We docked at the jetty and I jumped out of the boat. It felt good to finally have solid ground beneath my feet. For a brief moment, the world seemed to spin around me, as if I were seasick, but the queasy feeling quickly disappeared.

"Leora, please take your things," Tom called to me. I turned back to the boat and grabbed my large suitcase, heavy duffel bag, and purse. Tom lifted two of the large boxes out of the boat, and we began to cross the narrow jetty.

We arrived at a beautiful sandy beach. The air was warm and still, with only the gentle breeze whistling through the trees adding a touch of movement to the scenery. At the end of the jetty, a narrow gravel path began, leading us further into the interior of the island. A wide meadow spread out around us, covered with all kinds of plants—grasses, shrubs, and flowers of every color.

I would have loved to stop and take a closer look at each plant. I didn't have a green thumb—my houseplants rarely lasted more than a few weeks—but that didn't stop me from loving them.

But the road lay ahead of me, and I still had enough days to discover all of this in peace. For now, I had to move on.

The gravel path forked a few times, but Tom resolutely led me up the path that climbed a small hill. With every step, I felt how unsuitable my shoes were for this climb. The rocky ground and the incline didn't make it easy, but I gritted my teeth and followed him.

After a while, the first outlines of a building appeared on the horizon. At first, only parts of it were visible, but soon I realized the full extent. It wasn't just a house—it was almost a small castle. My steps slowed as I tried to take in the imposing structure. The tall towers, the stone walls, and the countless windows seemed like something out of a fairytale.

But Tom kept walking, and I didn't want to stop him. After all, I would have plenty of time to explore the building over the next few weeks.

So I continued on. The castle was painted a soft yellow, with large, tall windows framed by old gray shutters. The roof, in the same dark gray, perfectly matched the old, stately facade. It had a mysterious quality, and I sensed that behind these walls lay stories and secrets that I had yet to discover.

I couldn't imagine that so few people lived in this house.

This property must have cost a fortune. The entire island, with its magnificent building, was so far removed from what I knew that I felt out of place. What if I didn't fit in this world? I shook off the thought as Tom rang the doorbell with his elbow—the bell itself was so ornate and intricately designed that it looked like an antique piece of jewelry. Everything here screamed luxury and wealth, and that made me nervous.

After a few seconds, the huge wooden doors opened. They were large enough to easily accommodate five people abreast. Behind them stood a married couple, eyeing me with piercing, skeptical gazes. 

The woman was short, perhaps just 5'3", with blonde hair tied back in a tight ponytail. Her skin was lightly tanned by the sun, and the few wrinkles betrayed her age—somewhere between forty and fifty, I guessed.

The man next to her was almost the exact opposite: tall, at least a head taller than his wife, with broad shoulders and a face framed by a short, slightly graying beard. His dark hair was also streaked with gray at the temples.

Both of them looked at me with a certain coolness, which only increased my tension. Their expressions were serious, almost grim, and I felt my heart pounding in my throat. My first impression was anything but reassuring, and the question of whether I was truly welcome here gnawed deeper into my mind.

But I hoped I was wrong. Maybe it was just the long journey or the unfamiliar situation that made them both seem so serious. After all, they had hired me, so they must have some trust in me.

"Hello Tom, you know where to leave the boxes. The money is in an envelope next to it, as always," the woman said, her voice sharp and without any hint of friendliness. I immediately noticed that she hadn't even thanked him. Poor Tom just nodded silently and disappeared into the castle with the boxes, leaving me alone with the couple.

"You must be Miss Benet then," the man said, giving me a quick, scrutinizing look. I felt uncomfortable under this probing scrutiny, as if I were being put to the test. I wanted to turn around and leave immediately, but that wasn't an option—not on this island, and certainly not when I needed the money.

"Yes, that's me. You can call me Leora," I introduced myself, trying to put on a friendly smile. But only the man halfheartedly returned it. The woman, on the other hand, continued to look at me with suspicious eyes, as if she were about to interrogate me at any moment.

"I'm Johannes and this is my wife Rebecca. Please come in. We don't have much time. We have to leave in an hour and should explain everything to you," Johannes continued, opening the door wider. The two entered the imposing building without another word, and I hesitantly followed them.

The floor inside was made of polished tiles laid in an elegant pattern. We walked on a wide, deep red carpet that ran through the vestibule. The room itself was impressively high, and as we continued, we entered a hall that briefly took my breath away. 

