Ruth led the other two downstairs, they went back to the sitting room and entered another room which was a room full of books, and this was the library. Surprisingly, It was a triangular shaped room, though vast. Thousands of books were arranged properly according to their categories and classes. Again, the scent of rosewood had occupied the whole room. There was a computer set on the right side of the room while a portrait of Ruth’s great-great grandfather together with his Alsatian dog was cohered on the left wall which deliberately divided the shelves on the left side.
“His name was Sir Jonas Lionheart H. Dickens, this library’s named after him and the dog was Tuta, after the name of Pharaoh Tutankhamen.” Ruth shared effervescently, when Caroline gave the portrait a look of curiosity. Somehow the girls giggled how Ruth’s great-great grandfather named his dog.
In the middle of the room, there was a round table, and on top of it as a centrepiece, a small replica of an obelisk made of pure ivory. Immediately, Ruth told the girls to sit down on the wooden chairs with fine chiselled arms of cherubim circling the table. Caroline and Heather were completely nonplussed as they had obeyed. Ruth tilted the obelisk on the left side and within no fracture of a three seconds, the floor on which the table and chairs were placed started to go down into the very base of the manor. They were swirling, as the girls held on tight on to the chair and their rucksacks. After some ten seconds, they arrived on a wide basement, a huge vault. It was protected with thick walls of huge pieces of stones. The roof on which they came from, was formed of several arches. It was like a church on the underground of the manor. The air inside the vault was a little cold and damp, though this temperature was not really a problem. As they abandoned the chairs they were occupying, the wide wall that was facing them now was designed with so many things that they never knew they could see in real life. A series of electric cords, a couple of computer set connected to another monitor that does not seem to be a computer but of some sort that way and the silver plated monitor which looked more like of a microwave oven was connected with a thick silver cord that almost looked like a dead cobra, attached strongly to a huge, handsome machine which was seven-times bigger than a two-door refrigerator. It was made of silver and titanium according to Paul. The door which served as an entrance-exit was of pure titanium and the triangular mirror at the centre of the door was of fibre glass.
Paul greeted them proudly, ‘Welcome to my vault!’ The girls, especially Caroline and Heather were obviously amazed by what their eyes were filling their insides. ‘Did you enjoy the small ride from the library until here?’ asked Paul without looking at them but merely encoding or decoding something on the one of the ordinary computer.
“Not really..Ever since I had my first and last ride on a rollercoaster, I swore I will not do it again.” Heather admitted, who was rounding up her head looking at the whole chamber.
“Is that the only way to go here from your house?” asked Heather as she helped herself on a glass of water where a small fridge was placed near the computer which was full of snacks, chocolates, drinks and other foods whenever Paul was working down on the vault and he would feel hungry, there would be foods ready.
“Nope, but that’s the fastest way to get down here, the other one is through that spiral staircase which is connected to my own bedroom and it will take you like five minutes to get here.” Paul pointed out the golden spiral staircase that was connected into the roof and it was certainly long.
“That seems better..my legs could have benefitted for that..” shrugged Heather. “So, that’s the beautiful thing..” added Heather pointedly, gazing at the peaceful time machine. Paul nodded firmly with a closed handsome smile.
“Paul, Can I take this?” asked Ruth, waving a round thing on her hand as she taken it out of Paul’s trove of hudge-pudge and tucked it inside her olive-green hued trouser’s side pocket. It was simply a small compass. Ruth once again, buried her hands on the trove and tried to search more of something that could be useful for them once they get into their destination. She quickly found a piece of parchment that looked like a map. She just stowed it inside her own rucksack that was full of foods and did not ask Paul anymore about it.
“You are all ready right? This time, now that the three of you are here, I believe there will be no more turning back on this activity.”
“Let’s just do it now, shall we?” started Caroline as she walked to the direction of the time machine while Ruth and Heather followed.
“All right. Everything’s settled.” Sighed Paul deeply. “I need you for a moment Carol, since you will be the Keeper of the Key, I need you now to hold on to this key and press your thumb on the circle spot there.” Paul instructed Caroline as he gave her the key that would connect them to the time machine and the present time. Caroline felt the key a little cold. She thought to herself as she caressed the key for a fleeting moment with her fingers. ‘This is it.’ While Ruth and Heather were simply watching carefully what might happen after Caroline pressed the circle thing on the key. With no regrets or second thoughts, Caroline pressed firmly her right thumb on the circle and suddenly, the time machine started to function! It became alive, as it made clamours of electric awakening. Paul looked at the monitor that was connected at the time machine and it gave an ALERT!
It needed the key that Caroline had just touched with her very own nerves and human touch. Paul grabbed the key from Caroline and inserted the key into a keyhole on the left pane of the monitor. He asked hurriedly Ruth what time in Ancient Egypt they wanted to go.
“The 18th Dynasty! During the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep III 1382-1344 B.C. in Thebes, Egypt.” answered Ruth immediately. Paul typed all the details that his sister gave him and just in time, the monitor gave another red alert message to him ‘READY TO LAUNCH’
“Get inside the time machine now with your things!” demanded Paul to the girls as he took off the key on the keyhole and handed it over to Caroline who looked perplexed and excited. She snatched it and went inside the time machine where the hurried yet excited Ruth and Heather and their things were already inside of it.
“Close the door!” Paul shouted as he was about to click the word launch on the monitor with his finger as the monitor was a touch-screen. Caroline pulled the heavy metal door of the time machine closed. Inside, The girls were astonished and astounded of everything they were seeing for the first time. The metal walls of the time machine instantly disappeared and a series of spectrum and some blurred scene from Ancient Egypt itself emerged and dissolved as if a television was being channelled by an unsatisfied viewer as Paul’s voice could be heard from the inside, a speaker was placed there to guide them what to do now.
“All right girls, now listen carefully. The time machine has registered now that there are things inside of it as living things. I want you to hold each others hand and close your eyes and do not let go from each other’s hold! Do not forget everything I told you. Trust each other. Good luck!” finalized Paul as he touched lightly with his pointer finger the word ‘launch’ and the time machine roared more into action. It produced a mechanical noise like a spinning propeller. The girls were feeling a different sensation as they held hand and closed their eyes. Every part of the time machine vanished. Forms of light, hue and peculiar sounds were replaced and suddenly, a total darkness covered them. Heather’s hand twitched but did not let go as she gripped more Ruth and Caroline’s hands. Out of the darkness, whiteness swallowed them and cold strong air swayed and made their hairs all over their bodies brushed on their skin. The air felt like smiting them with its total strength. Caroline’s hands were sweating and she had to hold on tightly with her friend and cousin’s hands. She gripped on for dear life as all her force was put on it. It was ten times or more frightening than a rollercoaster ride thought Heather to herself. Ruth stayed calm as if she had travelled with the time machine before or probably because she trusted her brother so much with this.
Unexpectedly, the strength of the air grew more as the three girls shouted different words and Ruth’s voice was the loudest, ‘HOLD!..NO!’ as they all felt like they were dust sucked forcefully inside a vacuum cleaner.
Caroline felt dreaming, she felt the fine sands on her body lingering while the sun scorched mightily. She never dared open her eyes for she knew she was dreaming. She wanted to discover more this odd but interesting dream. Why does it feel humid and airy? And why am I sweating this much? She thought to herself. Suddenly, someone was shaking her continuously but lightly with soft hands on her arm gripping on it as she heard her name called by two familiar voices.
“Caroline..Caroline! Are you alright?” asked the girl with natural flaming red curly hair with a pretty worried face. Caroline moved with a slightest motion that she could only manage, as she muttered questions that came naturally from her mouth without even thinking, “Are we dead? Where are we? Did we make it?”
“Yeah I believe the time machine transferred us successfully, though, I’m not sure exactly where we are right now.” the other girl with tawny and wavy long hair answered as she stared into the wilderness. “We are in the desert Caroline! ..Sahara probably..’ she added gravely.
As soon as Caroline heard her friend’s grave suggestion of where they were, she got up and separated herself from the sands where she was laying. Hastily, she opened her eyes and got lightfast by the fiery sun.
“Ruth! Don’t you have the compass with you?” said Caroline in a sort of worried voice.
Ruth opened her rucksack full of food and drinks and started to rummage over it and after some seconds, she realized that she had placed it on side pocket of her trouser, quickly stood up and extracted the round thing with a red spinning arrow in the middle.
“Let’s see now!” as she held the compass with both hand delicately like it was some sort of a frail, newly-born chick. All of them were staring at the compass carefully and attentively as it spun. It spun fast and slowed down and within a few seconds, it swayed a fraction and stopped.
“East!” yelled Heather. “We walk for the eastern direction!?...” Heather’s voice tailed away when she realized that they had to walk to reach Thebes, where the kingdom of Egypt was settled. They were in Egypt but they were not exactly at the city where the kingdom of Pharaoh laid.
“Wait a minute!” Ruth took out a parchment from her trouser’s other side-pocket and the other two found out that it was a map of ancient Egypt. All of them buried their sight on the map as they tried to figure out where exactly they were and where they should go to. For some use of referring to each other’s opinion and view of where the heck they were, they decided to walk to the East and head to Thebes which was located at the Southwest of Egypt between the border of West and East separated by the river Nile.
So their journey began.
