Strange Tidings

He had not been expecting a letter. The envelope was only postmarked and labeled with his name and address in small fluid script. With little care he tore the envelope open and unfolded the contents.
"Dear Sir." It began. "We are proud to announce that you, being the sole heir of one Helmut VonBruen are now the rightful holder of the entirety of the estate of the aforementioned. Yours truly Vincent Greubenhem"

"Another scam." Roland said to himself with the shake of his head. Tossing the letter carelessly on the table he had only taken a step when he heard a knock at the door. Cursing silently to himself he turned to answer the door. The man at the door was peevish with an air of scrutiny about him as he barged past Roland waving a small cane.

"Excuse me!" Roland said with surprise as the little man charged into his living room.

"You will be moving to the estate then!" the man said sternly looking about the place as if it were a midden heap.
Roland couldn't get a stutter in edgewise as the little man bowled over his every attempt to speak.
"Mr. Brown, you cannot possibly think to care for your great grand uncles menagerie in THIS place!" He said at last.

"Now hold on just a moment!" Roland snapped. "Who are you anyway to be barging into my home ..."

"Oh terribly sorry." The little man said with a complete change of demeanor. "How rude of me, I am Vincent Greubenheim, executor of your great grand uncles estate. Well off we go then!" Roland raised a hand to protest as the little man rapped his cane on the floor. The next thing Roland knew he was in a car traveling quickly down a forested road. He looked around quite confused for a moment.

"Where are we?" Roland asked with a strange calm he wasn't sure he should be feeling.

"Right on schedule!" Vincent pronounced happily. "If you will look up the hill there you should be able to see your new home coming into view. And a splendid view it is I might add."

It was in fact, a sight to behold. "I didn't even know I had a great grand uncle." Roland said quietly as he looked out a large window at the forest stretching out for miles.

"Now, about the animals." Mr. Greubenheim said suddenly. This tickled a memory of the earlier "conversation" and Roland looked at him with a sudden clearing of his head.

"You shaggin' KIDNAPPED me!" He said very loudly. " To take care of a bunch of sheep or something I never even said I wanted!" Did you drug me with something, how..."

"Now stop right there!" Greubenheim snapped with a thump of his cane. Roland found himself compelled to obey though he couldn't explain why.
"I never once said Helmut had sheep, although he does. Do you really think I would have gone all the way out to retrieve you just to make you a slave on a sheep farm? Don't be a ninny! I would also appreciate it if you didn't sully my good name with accusations of kidnapping when you yourself packed your own bags!"

Roland suddenly had a dim recollection of agreeing to come and quickly packing a few bags and locking the house as he left.
"I apologize." he said at last his head fuzzing a bit again..
"So the menagerie then. Right this way young man." Greubenheim said with renewed vigor.

Leaving the manor house they took a path to an enormous building behind a livestock pen and entered through a very heavy oak door. They entered a well lit hall with large glass faced cages full of the most brilliantly colored birds and animals. Roland was beginning to appreciate his Helmut's taste when they came to the largest cage he had ever seen. Perched sleepily in the middle of the cage was a very big lizard. It cracked an eye and looked at him for a moment then slowly reached over and pulled a rope.

"This is Argyle." Greubenheim started. Roland was listening right up to the point that he realized the ornate rope the thing had pulled had started a motor that was sliding the cages glass front sideways like a giant door. He started to panic as Vincent put a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh I'm not going to eat you!" Argyle said in a very booming voice. "I'm was just going to say hello."

"Last of the Local dragons." Greubenheim said with a pat and a smile. "He's a good friend of the VonBreun family. He works here in the menagerie in exchange for his keep. Quite a decent fellow too. "
Roland looked from the Dragon to the little man and back before fainting.
"Don't worry." Argyle said scooping the younger man off the floor. "Helmut did the exact same thing when he got the place from Beuregarde."