Dreams, Memories & Keys

Chapter 46 -The Master's Estate

Greg and his family woke before dawn on Friday morning, the day of their long-anticipated trip with the Gaffney family to explore the Masters Estate. It was the place they all suspected was the original location of the Master's House. Greg and his family breakfasted at the hotel and were not the least bit surprised to see both Byron and his family, and Gary and his also getting breakfast in the breakfast room. They waved at one another, but otherwise each nuclear family breakfasted on their own.

"Are you certain you don't want to ride together?" Byron offered at the end of breakfast as the various family groups were finishing, and he and Gary joined the Abernathy's briefly as they got up from their table for a word with Greg.

"I think we will do fine on our own," Greg insisted. "I believe this might be the sort of day where a bit of privacy might be appreciated for all concerned.

"And you know where to go?" Gary asked.

"We do. We will meet you there," Greg promised.

"Charlie won't be there until a quarter to nine," Bryon cautioned. It was currently just a little past seven.

"We will see you then," Greg assured him. He waved in a friendly manner before leaving the breakfast area at the hotel to return to their room.

"Papa, why don't you want to ride with Cousin Byron and Cousin Gary?" Jessie asked.

"I made that choice because I hope our visit will trigger a memory for each of them," Greg told her.

"How do you mean?" Jessie asked.

"From what we know of it, Benjamin, Gregorio, and Gregorio's family arrived in the area near the Master's House together. However, neither of them knows the details, or are willing to share what they remember about what happened after they got there. By encouraging them to arrive together, without my presence as an outside influence for what they can remember, I am hoping to encourage them to remember," Greg explained.

"You are trying to trigger that memory specifically," Susan recognized.

"I believe that is what I said," Greg confirmed.

"Yes, I suppose you did," Susan agreed. "Is our car ready?"

"I will call the front desk to be certain," Greg replied.

It was, and so a short time later, the Abernathys were on their way to the Master's Estate.

^^^

Greg intentionally allowed extra time for the journey out of London to the little community they visited roughly two weeks before. He parked in the same car park for the grocery store, bought water bottles for each of them, and together they walked along the path to the signpost which directed them to Pitt Lane.

"Aren't we supposed to go this way?" Jessie asked when it looked like Greg intended to walk past it.

"We will, however I wanted to double check what I remember about this area up here from our last visit here," Greg told her.

"Where?" Jessie asked.

Greg walked along the fence which defined the edge of the Masters Estate property until he came to the section which bordered on a ravine. There he stopped, studying the bit of a curved wall made of stone blocks which extended up slightly beyond the vegetation around it. It was barely visible through the trees of the forest.

"Is that it, Papa?" Jessie asked.

"I am not sure," Greg told her truthfully. "The location looks right; however, this is not the area where the scientists are working."

"Which means, even if this is the right place, they may not have found the structures your family is actually interested in," Susan suggested.

"That is a possibility," Greg agreed. "In addition to looking at the area where Dr. Daviot is currently working, I also plan to ask if it might be permitted to explore this area here. I would like to find out for myself if that curved wall is part of the pit which was here."