They walked and walked for miles and hours under the scorching heat of the ruthless sun. Caroline gave Heather a sun-visor and Ruth a baseball cap for protection as she wore for herself a bandanna tied at the back of her head matching their bee-eyed like sun-glasses. It was purely exhausting. The hot air swept on their skin cruelly as they faced the desert way on the east. Ruth gave the other two a couple of cola for quenching their thirst though Heather suggested not to drink too much since she was worried they might consumed their stock easily. Caroline looked at her silver plated wrist-watch to check out the time, only to find out that it stopped ticking! Ruth also checked her own wrist-watch and it gave the same condition. The sands, the sun, the air were no friend to them. Hospitality was nowhere. After four hours of journey on foot, they considered to stop for a couple of hours near the foot of a cliff to feel shaded from the heat. They assembled the tent Heather was before carrying on her rucksack when they started walking, until they were halfway walking, she decided to put it down and tied up a rope on its handle and dragged it with her right hand wearily.
It was a large tent. A dozen of people could get inside. Heather flatted her sleeping bag and laid there while she munched on some chocolate chips and would lift her head and half of her back every now and then to drink water. Caroline and Ruth were simply sitting, checking all their technological gadgets which surprisingly not working. Caroline checked her laptop and digital camera, she knew so well that she fully charged its batteries before leaving the house. Even Ruth’s laptop was lifeless and they had to accept that there would be no clear photos and videos as evidences that they successfully diverted themselves into the past.
“We also have to depend on writing with our own lovely hands since the laptops aren’t working!” cried Caroline as she took one more bite of her last piece of chocolate bar. Caroline glanced at Ruth who seemed pondering something.
“What are you thinking Ruthie?” she asked with a concerned face.
Ruth breathed, changed into an Indian sit from one leg fold position. “I am thinking why all our things are not working, but I think I know the answer to this. I think the time machine sucked all the electric energy that was present inside, that does not belong to it.” Shared Ruth convincingly as Caroline agreed with what she said when she threw a couple of nod and a keen look at Ruth.
“What about the key? Is it still functioning?!” asked Heather who looked frightened as she raised half her body from the sleeping bag. Caroline took off the small metal from the back pocket of her jean short. There it rest on her hand lifeless but from the look of it, the girls thought the same thing, that the key was not affected. After all, it was part of the time machine.
When everything was figured out, that their gadgets’ energies were gone, the key as what they concluded, undamaged, and the fact that they still had to walk more than they should, made the girls bemused. It seemed tougher than they ever thought. Now they were out in the wilderness without anybody they could turn onto except the key that was clinging on Caroline’s neck since she added it as another pendant to the necklace around her neck with a heart pendant already. They knew they should not turn back, not for now when they had not accomplish yet the purpose of their travelling whilst risking their lives on a tentative invention which Ruth’s brother made.
After some hours of somewhat relaxing and cosy rest, the girls decided to continue with their pilgrim to nowhere as Heather cursed words of ‘pretty dish for a vulture!’ ‘my death march to the altar!’ whenever the sands carried by the hot air that swirled touch her face. Ruth busied herself with the map and the compass she took from her brother’s trove of any things and tried to ignore Heather’s immature behaviour. Caroline looked scared and every now and then turned her head left and right, front and back to check if there were scorpions and desert snakes following them. It was no fun at all, walking on a lonely desert where the winds howled unfriendly, creatures screeched from somewhere as the mighty sun scorched and intended to burn them gradually. After two hours of walking, Heather pleaded to stop and rest once more, but the two did not encourage her to do so. They wanted to reach Thebes as soon as possible.
“I don’t wanna wander here at night Heath!” argued Caroline.
They continued to walk until, “Can you see that Carol?..” Ruth asked with awe etched in her face as if something beautiful and mysterious stroke her.
“What? Where?” Caroline turned to look at Ruth who was facing and having a small argument with Heather. Heather cared to look as well.
“Over there! Isn’t that –
“An obelisk...” Caroline finished Heather’s sentence. Clearly, there stood from afar, a tall, square, massive slim tower of rose-colored granite with a pyramid shape on top lightfast by the sun. It was no mistake, since an obelisk indicated as a landmark in ancient time. It could have been twenty-six metres in height and two hundred and eighty tonnes. The girls felt their hearts beating like drums at the same time, forming a small band of nerves and veins pulsating dramatically like something miraculous would happen anytime soon. It was all true. They were not mistaken and misled by Paul and his time machine. They had arrived, and this would be the start of their adventure, a peculiar sort of adventure.
“We’ve arrived..look at the map! Ruth!..where is the map?!” Ruth shared the map she was holding to them and sure enough, They had set foot in the land of the gift of the Nile.
“Oh my..I think I’m gonna faint.” Ruth took a couple of gulp from her own small water jug around her neck.
“Are we gonna enter the city now or what?..” whispered Heather. As if the obelisk was a huge horrific monster which could hear what they were talking about. Silence fell for a fleeting moment, they were thinking what to do next, either enter the city now or wait for the dusk to come.
“I am thinking...” Caroline started, “If we gonna enter now, there would be a fat chance the Egyptians would see us..I mean, look exactly how the way we dress from them! Or by dusk, they would be heading way back –
“Don’t you have the key with you Carol! It can make us invisible, can’t it?” Heather cut off by the sudden concept that she remembered Paul telling them.
“Yes! You are right.” Caroline bowed down her head to glance at the key dangling around her neck. She thought to herself, the key was their only way to enter the city without getting notice. Caroline looked straight to the other two away from the key, and said to them, “Alright, we will enter the city now.”
Caroline stretched her left arm for Heather to hold, and Ruth held on to Caroline’s upper arm so that she could press the key easily with her thumb. They were about to become invisible, when out of a sudden, a thunder of something from the ground were heard. Horses. Hoofs. Wheels.
Caroline and Heather were disturbed from their concentration when they heard Ruth screamed like a shrill cry. Ruth was taken by one of the man riding a chariot with speed by the arm, as other men with chariots and horses followed them. They stopped and circled around Caroline and Heather. They were staring at them like something they had never seen before.
Monday, April 20, 2009
CHAPTER TWO: THE HOUSE OF DICKENS
Caroline and Heather had just unloaded the car’s boot. Both of them carried their own rucksack on their back and a piece of handbag for each of them. A snakeskin purse for Caroline and a green suede purse for Heather. They walked through the driveway that headed to the main door of the manor. They were welcomed by the house’ beautiful borders of flower collection. To name some, there were hyacinth, geranium, buttercup, carnation, sunflower, hibiscus and more. A hedgerows of blackberries and rosemary. While on the right side of the drive, a gorgeous fountain was placed in the middle of the perfectly mown lawn where lotus and lily pads were floated on it peacefully, small gold fishes swam around lively as jets of water pumped out of it gracefully. Heather pressed the doorbell on the right side of the wall and just in time, the girl with tawny hair, royal blue oriental eyes opened the door and greeted them with a warm pleasant smile.
“Will you look at my honey-bees!” purred Ruth sweetly.
Caroline gave her a French kiss as well as Heather and she led them to the handsome hall where a big golden 18th century rococo chandelier was hanging and shining proudly on the ceiling. There were old paintings as well hanging on the walls of the hall. A replica of the most famous fire in London, Madonna and the Child and a painting of a Black Widow. They took off their rucksacks propped and left them on a wall at the hall near the coat hanger. At the end of the hall was a spacious room though occupied by a numerous of handsome and beautiful ornaments and furniture. It was the sitting room where a black grand piano was located on the left side and facing it was a well-varnished china ware wooden shelves made of rosewood with a double cover made of glass mixed with diamond cuts. The sofa set were lavishly hued by gold and brown. Velvet curtains were tied on each side of the bay window by a velvet rope. A grandfather clock stood ageless near the fireplace where a carpet that seemed more of a tapestry laid lifeless on the marbled floor.
“Where’s Paul, Ruthie?” asked Caroline as she helped herself sat down on the nearest chair by the fireplace, though there was no fire set on it. While Heather was examining a set of decanter placed on a small table near the biggest couch.
“He went out to buy some bread. I have forgotten to buy yesterday when I was down at the market after classes. You did not have your breakfast yet, right?”
Caroline half nodded and half shook her head. “We just had some tea and a piece of toast since my uncle was there to be with us at breakfast, though early in the morning tomorrow he will be flying to Egypt for an excavation with a Frenchman and some of his lot.” Said Caroline cosily.
“Wow! That’s lovely Carol. Do you –
Ruth was interrupted by Heather who appeared to be surprised from what she found out from the decanters she was examining.
“Hey Ruth! Is this a myrrh?” asked Heather unbelievably as she held up the bottle to show it to her.
“I believe so..since those bottles have different perfume and incense inside. There’s jasmine, lavender, ylang-ylang, chamomile...” cited Ruth sweetly.
“Can I have some drops of this myrrh? I would love to have it in my room.” Requested Heather.
“Help yourself. My mother’s family has a real knack of making perfumes you know. They just give it every year as present for us during thanks-giving. Oh I think its Paul!” Ruth stood up and strode to the hall to check if it was really Paul opening the door. “Then we can have our breakfast and get ready to use the machine..” she added while walking out of the sitting room.
It was Paul. A six foot tall handsome young man. His jet-black hair that was untidy though looked good on him and his eyes that resembled his sister’s eyes perfectly matching his small cute nose and cherry lips. He appeared to be a guy with charisma and intelligence but of course, he really was.
“Hi Heath..Carol.” Greeted Paul gesturing a salute to the both of them.