Two curved staircases led upwards, also covered with the luxurious carpet. The white banisters gleamed as if they had been regularly polished. Above us hung a huge chandelier, ancient and ornate, hanging almost majestically from the high ceiling.

Before I could look around further, however, Rebecca's voice broke the silence. "You'll have plenty of time to stare at the lamp for the next few weeks. Put your things down and follow us," she said, annoyed by my hesitation.

I quickly did as she asked, put my bags in a corner, and followed them further into the castle.

"Your job will be to clean this house and keep it clean. Downstairs in the sixth room on the right, there's a cleaning closet where you should find everything. Besides cleaning, you should also take care of the chickens and the few animals we have outside. But don't worry, we've written you detailed instructions, which you'll find in the kitchen," Rebecca listed, gesturing in my direction.

The idea of caring for animals made me feel uneasy. I loved animals, but I didn't even know how to feed fish. They were asking me to care for their animals? It can't be that difficult, I tried to reassure myself, even though I felt insecure inside.

"Also, on hot days, you should make sure the plants in the garden don't dry out and the lawn doesn't get too brown. And we have a few cats you'll need to feed twice a day," she added, and I heard my heart rate quicken. It seemed like the responsibility was getting bigger and bigger.

As we walked through the corridors, I had long since lost my bearings. Every room we passed looked similar, and I could only hope they had a map of this enormous castle somewhere. Otherwise, I was lost.

"You can use anything. Whether it's food or books. You can also go almost anywhere, except the rooms where we've posted a note. Those are off-limits and you're not allowed to enter under any circumstances!" Johannes explained in a stern tone, signaling to me that I'd better follow this rule.

Rebecca opened an old wooden door that looked just like all the others, and we entered an anteroom that led to another room. There were a few old pieces of furniture, and to our right was a large bathroom.

"But let's get to your actual task. Behind this door is our nephew Eryon, who is ill. He doesn't speak, doesn't walk, and has to stay in his room all day," she explained, and I felt a lump form in my stomach. 

From that moment on, I knew I would die of boredom and loneliness here. If I didn't even have anyone to talk to, what would I do all day?

"You have to give him a shot in his arm twice a day," she told me as we went into the bathroom. There, I discovered a medicine cabinet filled mostly with vials and small doses.

"On this note," Rebecca said, pointing to a piece of paper hanging on the medicine cabinet, "it tells you exactly how and how much to put the medicine into the syringe. It's not difficult, but you mustn't forget it! Otherwise, there will be dire consequences for Eryon," she warned me with a serious look.

I nodded and tried to register the information in my mind. It couldn't be that difficult to think about giving someone a shot. After all, I'd done it a few times during my year-long voluntary social year in nursing, but the idea of doing it to someone so seriously ill made me hesitate.

"Under no circumstances should you touch him with your skin. We have gloves lying around everywhere. That also has something to do with his illness. Also, you should wash him every two days, or every day, in his bed. There's a note at the bottom that says what he gets to eat. He gets two meals a day," she added as we stepped out of the bathroom.

Johannes opened the door to the room that led to her nephew's room. As we entered, I immediately noticed that the thick, red curtains were completely drawn and the room was quite dark. The smell was stale and the atmosphere oppressive. The room was very large and filled with old wooden furniture and a few oil paintings hanging on the walls.

Rebecca switched on the bedside lamp next to the enormous bed, which could easily accommodate at least four people. The light flooded the room, revealing details hidden in the darkness. "He hates daylight, which is why we always keep the curtains closed," Johannes explained in a voice I couldn't quite place. The situation was eerie, and I felt a slight unease gnawing at my stomach.

I approached the bed where her nephew was lying. To my surprise, it was a man in his twenties, which I hadn't expected. When I read the job posting, I'd thought he was more likely a child or teenager. He appeared to be asleep, his eyes closed.

His skin was unnaturally pale—presumably a result of his illness and the fact he rarely saw daylight. His dark hair was cropped short, making his delicate features seem even more striking. But it was his lips that immediately caught my eye—a striking, deep red that glowed strangely, even though they looked chapped and dry.

"Otherwise, there's not much to say about him. We've written down everything you need to know on a piece of paper, which is also downstairs with the others," Rebecca continued, watching me.

