THE DELVE

Story 1

"Welcome Young traveller, come on in"

They entered the house. The house was a bit old yet large. Closing the door, the man turned to them and gave a warm smile. He looked like he was in his 80s. Gray hair and white mustache. Light coloured skin. An off-white shirt with black strap-ons made out of leather which perfectly weaved their way down to his hips hiding inside his brown pants. He had a big stomach, long legs and a small mole on his right cheek. The eye glass chain topping his entire look. A jolly old man.

The sound of a soft melody, classical jazz music  coming from a small homophone hit the younger's ears as they further walked into the house entering the living room. It was huge. Sited on top were the books embedded into the bookshelves, all lined up against the wall.  The lights on the big chandelier with candles inside hung on the ceiling shined the brightest out of every other that was present. The fresh aroma of old books, carpets, furniture, burnt wood and a tinch of french lavender flavoured candle filled the air. The place was cold but at the same time warm and fuzzy which gave a feeling of calm and comfort to the younger.

"Here, take a sit and have a cup of tea". The elder said gently handing them the plate.

The elder had returned with a cup of tea and some freshly baked cookies on the side on a plate. He prepared it for them. He knew they were coming. The younger took a sit near the fireplace on the brown sofa which was a little worn out. The man sat across them, picking up a newspaper and started reading it blinking his hazel-coloured eyes twice. His black boots glowing against the fire.

12 September year 1740 was the date printed on the newspaper.

Sipping on the tea, the younger observed further, the house had many floors. Each floor connected with a staircase. A faint sound of piano could be heard from the upstairs. Perhaps someone was playing it. There were many medieval designs carved onto the wall like an old wheel, plants, flowers, a shield, flag of utopia (an imaginary perfect place), royal curves, a sword, bows and arrows for the aesthetic. Renaissance paintings of a mother and a child, Jesus on the cross, a cup of wine, a deceased king and his queen, an old woman, added more beauty to the picture plus many statues were placed in between the hollow spaces of walls consisting of Zeus and Athena sitting on the throne, Medusa attacking a tribe of people, a Pegasus, elves, mother mary, fairies. Some were engraved and some were made out of thick white marble. Suddenly the younger saw something flying outside. It was a horse with an empty carriage flying in the night sky. A flying horse? A unicorn? Are they seeing things now? The younger thought but then decided to shove it off. They must be hallucinating.. right? Yellow lamps were lit where the light didn't shone. Huge globes of earth rested on the floor implanted into strollers. A rusted piano was noticed on the corner of the room with a study shelf beside it. The mirror was linked with a painting, the younger saw themselves in it adjusting their hair. Papers and other stuff were littered all over on the floor on the other corner of the room, where the windows hunched up against the light brown curtains together forming a big circle which continued upwards, joining together again. Overall, the room gave off a vintage vibe. Outside, the moon hid behind the clouds, the stars sparkled under the night sky. 

Two big wall clocks were attached to the wall on the opposite sides. The pendulum was made out of gold and platinum. It was 3 past 4 minutes as the clocks ticked and made a loud sound.

DING

The old man saw the hourglass placed on the table. He stood up, went to the bookshelf and came back with a silver lined book, the pages yellow from the time. He opened the book and blew on the pages, sending a blow of dust to the floor. The elder then put the book on the table and sat next to the younger.

"I'm glad that you finally found this place young traveller. Your education will begin now. Remember, time travelling is not easy and will take a mental toll in you. Know that whatever i teach you in this room, stays in this room."

He looked at the younger, his old gray eyes filled with seriousness and also with a cast of softness. The younger nodded. And that is how their education began.

One day, they would become a great traveller,
Just like their mentor.

"I pet the horse on the head everytime for the ride. As i walked in that house everyday , it always felt like the first time i always woke up and everything seemed like i saw it for the first time but at the same time i knew it was the same house again. The most weird thing of all, i never felt hungry or thirsty, i just wanted to walk in this house, watch it's greatness and read the books. Oh and the piano playing, there was a piano in a room upstairs, i never felt like going there.. someone was playing on that piano every day. I have no idea who that was. Man? Woman? No idea. I just enjoyed this eternity everyday.."