Bogaz-itchy

It was 1838 in Massachusetts, Cyrus Hamlin left the United States for Ottoman Empire. He was exiled indeed for his mysterious genetics and animal physiology he had been studying on American soil. It was the time for a better place to realize his next phase of examinations. The struggling Ottoman Empire he saw on a pin-up had tolerance for different religious and backgrounder figures on her land. No need to mention attraction of Hagia Sophia, that her arms were giving comfort to more "foreigners" in her arms in the 19th century chaotic social life of Istanbul.Cyrus Hamlin had been curious, principled, serious researcher as a major contradiction to his education, Christian Theology. His Masters had noticed his devoted determination to his studies at Bowdoin college in his early ages. It didn't take long time to take a missionary place within "American Board Association' for so-called starting a school called 'Robert College' in Istanbul, or yet, more to come! The weeks in Ottoman empire passed quickly and the permission for the School Construction was granted by the Sultan. The Levent Hill was perfect spot next to The Rumeli Fortress and was a rural spot at that time...Neighbourhood was calm if you don't mind few poor huts around the hill and few drunken sailors loudly singing around a bone fire at nights, that was the picture at the place, commonly. Cyrus gathered a huge construction team with the Generous budget American Board has given to him for the school. He had understood it would be much easier with their belief in his founding of this school called The Robert College. Cyrus was sure there would soon be the foundation of Bogazici or "Bogaz-itchy" University to be built up.After few struggles with these lazy eastern construction team he would need better workers with discreet manners before he starts the college construction. One day visiting some workers' coffee house in 'Kasimpasa' he met this short but broad-shouldered Christian Armenian Balin. Balin was not talkative by nature and had strong skills in stone masonry as he had worked at Hagia Sophia's restoration for several years. He knew how to apply his craft on stone and forming up it into desired shape. Cyrus and Balin yet became friends, visiting some hardware store, consulting him for some tools and he was finding themselves in a dense discussion of Cyrus' plans on The Levent Hill. One day in a lazy afternoon Cyrus unveiled his plans to Balin. He would build a labyrinth within the Hill. He laid the blueprints' candle dropped pages on an old aged desk in Balin's workshop...'but impossible' Balin shrieked! And added, - why? Why? Soon Balin's eyes were wide open by the glittering of golden coins Cyrus poured and piled from a velvet pouch in his veined, bony hands.. Balin had stopped asking questions except some guarantees to form up for his own team himself without questions.Balin was a strange man. The gap of his family was filled by twelve men working for him. He was neither shouting nor talking to his men when he assigned any duty. A hand gesture or a gaze were enough to have a confirmation which wasn't more than a nod. Quickly, I mean quickly Levent Hill became a construction zone amongst the Meadows and ruins. Deep dug trenches were being filled with heavy stone and mortars. Balin's men were proving Darwin with their work. Gdamn, the mortar guy had claw like hands which were letting him mix the mortar with his hands and nails. Egg yolk was used to strengthen the structure literally by Gdamn's hands. Another man was huge and uneven proportion in his body scale called Bundar. Even only these two could build a whole facility within months. Cyrus was not involved in these daily operations but corresponding with the American Board, purchasing raw material for the construction. He mused once to employ a foreman to follow-up construction budget but then he found himself biting his nails with anxiety that every detail of this settlement could be revealed before public! Oh such a disaster would it cause, wouldn't it!Cyrus had almost finished the College almost accomplished at the same time with a multi-purposed building complex which would be called 'Bogazitchy' university in the Future. The college was opened with participation of Istanbul governor and a minor Vedzir of Sultan with a dim opening ceremony. He was clever enough to highlight praying for God and Jesus before public to puncture religious, humble school profile of the establishment. But even at the moment of this naive, beat, opening event on the terrace, Balin, Gdamn and Bundar were building up the labyrinth of the Bogazici and the galleries underneath the buildings on the Surface, in a perfect silence just half a mile away in the heart of the Meadows. The distinguished area of Bogazici was overlooking the Bosphourus from a perfect bird view angle. The distinguished arena of Bogazici was "south campus" on blueprints. Cause the arena was wide and welcoming with surrounding buildings like a fortress. Every building had three storeys underneeth, underground interwoven with narrow galleries opening to laboratories and halls which all leading to Rumbling fortress and vanishing in the ground....After college opening, Armenian, Jewish and the 'Elite' families of Istanbul had stumbled in and trying to enlist their kids to this latest fashion, decent school of Americans on the newly fashionable hot spot Levent Hill. It wasn't cheap and wasn't easy to be accepted to the school. Cyrus was interviewing with every family and student candidate in person, asking many questions which were sometimes pushing families to scepticism. When parents were discouraged, immediately soothed by few classy sentences performed by Cyrus to control the atmosphere of the interview sessions and leave an image of 'a safe and comfy school to give your child'. He was asking strange questions and asking a lot about physiology of the students more than their skills. Nobody noticed something unusual, soon families had ben aware school principle was paying strange attention to kids' physical abilities by Chinese whispering; of course! That was an American Boarding School, sports would be at the foreground! Wouldn't it!?The school became a sign of prestige for Istanbul society almost suddenly. American ambassador and his clerks were involved in telling out about it. Cyrus didn't look comfy with all these society things. He wanted his space and silence. Soon enough strange rules applied for visitors. No visiting but once every other month. Parents were concerned at the beginning but soon they got used to it. Couple years passed, first students were graduating from the college which was equal to a high school in Istanbul. Kids were strange. Silent and immobile in society with opaque eyeballs. Wearing hoods with a small R. College engraved on the chest. All were attending summer camps which were organised in Bogazici campus half mile away from the college building. One day Madam Carina stumbled in the Campus from Bebek shore stairways. Guard was away for an errand and hadn't seen her climbing up the stairways swiftly. Madam carina was at her 60s, living in Beyoglu,Taksim. She was a widow for last ten years. His son and his wife were living in Izmir running their cotton factory and barely visiting her. And yet their son Yosi was at the school for four years by now. She could only visit Yosi after twilights as school permitted. She felt like seeing him all of a sudden and rode a horse cart all the way down to bebek and she preached cart driver to be back in two hours when she sent the Cart it was already nine at the Evening. It was March and Istanbul was still cold by a strong breeze from the Bosphorus. Madam Carina saw many narrow paths on the side of the stairways as she climbs but were all vanishing in the Meadows that she couldn't make a meaning out of them. She reached to a banquette at one storey lower than south campus buildings' entry level. She saw a broken stone bench facing down hill and bosphorus. It was getting dimmer every minute as she sat few minutes to catch up her breath..She than noticed a man sluggishly walking from South bound of the School square towards the northwest side of the circle clumsily. The lantern in the hand was popping up and vanishing as its bearer walks away due to the slope in front of her. She stood up and walked towards the arena as she saw that man or person got in The building with a big wall clock on it. She shifted towards the door. But there was no knob. She checked the side of the building and saw a cage window with a dim lantern in his hand. She got stunned by the overwhelming view for a few moments. As the man put off his cloak he saw deep stitches marks on his neck and unusual pointing ears of him. "Jesus Christ" words imploded in her mouth. Her knees were trembled and the cold fear flew down from her back neck down her spine and to her hands- Her hands were clutched to her walking stick like a cramp...