The Creatures in the Clockwork

Chapter 1: Erica

Erica trudged slowly up the worn stone steps of the old inn, glancing over her shoulder one last time to catch a glimpse of her mothers car driving away into the trees. She puffed angerily, blowing a wisp of wavy, black, and now wet from the rain hair out of her face. For this wasn't any ordinary inn. This was her crazy as hell grandfather's inn. And she was being sent there for the whole summer as a punishment for "rebeling in school" when she had simply refused to take the drool worthy standardized tests that her school took every year. That was one of the examples of her rebelling, "among many other things," as her mother had said. When the punishment had been presented, Erica couldn't believe her ears. Her mother would trust her with an old man that told stories about magical creatures that had inhabited his inn? Erica gulped down her anger, knowing very well that there was nothing she could change now. Plus she was getting soaked in this rain. She took a deep breath and stepped through the inn's door.

She poked her head around, looking at the room she was in. One she had only been in before when she was very young. There was a small lounge, complete with a rocking chair, a wooden table placed near a big window, along with two wooden chairs, and a big, sky blue, cushioned chair, in which the color was greatly fading. She stood there for a moment, inspecting the odd looking room, suit-case in hand. All kinds of cacti were covering the edge of the windowsill in tiny pots. Beautiful, glittering crystals hung from strings on the ceiling. 

Erica stood still for a couple moments, still trying to digest her situation. She was broken out of her musings as she heard faint sounds of music and laughing coming from another room. She took a deep breath, following the noise into another living space filled with people. As she poked her head through the doorway to the other cozy looking lounge, all of the music waned and the people in the room, mostly older looking, became unsettlingly silent. The silence was broken as an aged leather-skinned man that had been sitting on a cushioned chair next to a roaring fireplace stood up.

"Ahh Erica. You've finally arrived!" He cooed. "I was beginning to think you got lost!"

Erica guessed this was her grandfather. The man half limped over and held his arms out, looking for a hug. Erica pretended to smile and hugged the man awkwardly, the other people in the room staring at them.

" So folks, this is the famous grand daughter iv'e been talking about!" Her grandfather beamed. Murmurs of recognition were mumbled among the crowd, and Erica pursed her lips uncomfortably. "Come with me." The old man touched her arm gently, leading her out of the room. "I'm sure all you want to do is sleep right now." Erica nodded in agreement.

He grabbed a lantern which was set beside a set of carpeted stairs. Her grandfather led her up up into a dark hallway. The floorboards creaked as they walked. 

The man stopped at the end of the hall, which had about seven other doors. He opened the last door with an intricate brass key that reminded Erica of the old fairy tale books she used to read as a child. "This will be you room for the summer!" He said, turning on a lamp inside the room. "Get some rest, and if you need anything, I'll be downstairs. I'm guessing you already ate?"

"Yes." She answered numbly.

"Well, I left a few decorations on your bed. I figured since you were staying here for the whole summer, you would want to make the room a little more comfy." He smiled.

"Thank you." Erica said, fingering the bed sheet. She had no idea what else to say to this man, her grandfather. It was like meeting a total stranger and then to be told to live with them for two and a half months. Actually, that was exactly what this was. 

Her grandfather stood there for a couple more seconds, as if expecting her to say something else. Then he smiled, handing her the room's key, and walked out the door, closing it behind him.