The Historical Comfort Society

Chapter 2

2.

Three weeks. Three weeks was now all I had to prepare for my first posting. In the days that followed my initial arrival at the HCS, I hit the ground running with the final phase of my training. This final phase is a crash course in the life and customs of Tudor England. Becca was being trained for late eighteenth-century France, River was brushing up on the Spanish Inquisition, and Gavin was learning about Roman culture.

We spent our days in the educational room in front of personal hologram projectors being taught everything and anything we might need to know. We knew the approximate time period in which we were being sent, but we didn't have exact dates, nor were we told why or whom we were being sent to speak with.

As the days rolled on, we eventually met other Pilots on our floor. They all spoke with excitement for us and our soon-to-be adventures through time. One man we shared the residential floor with told us he spoke with an Emperor of Japan. A woman whom we met in passing was just returning from her posting in Ancient Egypt.

It was awe-inspiring to meet these people who have seen with their eyes things we had only read or learned about in history books. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but there was such little time between training, learning, eating, and sleeping.

We spent most of our time focused on being able to survive in the time period we were to be sent. However, once a day we had a private class with a more senior pilot who taught us everything we needed to know about what we would experience during our travel.

"So... you are to be Pilots... Time Travelers. Your sole mission is to bring comfort to your assigned contact. Lots of funding and planning has gone into each of your missions, and at this very moment, there are small groups of Vanguards in place ready to receive you." Henry Duckett, a more senior Pilot explained to us while leaning against the desk that stood at the front of the classroom we sat in. He was a tall man with broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes, and long grey and black hair which he kept braided in some sort of Norse fashion. A fashion, undoubtedly indicative of the periods he spends most of his assignments in.

"HCS Vanguards are sent months, sometimes years in advance of your arrival to prepare the way for you. They share stories, myths, and legends so that when you arrive, you are almost expected. They also are there to ensure your safety and help you complete the assignment. Once you have completed the assignment, you and the Vanguard team are free to return here." Henry said, reaching for a remote control on the desk. The lights of the room immediately dimmed and a hologram appeared before us, showing a classical painting.

I was very familiar with this painting. It was by the Russian artist Janis Rozentals. The painting depicted a woman sitting out in nature, cradling a small child wrapped in white cloth upon her lap. Leaning over that child was another figure, a woman possibly? It was hard to tell. This second figure was clad entirely in white and they held a sickle in their hand.

Death

The painting was called Death.

"Stories, like this one have endured the test of time, and are the sole proof of the HCS's success with missions. Pilots are sent to offer comfort to those about to pass away. You will be sent to offer closure, answer questions about the future, and occasionally clarify historical conundrums. Here..." He motioned to the picture, "Human history has shared various stories and myths about mysterious people visiting individuals just before their deaths. Those myths are just Pilots who have been sent for a visit."

"So stories of the Grimm Reaper or the Angel of Death are just HCS pilots?" River asked after raising her hand.

"The Grimm Reaper... yes... I would however defer to Pilot Levin, whom you will meet next week, about the truths discovered about The Bible." He said with a wink before the lights turned back on.