“Mon cheri.” Greeted back Caroline with a flying kiss. Ruth took the paper-bag of bread from Paul and went to the kitchen to prepare the last piece of their breakfast. Paul, who was ever so gentleman, kissed Caroline and Heather’s hand on the back skin.
“Are you ready to use my invention?” asked Paul in a relax manner. As he sat on the other side of the couch, stretched his right arm on the couch where Heather was sitting.
Caroline smiled as Heather answered him “Yeah, but that’s not the question I think.” Paul looked and gave her a facial expression of ‘What is it then?’
“The question is, are you sure that this thing will work and will not fail? I mean it has not even yet been tried for testing, is it?” asked Heather with concern.
Paul licked his upper lip and seemed to be thinking of what to say to her for a fleeting moment. Til he spoken.
“I had actually tested it before..but not to me or to any human. I had tested it to a street cat.” Admitted Paul.
Caroline and Heather both looked at Paul interestingly. Not because he was handsome or by other means of his physical features but by what he just confessed to them.
“So what happened to the cat after you tested it?” asked Caroline eagerly.
“Gone.” Answered Paul plainly.
“Gone? As in, it never came back? Or dead?” asked Heather a little hysterically.
“Actually, It said on the screen where the machine can tell me what is happening to a human or a creature I send off to where I want to send them or where they prefer..the cat is still alive and it is roaming around in Athens in Solon’s time when he was the reformist of Greece.” Said Paul.
The girls were staring at Paul as if they had never seen a person like him. What had gone to this person’s mind and had able to procure a machine that could take a human or a creature to the past. A past that could only be recalled or imagined through the use of books, ancient artefacts and re-enactments on films.
“Paul, how are we gonna use that time machine when it is being used by a cat?” asked Caroline. Now tying up her black hair on a pony-tail for a clearer view of him.
“The cat is not using it anymore..I mean, I do not want to sound too harsh but I stopped looking after the cat last week since my sister found out about my invention and requested to me if you can use it. Though I believe it is still alive, the cat.”
Dumb founded once more but Caroline made haste to relax and think normally as she managed to ask another question to him.
“You mean to say, that cat could have still go back to our times if you didn’t stop looking after it?” Caroline and Heather’s eyes had got wider when Paul opened his mouth to speak.
“Yes and no. What I am trying to say is that, cat do not have the mind of a human. It could never be taught of using a thing that will serve as a connection between the machine and the traveller. Because there is one way to go back and it is by the means of this!” Paul was showing them now a piece of metal that resembled more like a key. It was silver and there were three tiny buttons on rod with different colours, there was also a hole on its head, bigger than the usual hole but the hole had something in between, some sort of a thick transparent plastic that could not be broken easily.
“What is that???” asked the girls in chorus.
Now Paul bent his back and rest his arms on his thighs while holding the key on his right hand showing them as he explained its important use and value.
“This small thing is the key for you to get back in our times! If you lose this, I cannot do anything for you to get back. That is why, as soon as I give it to your safety, it will be your responsibility already. I will be no longer concerned about that thing. For me, this is the best way to use for time machines. There were other time machines invented before but not like this one. Other time machines’ way of getting back are through signs. The very common is the swirling circle thing. But to my opinion it is not very useful. What if I have not done yet what I wanted to do on a certain past and place. It is very limited. If it shows out of nowhere, you just suddenly have to jump and go back with it. But this one...” Paul’s face somehow was fierce and proud of his knowledge of his own invention. The girls looked at him with admiration and a small speck of uncertainty.
“Wait a second! Before everything goes outta hand!..so how do we use that key then? There are features of it that we should know, right?” cried Heather.
“Yes..” answered Paul. But before he could said more, Ruth came out of the kitchen and said, “Hey, enough of it for now...don’t get carried away, we still have breakfast to eat!” Sure enough, the smell of delicious breakfast was swarming around the kitchen. Ruth prepared the table and the breakfast wonderfully. Hot rolls with melted butter on top of it, Waffles, Different types of cheese: Camembert, Feta, Edam, Cream cheese, Bacon strips, hotdogs, chicken omelette, boiled eggs, small sweet tomatoes, and a teapot set on small fire on the stove while the coffee-maker was brewing. They ate without haste. They tried to feel the goodness of morning breakfast. As if Caroline and Heather had forgotten what they were just discussing with Paul.
“Chef-d’oeuvre!” cooed Caroline to Ruth. Then she patted Caroline’s cheek lightly.
As they finished their lovely breakfast altogether, everybody settled down to the sitting room to finalize the plan.
“Where are your things Heather?” asked Paul when he was about to sit on a stool near the window.
“We left it at the hall near the coat hanger..” answered Heather as she straightened down her white plain fitted top.
“I’ll get it.” Said Paul plainly. Without further waiting, Paul came and placed the rucksacks on the floor, propped on the couch’s right arm.
“So, As I continue..for the benefit of you two..” He pointed and gave Caroline and Heather a nod that looked like a gaze. “The proper usage of this key.” Paul did not sit this time, he just stood up, the fireplace behind him and he started talking like a professor in class. “As you can see there are three tiny buttons here on the rod. The first one, near the hole, this yellow button, it means VISIBLE. If you are to press this whence you reached the past and the place you are meant to go to, simply, you will be visible to the people around you. That is, if you wanted to be seen. Take heed, it can only work twice. The second button, here in the middle, this blue one, it means INVISIBLE and this can only work twice as well. If you would like to be invisible to the people around you, or if you want to make an escape, just press this! But be sure! if one of you will press, you should hold each others’ hand to make a group escape and if one didn’t get to hold on to..that would cause a problem..right? The one who may not make it, can be in trouble. This last red button..I will not make a statement about it. I will just say, its a useless option though, it means, STAY FOREVER.”
“No one wants to stay there forever! What will we do there?! Even if we stay there forever, we will never have the chance to be carved in the walls of history!” said Heather, trying to sound funny. Caroline and Ruth laughed.
“Alright, let me continue to the last piece of this thing’s usage. The last and the most important of all.”
Everyone straightened up, eager to feed their curiosity which Paul had planted very well in their minds. All ears were now on him.
“This hole on the key..I planted a microscopic thing inside the plastic in between the hole. It can realize and remember a human touch. If you press this, it means GO BACK. One of you shall press this before leaving, with the thumb, to make it know and remember your touch. The one who will press this, shall be the keeper. Whence it is done, I will place the key into the keyhole on the time machine to record the human touch it gathered. Again, when you wanted to go back and everything is done or you simply wanted to abandon the activity, hold on to each other and press this..and it will take you back to the present time. Lastly, for the frail part of it, the keeper can only press and use it once. So, I advise to the three of you, to always stick together, never lose of ones’ sight, so the assurance of no one would be left behind is guaranteed. ” Finalized Paul.
“Oh my God...” sighed Ruth as she rested her back on the soft back of the couch.
“Do you still want to continue?” asked Paul seriously. Heather’s eyes rolling, left and right, trying to avoid giving the conclusion. While Ruth was staring at Caroline who was biting the back of her right thumb.
“Well, Caroline what do you think?” asked Paul, turning to her direction near the fireplace.
Caroline sighed. Stopped. “I want to go.” She decided.
“Second the notion.” Said Ruth.
“Heather?” asked Ruth. Turning to face her as they shared the big couch. Heather could not say anything at first. She was hampering hard not say something opposite to their answers but she could not keep it any longer in herself.
“I’m afraid of everything!” shrieked Heather. Grabbing her red curly hair as if she was mental.
“Do we really have to do this? I mean risking our lives just for our thesis.” She added defiantly.
“Didn’t you hear what Paul said about the cat and the key thing? We are gonna be safe Heather...come on! Don’t mess up now.” Argued Caroline though trying to sound calmly.
“We will be safe, don’t worry..oneness, we are altogether with this thing. All we need is to believe and trust each other and work as a team.” Added Ruth profoundly.
“We are not afraid Heather! Come on! Don’t be such a girl! Where’s the toughness I always envy from you?!” motivated Caroline.
Heather sighed deeply and put herself into normal, stood up and walked to Paul and spoken.
“Ok. I will do it then as well. So, who will be the Keeper?” They all looked from each other, as if trying to guess who had the power to lead. Ruth stood up as well and said in a loud though small and sweet voice, “I have my vote set on Caroline.”
“Me?” Caroline cried. She was surprised to hear her voice being voted for as the keeper of the key.
“Yeah Carol..my vote goes to you too. So be it! Caroline Adams is the Keeper of the key.” Heather concluded. She couldn’t argue anymore. It was her that they chosen. It would be all down to her security. The safety of the key was within her hand. It wasn’t after all her safety and the key, but her friends too. She had to be very careful keeping the key for if one moment she lost its sight, it would cause chaos to the whole plan.
“Alright. There will be no second thoughts about it from me. I accept the task as the Keeper.” Caroline agreed. She stood up and faced Paul, nose to nose, as if they were about to kiss. But Paul whispered to her, “It will be your task to look for the others. This is a burden which is strongly unavoidable.” And she just nodded firmly as he handed him the key to Caroline.
“We still have an hour to go before launching ourselves to the past!” giggled Ruth.
“Rocket ships? Are we eh?” Caroline seconded.
“Yeah..rockets..I’m gonna rock one of the prince’s world!” laughed Heather.
