The World in the Fireplace

I

The old, Victorian music drifted through the garage as I lay under yet another car. I fix the engine and test the car. It roars to life. I smile and wipe my greasy hands on my overalls. The music turns off.

"Another one?" I turn to see my boss and only friend, David, standing with his hand on the record player, stopping the music.

"Yep. Last one of the night. I'm heading home now."

"Okay. See you tomorrow. Good night Tyler."

"Night David." I walk through the office and make my way outside. The bustle of people quickly surrounds me as I walk down the pavement. The bright lights blind me, so I keep my head down. I end up not seeing the car speeding towards me. The car swerves out of my way and honks his horn.

"Hey, watch it!" he yells out his window. "Stupid kids not paying attention to the holograms." He speeds off while I stare blankly at him. What has this world come to? Hover cars speed on the street; kids riding hoverboards speed down the pavements. Flashing lights cover every building along with at least one hologram. Everything is technology operated, and I hate it. I feel like I'm the only one in the world who doesn't do anything with technology. The most advanced I've come is the record player at work, and the only reason I'm a mechanic is so I can pay the bills. It's also the only job that has the least amount of technology involved. I even live outside the city and walk to work every day.

I make my way out of the bustling city and to my home. It's small, but it's enough for me. When I bought the place, the first thing I did was get rid of the technology. I got rid of the Personal Computerized Assistant, or PCA, that every house is equipped with and the moving stairs. I like walking thank you very much. Then I got rid of the simpler things: the TV's, computers, and phones. The only things I kept were the fridge, stove, and air conditioning.

The one thing I couldn't get rid of was the fireplace in the living room. I've tried to light it many times, but it won't seem to do anything. I gave up after awhile. I didn't need it that bad.

I go to my kitchen and get tonight's dinner. I make myself a very healthy meal of a turkey and cheese sandwich. I eat my dinner in silence and wash my plate when I'm done. I head to my room, and on the way there, I pass the living room. I stop when I notice something different. I slowly turn my head to the left and stare into the bright, orange flames flicking back and forth in my fireplace. Cautiously, I walk over and lean down in front of it. Murmurs of voices flow through.

"Hello," I say. "Is anyone there?" The noise gets louder. I lean closer to investigate. The heat from the flames bakes my skin and smoke gets up my nose, but I don't move. Instead of seeing bricks in the back of my fireplace, I see a room, an office of sorts. A dark wooden desk is to the left, and a bookcase is straight across. A dark red carpet covers the floor with a circular orange rug on top of it. A clock ticks in the background, and I can hear footsteps coming from somewhere. I lean forward more to try and see where the footsteps are coming from, but I accidentally lean too far. I fall face first into the fire and tumble into the strange office. I lay on my back on the carpet and stare up at the ceiling. I take big breaths and lay there, sprawled out on the floor. After a while, I sit up and look around. Behind the desk, there's a huge window covered up with dark red curtains. Papers cover the desk, and there's a clock in the corner. I look to my right to find a door and hear people talking behind it. A little glow of light creeps in from under it. I look behind me at the fireplace and jump up. I press my hand against the back of it, and I am met with hot bricks. No. Nonononono. I jump up and search through the things on the desk. Hopefully, there's a match somewhere here, so I can light the fireplace and get back home. I huff. It's so dark in here. I can't see a thing. I go to the curtains and throw them back. The sudden light blinds me for a second, but when my eyes adjust, I gasp.

Stretched out below me is a crowded city but not just any city. Horse-drawn carriages move down cobbled stone streets. Women in puffy dresses and fancy umbrellas walk down the pavement. A huge clock tower stands in the background. There's not a single trace of technology anywhere.

The door opens behind me, and I whirl around. My heart pounds in my chest. A girl about my age stands in the doorway. She has short, blond hair and bright blue eyes. The strange thing though is that she's wearing a maid's uniform, complete with the headband and fancy shoes.

"Here you are Tyler. The master's been waiting for you."

"W-What?" I ask.

"Follow me please." She turns and walks away. One internal battle later, I run after her.

"Wait!" I yell. "Wait up." She stops for a bit so I can catch up to her. We walk side by side down the corridor.

"This is going to sound weird but where are we?" I ask her.

"England."

"Okay, but where in England?"

"London."

"Yes yes. But where are we? What's this building? And where has all the technology gone?"

She stops and looks at me. "The what? I don't know what you're talking about, but I can tell you this is the master's house. And that he wishes to see you. Come along." She continues walking down the hallway. I jog up to her, and we continue in silence. We stop in front of a door, and she knocks on it.

"Come in," a gruff voice replies. She opens the door and walks in. I follow her into another office like room. A plump, old man with gray hair and a crisp new suit sits hunched over documents on his desk, but he looks up when we enter.

"Ah Rose, you brought him. Good job."

"Thank you, sir."

"You may wait outside."

"Yes, sir." Rose leaves and shuts the door behind her.

He looks at me. "Now you must be Tyler."

"Yeah, and what's your name?"

"Name's hold power, Tyler. You can call me Ten."

"Okay," I confusedly answer. He looks at me and stands up with a folder in his hand. He walks around to the front of his desk and leans on it. A silence stretches on until he glances at the folder and hands it to me. I take it and open it. Inside I find a full out file on someone by the name of "Eleven."

"Who's this?" I ask him, puzzled.

"He's who you are going to kill."