The Golden Telescope

15 - HOPE

DUBLIN, IRELAND – PRESENT DAY

Arthur was finishing his rounds for the day, a new routine he established in Edward's absence, which he had been following these past two years religiously. Per usual, his final stop was in front of the walnut door with the ornately engraved brass handle, located on the second level of the mansion; the door that led to the staircase up to the observation room with the large locator globe.

Each time he came to this door, he paused, remembering the pain of that last night with his master. The way Sir Edward had gallantly begged his daughter to spare Arthur's life, leaving him behind as Edward was dragged viciously through that portal to who knows where. All Arthur knew for a certainty was that Inez made it crystal clear she planned to end her father's life. And the fact that a small manila envelope containing Edward's custom-made reading glasses, mysteriously including no note, no return address, had been delivered just one week following that event sealed his master's fate in Arthur's mind.

It was a painful memory to recall. And this room was a harsh reminder of that experience.

But it was necessary to maintain all areas of the house, so Arthur reached for the knob and turned, slowly making his way up the steps. Reaching the top, he paused, gazing into space at the spot where that evil portal had appeared.

Then, shaking himself back to his current duties, the butler turned to the right and walked past the huge globe dominating that side of the room. He headed for the closet where the cleaning supplies were kept and casually glanced at the globe as he passed.

Wait. What's that? Were his eyes playing tricks on him?

There appeared to be a second bright dot now blinking on the surface of the thing!

Arthur strode to the handrail surrounding the globe and stood staring at the sight for a moment before pressing the red button to the right of his hand. The control panel slid open, revealing the screen he had seen Sir Edward use when locating Ethan. Arthur tapped some keys, and the screen produced a response: Jack - Portland, Oregon, USA

He was stunned. Had that much time passed already? Had Jack's powers been activated without his knowledge? How long ago did this happen? It must have been within the last 24 hours because Arthur visited this room every day, at about this same time. And he could swear that dot wasn't there yesterday; he was sure of it.

A new sense of excitement filled him, and energy coursed through his veins, electrifying his mind and body in a way he had not experienced in quite some time.

Hope!

What if he could rescue Jack?!? Sir Edward had carefully crafted a hat for each of the children in preparation for this very situation. The moment when each child reaches adolescence and begins to experience the magical abilities previously lying dormant within them.

Sadie was still too young to locate, to be sure.

But Jack...

Arthur dashed down the staircase without bothering to close the panel on the globe. He felt an urgent need to get to the Hat Crafting Lab to retrieve the cap Sir Edward had explicitly created to transport his grandson, Jack, to Mac Paidin Manor.

Jogging down the upper hallway to the main staircase, he dashed down the steps until he arrived at the house's first floor. Upon reaching the foyer, instead of turning right toward the library, he headed left, past the formal sitting and dining rooms, then through the heavy swinging door leading into the massive kitchen.

He passed stainless steel countertops and hanging pots and pans as he headed to the back of the room, where he turned a corner to the left and stopped in front of the small elevator that would take him to the basement. Pressing the button on the wall next to the single stainless-steel door, it slid open, and he entered, the door closing behind him. Once inside, he pressed the disk with the capital B on the panel, and the vehicle began its brief downward journey.

Sir Edward chose to locate his lab in this part of the home for several reasons. First, he required easy access to a water supply, so placing the lab beneath the kitchen just made good sense. Second, he wanted this room to be difficult to find for security purposes. So, when the elevator door opened at Arthur's destination, he was not immediately in the Hat Crafting and Storage Lab. Instead, he found himself in the food and supplies storage area, which was by design, in case outsiders ever found their way to the elevator and this part of the house. This room had floor-to-ceiling stainless steel shelving units holding all kinds of dry goods and household necessities. At the back of the space was a smaller room with walls made of glossy, dark wood with thick glass panels from the waist up, through which Arthur could see row after row of wine bottles stored in wooden racks. There was a climate control device on the wall just to the right of the cellar entrance. Arthur reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a ring with several keys on it. He located the one required to open this particular door, inserted it into the knob, turned and entered, then closed the door.

Walking to the left, he reached under the backside of the third shelf from the top and pressed. Stepping to the side, he made room for the section to swing outward, revealing his true destination.

Arthur knew the room well. Glancing around quickly, he could see a variety of whimsical-looking headpieces in all colors, shapes, and sizes perched upon numerous hat-forms. Wooden shelves filled with glass jars containing specialty ingredients hung on the walls. Pegboards displayed a variety of pliers, rulers, and hanging tools of all kinds. Walking, with a sense of purpose, to the warm-looking maple crafter's bench in the center of the far wall, he identified two small caps waiting to be retrieved. One was a newsboy-style cap in a deep shade of chocolate brown with a discrete gray-green brim. The other was a vanilla-cream satin ball cap with rose-colored sequins covering the bulk of it. Arthur quickly grabbed the brown one, then reached for his familiar taupe derby hanging on the hat rack by the door, and immediately turned to head back the same way he had come.

Returning to the observatory, he touched the keyboard on the globe's control panel, programming both hats with arrival and return coordinates. His task completed, he looked once more, longingly, to the place where that portal had appeared.

"I will rescue your grandson, Sir. By my solemn vow, I swear I will accomplish that task!"

Then Arthur placed the hat on his head and disappeared into the night.