“You were like an afraid-cat awhile ago and now you are talking about rocking a prince’s world?” teased Ruth sweetly. Caroline and Heather laughed. “Why don’t you come with me to my room, there are some things that I need sorting out there..let’s have a look if there’s something we could take.” Ruth added suggestively.
“What about food? We should –
“Food is packed.” Ruth assured.
At that time, Paul submerged out of the sitting room and went down to the basement of the manor where the time machine was located. The girls went to Ruth’s bedroom. They went back to the hall to find a wide marble staircase with cherubim carved on the balusters. They entered a hall with a series of rooms. The walls were varnished and old paintings and portraits of some of the Dickens relatives were hanging proudly and gallantly on the varnished wall which were only lit by a dozen of small Japanese style lamps cohered on the wall which has give the effect of solemn and sensuality.
“Here we are..” as Ruth opened the third door on the hall of rooms they had just entered. The door ajar as Ruth unlocked it and as she pushed, a beautiful room of red and white welcomed Caroline and Heather.
“Princess Ruth?” teased Heather. Ruth merely giggled as if she was being wooed by a handsome guy. Ruth’s bed was as huge as a master’s bed. Fluffy pillows, soft beanbags and ruffled blankets rested on it cutely. Furniture was of red painted rosewood, the drawer, wardrobe, and her bed. The curtains were of white velvet fabric. The smell of lavender incensed the room which made Caroline and Heather sniffed like their grandmother had just cooked something appetizing. Ruth opened another door on the left wall of her room, only to find out that it was a small room of clothes, shoes and beauty products.
“I have something to show to the both of you.” Ruth was rummaging on a red drawer at the centre of the small room. It was all packed of perfumes, different brands and scents. Until, she took a crystal-blue decanter and opened it for Caroline and Heather. “Smell it.” As the girls inhaled some of it, its smell was irresistible! It was different from myrrh or other perfumes Heather examined and smelled down at the sitting room.
“What scent is this?” asked Caroline curiously. Ruth stopped for a moment as she thought of what it was. Her temple creased, as she said the mixture of it. “I do not really know what it is called, but my father told me that before my mother died, it was the last scent she was wearing and it was of rare combination of desert flower, lily, rosewood and myrrh.”
“It sounds a little creepy to me Ruthie.” Caroline confessed as she pouted her mouth while the other two laughed at her.
“Well, I plan to take this with me. It would serve as a good gift to the Pharaoh, I mean, that is, if we would be able to meet him.” Ruth thought.
“Alright. We bring some of our things too, its all in our rucksacks. We have a tent and sleeping bags.”
“Very good. Food is my share, I have packed as much food as we can bring.” Winked Ruth. After some minutes passed, as Caroline and Heather kept throwing questions on Ruth about perfumes, the manor, her family, the telephone rang and Ruth made haste to answer it.
“Hello. House of –
Ruth stopped, she was merely listening to what the caller was saying to her and excitement was painted instantly on her face, like blood rushing throughout her body vigorously. As soon as she hanged the phone, she told the girls that, “The time machine is ready, Paul says, its better we go to the basement now.”
“Will you look at my honey-bees!” purred Ruth sweetly.
Caroline gave her a French kiss as well as Heather and she led them to the handsome hall where a big golden 18th century rococo chandelier was hanging and shining proudly on the ceiling. There were old paintings as well hanging on the walls of the hall. A replica of the most famous fire in London, Madonna and the Child and a painting of a Black Widow. They took off their rucksacks propped and left them on a wall at the hall near the coat hanger. At the end of the hall was a spacious room though occupied by a numerous of handsome and beautiful ornaments and furniture. It was the sitting room where a black grand piano was located on the left side and facing it was a well-varnished china ware wooden shelves made of rosewood with a double cover made of glass mixed with diamond cuts. The sofa set were lavishly hued by gold and brown. Velvet curtains were tied on each side of the bay window by a velvet rope. A grandfather clock stood ageless near the fireplace where a carpet that seemed more of a tapestry laid lifeless on the marbled floor.
“Where’s Paul, Ruthie?” asked Caroline as she helped herself sat down on the nearest chair by the fireplace, though there was no fire set on it. While Heather was examining a set of decanter placed on a small table near the biggest couch.
“He went out to buy some bread. I have forgotten to buy yesterday when I was down at the market after classes. You did not have your breakfast yet, right?”
Caroline half nodded and half shook her head. “We just had some tea and a piece of toast since my uncle was there to be with us at breakfast, though early in the morning tomorrow he will be flying to Egypt for an excavation with a Frenchman and some of his lot.” Said Caroline cosily.
“Wow! That’s lovely Carol. Do you –
Ruth was interrupted by Heather who appeared to be surprised from what she found out from the decanters she was examining.
“Hey Ruth! Is this a myrrh?” asked Heather unbelievably as she held up the bottle to show it to her.
“I believe so..since those bottles have different perfume and incense inside. There’s jasmine, lavender, ylang-ylang, chamomile...” cited Ruth sweetly.
“Can I have some drops of this myrrh? I would love to have it in my room.” Requested Heather.
“Help yourself. My mother’s family has a real knack of making perfumes you know. They just give it every year as present for us during thanks-giving. Oh I think its Paul!” Ruth stood up and strode to the hall to check if it was really Paul opening the door. “Then we can have our breakfast and get ready to use the machine..” she added while walking out of the sitting room.
It was Paul. A six foot tall handsome young man. His jet-black hair that was untidy though looked good on him and his eyes that resembled his sister’s eyes perfectly matching his small cute nose and cherry lips. He appeared to be a guy with charisma and intelligence but of course, he really was.
“Hi Heath..Carol.” Greeted Paul gesturing a salute to the both of them.
“Mon cheri.” Greeted back Caroline with a flying kiss. Ruth took the paper-bag of bread from Paul and went to the kitchen to prepare the last piece of their breakfast. Paul, who was ever so gentleman, kissed Caroline and Heather’s hand on the back skin.
“Are you ready to use my invention?” asked Paul in a relax manner. As he sat on the other side of the couch, stretched his right arm on the couch where Heather was sitting.
Caroline smiled as Heather answered him “Yeah, but that’s not the question I think.” Paul looked and gave her a facial expression of ‘What is it then?’
“The question is, are you sure that this thing will work and will not fail? I mean it has not even yet been tried for testing, is it?” asked Heather with concern.
Paul licked his upper lip and seemed to be thinking of what to say to her for a fleeting moment. Til he spoken.
“I had actually tested it before..but not to me or to any human. I had tested it to a street cat.” Admitted Paul.
Caroline and Heather both looked at Paul interestingly. Not because he was handsome or by other means of his physical features but by what he just confessed to them.
“So what happened to the cat after you tested it?” asked Caroline eagerly.
“Gone.” Answered Paul plainly.
“Gone? As in, it never came back? Or dead?” asked Heather a little hysterically.
“Actually, It said on the screen where the machine can tell me what is happening to a human or a creature I send off to where I want to send them or where they prefer..the cat is still alive and it is roaming around in Athens in Solon’s time when he was the reformist of Greece.” Said Paul.
The girls were staring at Paul as if they had never seen a person like him. What had gone to this person’s mind and had able to procure a machine that could take a human or a creature to the past. A past that could only be recalled or imagined through the use of books, ancient artefacts and re-enactments on films.
“Paul, how are we gonna use that time machine when it is being used by a cat?” asked Caroline. Now tying up her black hair on a pony-tail for a clearer view of him.
“The cat is not using it anymore..I mean, I do not want to sound too harsh but I stopped looking after the cat last week since my sister found out about my invention and requested to me if you can use it. Though I believe it is still alive, the cat.”
Dumb founded once more but Caroline made haste to relax and think normally as she managed to ask another question to him.
“You mean to say, that cat could have still go back to our times if you didn’t stop looking after it?” Caroline and Heather’s eyes had got wider when Paul opened his mouth to speak.
“Yes and no. What I am trying to say is that, cat do not have the mind of a human. It could never be taught of using a thing that will serve as a connection between the machine and the traveller. Because there is one way to go back and it is by the means of this!” Paul was showing them now a piece of metal that resembled more like a key. It was silver and there were three tiny buttons on rod with different colours, there was also a hole on its head, bigger than the usual hole but the hole had something in between, some sort of a thick transparent plastic that could not be broken easily.
“What is that???” asked the girls in chorus.
Now Paul bent his back and rest his arms on his thighs while holding the key on his right hand showing them as he explained its important use and value.
“This small thing is the key for you to get back in our times! If you lose this, I cannot do anything for you to get back. That is why, as soon as I give it to your safety, it will be your responsibility already. I will be no longer concerned about that thing. For me, this is the best way to use for time machines. There were other time machines invented before but not like this one. Other time machines’ way of getting back are through signs. The very common is the swirling circle thing. But to my opinion it is not very useful. What if I have not done yet what I wanted to do on a certain past and place. It is very limited. If it shows out of nowhere, you just suddenly have to jump and go back with it. But this one...” Paul’s face somehow was fierce and proud of his knowledge of his own invention. The girls looked at him with admiration and a small speck of uncertainty.
“Wait a second! Before everything goes outta hand!..so how do we use that key then? There are features of it that we should know, right?” cried Heather.
