the dust. They are circling the desk.