I nodded again and tried to hide my nervousness. As I looked at the sleeping man, I wondered what exactly was wrong with him. Why was he so sick? And why was the whole situation so mysterious? I had to suppress a grin. They had written a lot of notes and put a lot of effort into it. They were probably just afraid that something would happen to their nephew during that time and that I would do something wrong.

"We'll now show you your room, where you'll be sleeping for the next few weeks. Oh, and you really mustn't forget his medicine or his gloves!" Rebecca repeated this instruction emphatically as we walked down the stairs.

We walked a few rooms further, and I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to live in a castle. Johannes pointed to a door that looked like every other in the house. "We really don't have time for you to look at this right now. After all, we have to leave soon, and we have a few things to show you downstairs," Rebecca interrupted, hurrying down the hallway, closely followed by us.

I wondered how I would ever find my way back here, especially since I didn't even know what my room looked like inside. The architecture of the house was impressive, but at that moment, I felt lost.

We went back down the stairs and along the hallway, passing many open spaces until we finally arrived in a huge, bright kitchen. It looked modern in parts, but also had some old cabinets that told a lot of the house's history.

"In the pantry," she pointed to a door next to the refrigerator, "there must be enough food and variety. But Tom will come by every Tuesday, as long as the sea allows, and bring over a few crates. We also have a few plants outside that grow food."

I was just about to ask a question when we entered another room, directly connected to the kitchen. It was a huge dining room. The table was made of old, dark brown wood, and above it hung a large, rustic lamp that bathed the room in a warm glow. I could imagine that table could seat 30 or 40 people. Did they have visitors so often that they needed this?

"We often have big family dinners," Johannes said, as if he had guessed my thoughts. "There just haven't been many opportunities lately." His voice sounded thoughtful, and I wondered what that meant.

Rebecca gently pushed me further into the room. "Come on, we have a few things to show you before we leave."

They led me through another hallway decorated with old family photos. I couldn't take my eyes off the portraits, which seemed to tell stories from another time.

We walked through the dining room to a large living room. This one, too, looked partly old, but also modern. There were many large windows that led directly outside. A terrace stretched out in front of them, and a little further down lay a beautiful lawn with many colorful flowers.

"So, now you know the most important rooms. The notes are in the kitchen, and if you have any questions, just call!" Rebecca said, writing her cell phone number on a piece of paper and handing it to me.

"On days with bad weather, the cell phone signal and Wi-Fi may not work," Johannes warned me.

So what he was telling me was that I was trapped here on bad weather days and could die of boredom. I didn't particularly like the prospect, but I had no choice.

They walked back to the front door, and I followed close behind. We crossed a meadow and a few minutes later, we were standing on a helipad with a large blue and white helicopter.

"I hope we haven't forgotten anything," Johannes murmured worriedly. "Remember everything we told you, and when we come back and everything is as we left it and Eryon is well, then we can discuss whether we should transfer you additional money. Otherwise, we've already transferred a third of the money to your account."

I looked at them in surprise, as I hadn't expected them to pay me in advance.

"You still have to sign here," Rebecca said, pointing to a few pieces of paper in her hands that she had apparently just picked up. They were fluttering in the light breeze.

I took the papers from her and noticed that they were a stack of forms, probably all related to money and my rights. I was just about to start reading the small print when Rebecca shook her head.

"We really don't have time for that right now. Just sign here, here, and here," she insisted, pointing at the pieces of paper with blank lines for my signature.

I knew it wasn't a wise decision, but in the end, I signed with the pen they handed me. After all, they didn't seem like they were trying to pull the wool over my eyes.

"Good, that's done," said Johannes with relief, putting the notes in his pocket. "We have to go now. Remember, the notes in the kitchen are very important."

"And don't forget the medicine for Eryon! Always give it to him at the same time."

With a last look at the garden and the majestic walls of the castle, they climbed into the helicopter. A low hum filled the air as the rotor began to spin. The helicopter lifted off, and I watched as they grew smaller and smaller until they finally disappeared over the horizon.

A deep feeling of loneliness overcame me as I stood on the landing pad. Now I was here, alone on this strange island with all these new tasks and responsibilities. As I turned around and walked back into the castle, I realized that I really would have to handle everything on my own.

I took a deep breath and went back to the castle to familiarize myself with the work. First, I would read the notes in the kitchen and make a plan. One step at a time. It was a new beginning, even if it seemed very overwhelming to me at the moment.