“Yes..” answered Paul. But before he could said more, Ruth came out of the kitchen and said, “Hey, enough of it for now...don’t get carried away, we still have breakfast to eat!” Sure enough, the smell of delicious breakfast was swarming around the kitchen. Ruth prepared the table and the breakfast wonderfully. Hot rolls with melted butter on top of it, Waffles, Different types of cheese: Camembert, Feta, Edam, Cream cheese, Bacon strips, hotdogs, chicken omelette, boiled eggs, small sweet tomatoes, and a teapot set on small fire on the stove while the coffee-maker was brewing. They ate without haste. They tried to feel the goodness of morning breakfast. As if Caroline and Heather had forgotten what they were just discussing with Paul.
“Chef-d’oeuvre!” cooed Caroline to Ruth. Then she patted Caroline’s cheek lightly.
As they finished their lovely breakfast altogether, everybody settled down to the sitting room to finalize the plan.
“Where are your things Heather?” asked Paul when he was about to sit on a stool near the window.
“We left it at the hall near the coat hanger..” answered Heather as she straightened down her white plain fitted top.
“I’ll get it.” Said Paul plainly. Without further waiting, Paul came and placed the rucksacks on the floor, propped on the couch’s right arm.
“So, As I continue..for the benefit of you two..” He pointed and gave Caroline and Heather a nod that looked like a gaze. “The proper usage of this key.” Paul did not sit this time, he just stood up, the fireplace behind him and he started talking like a professor in class. “As you can see there are three tiny buttons here on the rod. The first one, near the hole, this yellow button, it means VISIBLE. If you are to press this whence you reached the past and the place you are meant to go to, simply, you will be visible to the people around you. That is, if you wanted to be seen. Take heed, it can only work twice. The second button, here in the middle, this blue one, it means INVISIBLE and this can only work twice as well. If you would like to be invisible to the people around you, or if you want to make an escape, just press this! But be sure! if one of you will press, you should hold each others’ hand to make a group escape and if one didn’t get to hold on to..that would cause a problem..right? The one who may not make it, can be in trouble. This last red button..I will not make a statement about it. I will just say, its a useless option though, it means, STAY FOREVER.”
“No one wants to stay there forever! What will we do there?! Even if we stay there forever, we will never have the chance to be carved in the walls of history!” said Heather, trying to sound funny. Caroline and Ruth laughed.
“Alright, let me continue to the last piece of this thing’s usage. The last and the most important of all.”
Everyone straightened up, eager to feed their curiosity which Paul had planted very well in their minds. All ears were now on him.
“This hole on the key..I planted a microscopic thing inside the plastic in between the hole. It can realize and remember a human touch. If you press this, it means GO BACK. One of you shall press this before leaving, with the thumb, to make it know and remember your touch. The one who will press this, shall be the keeper. Whence it is done, I will place the key into the keyhole on the time machine to record the human touch it gathered. Again, when you wanted to go back and everything is done or you simply wanted to abandon the activity, hold on to each other and press this..and it will take you back to the present time. Lastly, for the frail part of it, the keeper can only press and use it once. So, I advise to the three of you, to always stick together, never lose of ones’ sight, so the assurance of no one would be left behind is guaranteed. ” Finalized Paul.
“Oh my God...” sighed Ruth as she rested her back on the soft back of the couch.
“Do you still want to continue?” asked Paul seriously. Heather’s eyes rolling, left and right, trying to avoid giving the conclusion. While Ruth was staring at Caroline who was biting the back of her right thumb.
“Well, Caroline what do you think?” asked Paul, turning to her direction near the fireplace.
Caroline sighed. Stopped. “I want to go.” She decided.
“Second the notion.” Said Ruth.
“Heather?” asked Ruth. Turning to face her as they shared the big couch. Heather could not say anything at first. She was hampering hard not say something opposite to their answers but she could not keep it any longer in herself.
“I’m afraid of everything!” shrieked Heather. Grabbing her red curly hair as if she was mental.
“Do we really have to do this? I mean risking our lives just for our thesis.” She added defiantly.
“Didn’t you hear what Paul said about the cat and the key thing? We are gonna be safe Heather...come on! Don’t mess up now.” Argued Caroline though trying to sound calmly.
“We will be safe, don’t worry..oneness, we are altogether with this thing. All we need is to believe and trust each other and work as a team.” Added Ruth profoundly.
“We are not afraid Heather! Come on! Don’t be such a girl! Where’s the toughness I always envy from you?!” motivated Caroline.
Heather sighed deeply and put herself into normal, stood up and walked to Paul and spoken.
“Ok. I will do it then as well. So, who will be the Keeper?” They all looked from each other, as if trying to guess who had the power to lead. Ruth stood up as well and said in a loud though small and sweet voice, “I have my vote set on Caroline.”
“Me?” Caroline cried. She was surprised to hear her voice being voted for as the keeper of the key.
“Yeah Carol..my vote goes to you too. So be it! Caroline Adams is the Keeper of the key.” Heather concluded. She couldn’t argue anymore. It was her that they chosen. It would be all down to her security. The safety of the key was within her hand. It wasn’t after all her safety and the key, but her friends too. She had to be very careful keeping the key for if one moment she lost its sight, it would cause chaos to the whole plan.
“Alright. There will be no second thoughts about it from me. I accept the task as the Keeper.” Caroline agreed. She stood up and faced Paul, nose to nose, as if they were about to kiss. But Paul whispered to her, “It will be your task to look for the others. This is a burden which is strongly unavoidable.” And she just nodded firmly as he handed him the key to Caroline.
“We still have an hour to go before launching ourselves to the past!” giggled Ruth.
“Rocket ships? Are we eh?” Caroline seconded.
“Yeah..rockets..I’m gonna rock one of the prince’s world!” laughed Heather.
“You were like an afraid-cat awhile ago and now you are talking about rocking a prince’s world?” teased Ruth sweetly. Caroline and Heather laughed. “Why don’t you come with me to my room, there are some things that I need sorting out there..let’s have a look if there’s something we could take.” Ruth added suggestively.
“What about food? We should –
“Food is packed.” Ruth assured.
At that time, Paul submerged out of the sitting room and went down to the basement of the manor where the time machine was located. The girls went to Ruth’s bedroom. They went back to the hall to find a wide marble staircase with cherubim carved on the balusters. They entered a hall with a series of rooms. The walls were varnished and old paintings and portraits of some of the Dickens relatives were hanging proudly and gallantly on the varnished wall which were only lit by a dozen of small Japanese style lamps cohered on the wall which has give the effect of solemn and sensuality.
“Here we are..” as Ruth opened the third door on the hall of rooms they had just entered. The door ajar as Ruth unlocked it and as she pushed, a beautiful room of red and white welcomed Caroline and Heather.
“Princess Ruth?” teased Heather. Ruth merely giggled as if she was being wooed by a handsome guy. Ruth’s bed was as huge as a master’s bed. Fluffy pillows, soft beanbags and ruffled blankets rested on it cutely. Furniture was of red painted rosewood, the drawer, wardrobe, and her bed. The curtains were of white velvet fabric. The smell of lavender incensed the room which made Caroline and Heather sniffed like their grandmother had just cooked something appetizing. Ruth opened another door on the left wall of her room, only to find out that it was a small room of clothes, shoes and beauty products.
“I have something to show to the both of you.” Ruth was rummaging on a red drawer at the centre of the small room. It was all packed of perfumes, different brands and scents. Until, she took a crystal-blue decanter and opened it for Caroline and Heather. “Smell it.” As the girls inhaled some of it, its smell was irresistible! It was different from myrrh or other perfumes Heather examined and smelled down at the sitting room.
“What scent is this?” asked Caroline curiously. Ruth stopped for a moment as she thought of what it was. Her temple creased, as she said the mixture of it. “I do not really know what it is called, but my father told me that before my mother died, it was the last scent she was wearing and it was of rare combination of desert flower, lily, rosewood and myrrh.”
“It sounds a little creepy to me Ruthie.” Caroline confessed as she pouted her mouth while the other two laughed at her.
“Well, I plan to take this with me. It would serve as a good gift to the Pharaoh, I mean, that is, if we would be able to meet him.” Ruth thought.
“Alright. We bring some of our things too, its all in our rucksacks. We have a tent and sleeping bags.”
“Very good. Food is my share, I have packed as much food as we can bring.” Winked Ruth. After some minutes passed, as Caroline and Heather kept throwing questions on Ruth about perfumes, the manor, her family, the telephone rang and Ruth made haste to answer it.
“Hello. House of –
Ruth stopped, she was merely listening to what the caller was saying to her and excitement was painted instantly on her face, like blood rushing throughout her body vigorously. As soon as she hanged the phone, she told the girls that, “The time machine is ready, Paul says, its better we go to the basement now.”
Thursday, April 16, 2009
CHAPTER ONE: THE PLAN TO THE PAST
Bell rang dismissal time. Caroline Adams, a girl with a long ebony black straight hair, oval shaped face matching her beautiful pair of piercing dark partly mediterranean, partly asian violet eyes was getting out of the classroom number four hundred and five’s door along with some of her classmates in her last subject every Tuesday which was Philosophy. She was going home though she still had one place to go before leaving the school premises. She was on her way outside the Arts building and striding her way to the gym where she would be waiting her cousin Heather Campbell from her last subject which was Introduction to Anthropology. She walked briskly passing other students, who were by some reason knew her, greeted her with a smile or a wave of a hand. Caroline started to rummage on her yellow hued tote bag searching for her mobile phone. As soon as she found it, she rang her cousin’s number to remind her that she was dismissed already. When she reached the gym, she entered the double door and walked straight to the left bleacher and sat there until Heather came.
Caroline was a twenty year old young woman and orphaned by the age of nine. She barely talked about her parents mishappenings. Though, she was not alone. Her cousin Heather was also an orphan, lost her parents by a crime at the age of seven. Since both of them lost their parents at a very unripe age, they started living with their Uncle Rothford John in Hertfordshire in his very own though inherited Victorian house from his grandfather Sir Rothgang Dwaine Adams where anyway, both of the girls were born. It wasn’t after all moving into a different place since they knew the place very well. Besides, their Grandmother Estelle was also living with them. Naturally, they inherited the very old interest that ran into their family’s blood. Their undying love for Egypt. Its ancient ruins, artefacts, mysteries, mummies and its history. Uncle John would always say that they had the blood of the very first Egyptologist set on record in the history, Napoleon Bonaparte but that of course was just a self-acclaimed concept.
After some ten minutes of boresome waiting, a girl with a prominent and natural red long curly hair was visibly walking towards Caroline’s direction.
“What took you so long?” asked Caroline hotly with her arms crossed and folded on her chest.
Heather didn’t answer straight away but helped herself first of putting down her floral shoulder bag and sat. “Well Carol, I went first to the library and I found this.” Heather was giving something to Caroline which obviously looked like pages from books that had been photo-copied. Caroline wasn’t actually reading what the information on the paper were. She was merely scanning the pages and stopped as Heather asked her again “So, whatcha think? Star guides indeed eh?”
Caroline nodded and gave her a big grin like of a clown with thick lipstick on the mouth to exaggerate the grin. “What’s with that stupid grin? Is there something that I need to know?” asked Heather with one eye brow raised.
“Yep my girl, you are uninformed of something special, something outrageous!” cheered Caroline.
“Outrageous?” Heather repeated the word unbelievably.
Caroline nodded with eagerness but didn’t spill the beans yet. “Well, there would be no point of you telling me that there is something outrageous out there, where ever or whatever it is if you are not gonna tell me and you just keep on nodding, indeed?” added Heather almost likely wanted to start an argument since she was very known to get angry easily.
“ok Ms. Flame! I’m just trying to keep you interested and wondering if you will make some guesses!” barked Caroline as she loosened her artificially planned facial expressions which made Heather’s temper a little warm. “See, Ruth. Her brother Paul, made, built...factually, invented something like let’s say, something which can take us to the past, and not just any past but.. a past which is related to the topic of our thesis in our career. Do you read me Heath?” Her violet eyes on Heather’s own green eyes checking of some surprise that would come out of it.
“You mean to say, like a time machine?, isn’t it?” Heather responded as she was pondering what her cousin just told her.
“Precisely!” Caroline agreed.
“So how do this thing work? I mean is it safe, or is Ruth’s brother a hundred percent sure that this thing you are saying won’t fail in the process of usage?” asked Heather curiously. Obviously, She did not want to believe anything about it.
“I dunno anything about it internally for now..that’s why I am expecting a call from Ruth by eight tonight.” admitted Caroline. Caroline found small traces of fright from her cousin’s face when she gave a weak answer to her. “Look Heath, I know you are scared about it, and maybe you are also scared of the interest I give in this thing. But I assure you, I will not risk, not a single strand of my beautiful black hair if I am not sure that this thing will work perfectly. Ok? Don’t give me that face! We will be together with this, and besides if something bad happens to me, it will happen to you too.” Both of them laughed and Caroline stood up and gestured Heather to go home.
As they rode the double-decker bus, they found seats on the upper deck at the last row and they were talking of things which weren’t related to studies and school.
“..What does he think about himself anyway?..he is not the right guy for you Carol. Believe me.”
“Oh I dunno, You know we’ve been having this relationship for two years already..It’s just that if I will be the one to break it, I will probably start to feel guilty!”
“I think you are guilty and you are stupid. Don’t feel pity to a guy who snogs other girls while you are not looking! Caroline! Wake up lass! You are too beautiful for that German shepherd dog, Amadeus!” Caroline laughed as Heather barked and gestured her arms like a scare tree. And for some reason, Caroline was almost close to tears. Heather’s mad face for a Caroline who doesn’t use her head properly when it came to love suddenly disappeared and changed into an understanding, angelic face. She hugged her and caressed her back and whispered to her, “I don’t want to see you hurt girl, you are the only one I have, you are a sister to me. About Amadeus, dump him. If I were you, dump him. He do not deserve a girl like you who have a rare beauty! Understand?” Caroline nodded and loosened herself from Heather’s embrace and rummaged her bag for some tissues. While she wiped her tears off, Heather suddenly thought of one thing, “Caroline, how about dumping Amadeus and then, I would be all about supporting and coming with you on a journey to a past with that time machine?” suggested Heather which made Caroline somewhat petrified to hear her cousin talked like this.
Caroline grabbed the chance, the bargain. A bargain which obviously sounded that everything was for her.
“No more crying please.”
“Sure. Deal.”
Just in time, they arrived at the bus station near their place and got off the bus and walked their way to home. As they reached home, Heather sped up to her room. She changed her clothes and directly went to the kitchen to cook and prepare dinner while Caroline sat in front of the computer in her own room and continued working with their thesis. Some minutes later, the telephone in the sitting room rang. It might had been Ruth calling.
“Will you get the phone Carol?” shouted Heather as she was breading the chicken for frying.
“I’ll get it!” shouted back Caroline as she clicked the word ‘ENTER’ on a website called, ‘Ancient Egypt and Artefacts’ and stood up and walked through the door then to the sitting room.
“Hello. Adams Family. Caroline speaking, how may I help you?” answered Caroline smartly though it seemed memorized long ago. Probably, Uncle John taught her and Heather how to answer properly on the phone since Uncle John had many friends, clients and co-workers who called at home.
“Can I talk to you?! Its me Ruth Dickens!”
“My pleasure honey-bee. So! Howsitgoin?”
“Great! Paul says, its gonna be fine!..we can use it!”
“Oh yea..i like the sound of it. Remarkable indeed!”
“How’s Heather’s reaction to this? And hey Carol, about us, going to the past..mark it!..it will be tomorrow in the afternoon, twelve sharp!”
“What???!!! Are you serious?..or you are just trying to elevate my excitement?” laughed Caroline. “By the way, about Heather, she says she is fine with it. We made a deal that’s why about Amadeus. She will come with us if I will dump him. Course I will dump him with no regrets! I want Heather with this adventure!” she added cheerfully.
“A couple of good news as well for me. Thank you. Where’s Heather now? What is she doing?”
“We have just arrived home about fifteen minutes ago and she’s preparing dinner while I continue working on the introduction of our thesis.”
“Both of you do not have classes tomorrow and on Thursdays right?”
“Yes..so do you.” Smiled Caroline even if Ruth wasn’t seeing her.
“Everything is finalized then? But do come here earlier before twelve..I would love to prepare something delicious for breakfast.”
“Sure Ruth. Ok? I’ll just relay everything we’ve talked about to Heather.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow. Bye.”
“Thank you for your call. Bye.”
Just when Caroline hung up, Heather was there at the sitting room standing on the back of a red couch, her arms and hands resting on it.
“It was Ruth right?” asked Heather. “Heard you say her name.”
Caroline nodded. She said everything to her what they had talked about. Also told her that they had to pack things, things that they would be needing and and she told Heather how grateful she was to have her as a cousin and a sister. Heather cooked fried chicken and they reheated some paella on the microwave which their Grandmother made yesterday. They ate their dinner hastily probably because of the excitement that was inside them of packing things as if going on a long holiday.
“Where’s granny by the way?” asked Heather to Caroline while they were inside Caroline’s room as Heather checked the introduction to their thesis which Caroline was revising since Ruth’s computer was accidentally formatted by Paul without even asking his sister if there were important things on the computer. More to that, they did not have any back-up copies so that they had to revise it again and this time it was Caroline who volunteered in writing the introduction.
“She’s already sleeping. She left her door ajar..and I had to close it cus’ her snoring irritates me so much!”
“Oh ok. Caroline I was just wondering, you see..as you say, we are going to the past, and I believe it will be in the time of Pharaoh Amenhotep III right?”
“Yes. Exactly..What is it you are thinking about?”
“Isn’t it a fact in the history that he had two sons?..including the second to the eldest..you know, Amenhotep IV?..”
Caroline opened her mouth a little, probably wanted to say something and then she closed it again. She was staring into the lilac walls of her bedroom. Until, she spoke again.
“Heather, are you thinking what I am thinking?” asked Caroline now with a changed of facial expression. An eyebrow raised and a seductive smile which looked more seductive because of her mediterrasian ebony eyes.
“Oh yeah if it works Carol..and believe me, I would love to put my head on the shoulder of a prince!” Heather was now smiling the same way like Caroline.
“Wait a minute, do you think we could have the chance to witness how did the eldest son of Amenhotep III, Thutmosis V, really die? Asked Caroline curiously.
“Crossed-fingers!” exclaimed Heather as she gave Caroline the gesture for it. “It would make a big break for us if we could see it. Besides, in my opinion, the 18th Dynasty was the most interesting and wonderful era in Ancient Egypt.” She added.
When they had finished packing all the things they were going to take with them on a rucksack, Heather went to her own bedroom and they slept dreamlessly.
When next day came, Caroline found Heather sitting in the kitchen with their granny and uncle. They were having their breakfast while Heather was just plainly drinking tea since they would be having their breakfast at Ruth’s place.
“Good morning everyone...Good morning Wednesday.” muttered Caroline sleepily.
“Oh dear, why did you wake up? You are still sleepy I think..go back to sleep if you want, isn’t it your holiday today?” suggested and asked Granny as she wiped tea residue on her lips with a napkin.
“No, I dun wanna sleep anymore..I always get the feeling that if I oversleep I will experience slight headache again.” She sat next to Heather who was already sipping her second cup of tea.
“So how are you Uncle John, didn’t get to see you last night. What time did you come home?” asked Caroline as she tried to open her eyes wider.
“I came home pretty late cus’ I had to talk to a French Egyptologist in London and I waited for him since he’s organizing something of an excavation in Memphis. Late maybe, but I made a very good negotiation with the man! Actually, tomorrow I will have my flight to Egypt. I must leave for tomorrow –
“Aha! So that means Old Mandy and her cat Dolly can come here and stay with me since you are heading in Egypt and these girls I believe are going somewhere else..they never bothered to stay here during their holidays every week.” Demanded Granny smartly.
Uncle John found this very annoying and dirty. A cat inside his house! He never wanted an animal inside his house. Although everytime he complained about his mother’s friend’s cat, his mother would always defended, ‘A cat is a sacred animal in ancient Egypt!..You are an Egyptologist yourself!’
“Alright.” Sighed Uncle John plainly. A silence was formed and with a couple of sips from Heather on her tea cup. Suddenly, Uncle John barked, “But please mother! Do not let the cat wander around the house! The last time your friend and the cat –
“They have names! Mandy and Dolly!”
“Oh whatever their names are mother! I saw a cat’s dung on the doormat of my bedroom! It was so disgusting!”
“For pity’s sake will you snap out of it as disgusting! That cat’s dung served as a good luck for you! You see, now you are having a new excavation with that Frenchman you say.” Snapped Granny.
“Oh please cut it down! Will you please stop talking about that dung thing! I’m spreading marmalade here!!!” yelled Caroline irritably. While Heather laughed and choked by the tea she was sipping. Everyone laughed and after cleaning off the table, Uncle John set off to his 1975 Ford Mustang yellow car, said he would be meeting the Frenchman again to sign some papers about their negotiation. While their grandmother went to the veranda and started talking on the their wireless phone to Old Mandy, telling her she could stay at home for tomorrow and the following days til her son come back from Egypt. And as for the girls, they headed straight into their own bedrooms, made sure everything were fine and everything packed. Caroline checked the time on her silver-plated wristwatch and said to herself, “We still have an hour and half..I can still manage a shower.” She took her shower while Heather had already done it early morning before sitting with their grandmother and uncle. After an hour passed, Caroline called Heather on her bedroom phone and told her to check what was their grandmother doing outside the veranda and if she was still sitting there. Since the main door, and the main gate was located there.
“Carol! As if you dunno granny! She can stay forever in the veranda if she wants to! I say, we can go out through the back door! At the pantry. We can take our things there and stock it at the boot of the car and of course you drive, I dunno how to drive. Why dun you take the car out of the garage and make it ready at the backyard.”
When everything was ready, the rucksack, the car and themselves, Caroline drove and stopped for awhile in front of the veranda to bade goodbye to their grandmother. “We’ll see you later beautiful Estelle..say hi to Old Mandy from us alright?”
“Alright girls..be safe. Will you be here for dinner or not? Because I plan to make tortilla tonight with some hot, chilli ground meat.”
“Oh...hot!” Heather breathed gesturing her hand like she just ate her grandmother’s chilli tortilla. They said goodbye to her with a single wave of a hand and flying kiss and strode off to Ruth’s house.
Driving their other 1975 Ford Mustang pink car which was white as its original color, Caroline wearing a huge silver white wire-rimmed sun specs which made her looked like a honey-bee, whistling, as the wind touched her hair as it flapped continuously. She seemed rollicking good about the unusual activity they were going to do. On the other hand, Heather was putting some hair cuticle coat on her flaming red curly hair to add extra shine and to make it appear as silky smooth. Which apparently, Caroline noticed and teased Heather that she had not seen her putting cuticle coat on her hair for ages until that time.
“...you just don’t see me putting that’s why..and besides, we are not in the same room!” Heather argued.
“I know...I’m just shaking you a bit.” Smiled Caroline.
They just reached a Y intersection and Caroline made a left turn to Dandelion Road which led to Ruth’s house. It was slightly gloomy road probably because of the effect given by thick trunks and leaves of the oak, horse-chestnut, maple trees around. At the end of the road there was a right turn which shown a beautiful bricked manor house. Some parts of the manor-exterior covered with grapevines that grown naturally around it. Caroline pressed the horn of the car to signalize Ruth that they had arrived. A girl with long wavy tawny hair and heart-shaped face peered on the second to the left window of the house and quickly covered back the beige curtain as if she saw whom she had been waiting for.
Caroline was a twenty year old young woman and orphaned by the age of nine. She barely talked about her parents mishappenings. Though, she was not alone. Her cousin Heather was also an orphan, lost her parents by a crime at the age of seven. Since both of them lost their parents at a very unripe age, they started living with their Uncle Rothford John in Hertfordshire in his very own though inherited Victorian house from his grandfather Sir Rothgang Dwaine Adams where anyway, both of the girls were born. It wasn’t after all moving into a different place since they knew the place very well. Besides, their Grandmother Estelle was also living with them. Naturally, they inherited the very old interest that ran into their family’s blood. Their undying love for Egypt. Its ancient ruins, artefacts, mysteries, mummies and its history. Uncle John would always say that they had the blood of the very first Egyptologist set on record in the history, Napoleon Bonaparte but that of course was just a self-acclaimed concept.
After some ten minutes of boresome waiting, a girl with a prominent and natural red long curly hair was visibly walking towards Caroline’s direction.
“What took you so long?” asked Caroline hotly with her arms crossed and folded on her chest.
Heather didn’t answer straight away but helped herself first of putting down her floral shoulder bag and sat. “Well Carol, I went first to the library and I found this.” Heather was giving something to Caroline which obviously looked like pages from books that had been photo-copied. Caroline wasn’t actually reading what the information on the paper were. She was merely scanning the pages and stopped as Heather asked her again “So, whatcha think? Star guides indeed eh?”
Caroline nodded and gave her a big grin like of a clown with thick lipstick on the mouth to exaggerate the grin. “What’s with that stupid grin? Is there something that I need to know?” asked Heather with one eye brow raised.
“Yep my girl, you are uninformed of something special, something outrageous!” cheered Caroline.
“Outrageous?” Heather repeated the word unbelievably.
Caroline nodded with eagerness but didn’t spill the beans yet. “Well, there would be no point of you telling me that there is something outrageous out there, where ever or whatever it is if you are not gonna tell me and you just keep on nodding, indeed?” added Heather almost likely wanted to start an argument since she was very known to get angry easily.
“ok Ms. Flame! I’m just trying to keep you interested and wondering if you will make some guesses!” barked Caroline as she loosened her artificially planned facial expressions which made Heather’s temper a little warm. “See, Ruth. Her brother Paul, made, built...factually, invented something like let’s say, something which can take us to the past, and not just any past but.. a past which is related to the topic of our thesis in our career. Do you read me Heath?” Her violet eyes on Heather’s own green eyes checking of some surprise that would come out of it.
“You mean to say, like a time machine?, isn’t it?” Heather responded as she was pondering what her cousin just told her.
“Precisely!” Caroline agreed.
“So how do this thing work? I mean is it safe, or is Ruth’s brother a hundred percent sure that this thing you are saying won’t fail in the process of usage?” asked Heather curiously. Obviously, She did not want to believe anything about it.
“I dunno anything about it internally for now..that’s why I am expecting a call from Ruth by eight tonight.” admitted Caroline. Caroline found small traces of fright from her cousin’s face when she gave a weak answer to her. “Look Heath, I know you are scared about it, and maybe you are also scared of the interest I give in this thing. But I assure you, I will not risk, not a single strand of my beautiful black hair if I am not sure that this thing will work perfectly. Ok? Don’t give me that face! We will be together with this, and besides if something bad happens to me, it will happen to you too.” Both of them laughed and Caroline stood up and gestured Heather to go home.
As they rode the double-decker bus, they found seats on the upper deck at the last row and they were talking of things which weren’t related to studies and school.
“..What does he think about himself anyway?..he is not the right guy for you Carol. Believe me.”
“Oh I dunno, You know we’ve been having this relationship for two years already..It’s just that if I will be the one to break it, I will probably start to feel guilty!”
“I think you are guilty and you are stupid. Don’t feel pity to a guy who snogs other girls while you are not looking! Caroline! Wake up lass! You are too beautiful for that German shepherd dog, Amadeus!” Caroline laughed as Heather barked and gestured her arms like a scare tree. And for some reason, Caroline was almost close to tears. Heather’s mad face for a Caroline who doesn’t use her head properly when it came to love suddenly disappeared and changed into an understanding, angelic face. She hugged her and caressed her back and whispered to her, “I don’t want to see you hurt girl, you are the only one I have, you are a sister to me. About Amadeus, dump him. If I were you, dump him. He do not deserve a girl like you who have a rare beauty! Understand?” Caroline nodded and loosened herself from Heather’s embrace and rummaged her bag for some tissues. While she wiped her tears off, Heather suddenly thought of one thing, “Caroline, how about dumping Amadeus and then, I would be all about supporting and coming with you on a journey to a past with that time machine?” suggested Heather which made Caroline somewhat petrified to hear her cousin talked like this.
Caroline grabbed the chance, the bargain. A bargain which obviously sounded that everything was for her.
“No more crying please.”
“Sure. Deal.”
Just in time, they arrived at the bus station near their place and got off the bus and walked their way to home. As they reached home, Heather sped up to her room. She changed her clothes and directly went to the kitchen to cook and prepare dinner while Caroline sat in front of the computer in her own room and continued working with their thesis. Some minutes later, the telephone in the sitting room rang. It might had been Ruth calling.
“Will you get the phone Carol?” shouted Heather as she was breading the chicken for frying.
“I’ll get it!” shouted back Caroline as she clicked the word ‘ENTER’ on a website called, ‘Ancient Egypt and Artefacts’ and stood up and walked through the door then to the sitting room.
“Hello. Adams Family. Caroline speaking, how may I help you?” answered Caroline smartly though it seemed memorized long ago. Probably, Uncle John taught her and Heather how to answer properly on the phone since Uncle John had many friends, clients and co-workers who called at home.
“Can I talk to you?! Its me Ruth Dickens!”
“My pleasure honey-bee. So! Howsitgoin?”
“Great! Paul says, its gonna be fine!..we can use it!”
“Oh yea..i like the sound of it. Remarkable indeed!”
“How’s Heather’s reaction to this? And hey Carol, about us, going to the past..mark it!..it will be tomorrow in the afternoon, twelve sharp!”
“What???!!! Are you serious?..or you are just trying to elevate my excitement?” laughed Caroline. “By the way, about Heather, she says she is fine with it. We made a deal that’s why about Amadeus. She will come with us if I will dump him. Course I will dump him with no regrets! I want Heather with this adventure!” she added cheerfully.
“A couple of good news as well for me. Thank you. Where’s Heather now? What is she doing?”
“We have just arrived home about fifteen minutes ago and she’s preparing dinner while I continue working on the introduction of our thesis.”
“Both of you do not have classes tomorrow and on Thursdays right?”
“Yes..so do you.” Smiled Caroline even if Ruth wasn’t seeing her.
“Everything is finalized then? But do come here earlier before twelve..I would love to prepare something delicious for breakfast.”
“Sure Ruth. Ok? I’ll just relay everything we’ve talked about to Heather.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow. Bye.”
“Thank you for your call. Bye.”
Just when Caroline hung up, Heather was there at the sitting room standing on the back of a red couch, her arms and hands resting on it.
“It was Ruth right?” asked Heather. “Heard you say her name.”
Caroline nodded. She said everything to her what they had talked about. Also told her that they had to pack things, things that they would be needing and and she told Heather how grateful she was to have her as a cousin and a sister. Heather cooked fried chicken and they reheated some paella on the microwave which their Grandmother made yesterday. They ate their dinner hastily probably because of the excitement that was inside them of packing things as if going on a long holiday.
“Where’s granny by the way?” asked Heather to Caroline while they were inside Caroline’s room as Heather checked the introduction to their thesis which Caroline was revising since Ruth’s computer was accidentally formatted by Paul without even asking his sister if there were important things on the computer. More to that, they did not have any back-up copies so that they had to revise it again and this time it was Caroline who volunteered in writing the introduction.
“She’s already sleeping. She left her door ajar..and I had to close it cus’ her snoring irritates me so much!”
“Oh ok. Caroline I was just wondering, you see..as you say, we are going to the past, and I believe it will be in the time of Pharaoh Amenhotep III right?”
“Yes. Exactly..What is it you are thinking about?”
“Isn’t it a fact in the history that he had two sons?..including the second to the eldest..you know, Amenhotep IV?..”
Caroline opened her mouth a little, probably wanted to say something and then she closed it again. She was staring into the lilac walls of her bedroom. Until, she spoke again.
“Heather, are you thinking what I am thinking?” asked Caroline now with a changed of facial expression. An eyebrow raised and a seductive smile which looked more seductive because of her mediterrasian ebony eyes.
“Oh yeah if it works Carol..and believe me, I would love to put my head on the shoulder of a prince!” Heather was now smiling the same way like Caroline.
“Wait a minute, do you think we could have the chance to witness how did the eldest son of Amenhotep III, Thutmosis V, really die? Asked Caroline curiously.
“Crossed-fingers!” exclaimed Heather as she gave Caroline the gesture for it. “It would make a big break for us if we could see it. Besides, in my opinion, the 18th Dynasty was the most interesting and wonderful era in Ancient Egypt.” She added.
When they had finished packing all the things they were going to take with them on a rucksack, Heather went to her own bedroom and they slept dreamlessly.
When next day came, Caroline found Heather sitting in the kitchen with their granny and uncle. They were having their breakfast while Heather was just plainly drinking tea since they would be having their breakfast at Ruth’s place.
“Good morning everyone...Good morning Wednesday.” muttered Caroline sleepily.
“Oh dear, why did you wake up? You are still sleepy I think..go back to sleep if you want, isn’t it your holiday today?” suggested and asked Granny as she wiped tea residue on her lips with a napkin.
“No, I dun wanna sleep anymore..I always get the feeling that if I oversleep I will experience slight headache again.” She sat next to Heather who was already sipping her second cup of tea.
“So how are you Uncle John, didn’t get to see you last night. What time did you come home?” asked Caroline as she tried to open her eyes wider.
“I came home pretty late cus’ I had to talk to a French Egyptologist in London and I waited for him since he’s organizing something of an excavation in Memphis. Late maybe, but I made a very good negotiation with the man! Actually, tomorrow I will have my flight to Egypt. I must leave for tomorrow –
“Aha! So that means Old Mandy and her cat Dolly can come here and stay with me since you are heading in Egypt and these girls I believe are going somewhere else..they never bothered to stay here during their holidays every week.” Demanded Granny smartly.
Uncle John found this very annoying and dirty. A cat inside his house! He never wanted an animal inside his house. Although everytime he complained about his mother’s friend’s cat, his mother would always defended, ‘A cat is a sacred animal in ancient Egypt!..You are an Egyptologist yourself!’
“Alright.” Sighed Uncle John plainly. A silence was formed and with a couple of sips from Heather on her tea cup. Suddenly, Uncle John barked, “But please mother! Do not let the cat wander around the house! The last time your friend and the cat –
“They have names! Mandy and Dolly!”
“Oh whatever their names are mother! I saw a cat’s dung on the doormat of my bedroom! It was so disgusting!”
“For pity’s sake will you snap out of it as disgusting! That cat’s dung served as a good luck for you! You see, now you are having a new excavation with that Frenchman you say.” Snapped Granny.
“Oh please cut it down! Will you please stop talking about that dung thing! I’m spreading marmalade here!!!” yelled Caroline irritably. While Heather laughed and choked by the tea she was sipping. Everyone laughed and after cleaning off the table, Uncle John set off to his 1975 Ford Mustang yellow car, said he would be meeting the Frenchman again to sign some papers about their negotiation. While their grandmother went to the veranda and started talking on the their wireless phone to Old Mandy, telling her she could stay at home for tomorrow and the following days til her son come back from Egypt. And as for the girls, they headed straight into their own bedrooms, made sure everything were fine and everything packed. Caroline checked the time on her silver-plated wristwatch and said to herself, “We still have an hour and half..I can still manage a shower.” She took her shower while Heather had already done it early morning before sitting with their grandmother and uncle. After an hour passed, Caroline called Heather on her bedroom phone and told her to check what was their grandmother doing outside the veranda and if she was still sitting there. Since the main door, and the main gate was located there.
“Carol! As if you dunno granny! She can stay forever in the veranda if she wants to! I say, we can go out through the back door! At the pantry. We can take our things there and stock it at the boot of the car and of course you drive, I dunno how to drive. Why dun you take the car out of the garage and make it ready at the backyard.”
When everything was ready, the rucksack, the car and themselves, Caroline drove and stopped for awhile in front of the veranda to bade goodbye to their grandmother. “We’ll see you later beautiful Estelle..say hi to Old Mandy from us alright?”
“Alright girls..be safe. Will you be here for dinner or not? Because I plan to make tortilla tonight with some hot, chilli ground meat.”
“Oh...hot!” Heather breathed gesturing her hand like she just ate her grandmother’s chilli tortilla. They said goodbye to her with a single wave of a hand and flying kiss and strode off to Ruth’s house.
Driving their other 1975 Ford Mustang pink car which was white as its original color, Caroline wearing a huge silver white wire-rimmed sun specs which made her looked like a honey-bee, whistling, as the wind touched her hair as it flapped continuously. She seemed rollicking good about the unusual activity they were going to do. On the other hand, Heather was putting some hair cuticle coat on her flaming red curly hair to add extra shine and to make it appear as silky smooth. Which apparently, Caroline noticed and teased Heather that she had not seen her putting cuticle coat on her hair for ages until that time.
“...you just don’t see me putting that’s why..and besides, we are not in the same room!” Heather argued.
“I know...I’m just shaking you a bit.” Smiled Caroline.
They just reached a Y intersection and Caroline made a left turn to Dandelion Road which led to Ruth’s house. It was slightly gloomy road probably because of the effect given by thick trunks and leaves of the oak, horse-chestnut, maple trees around. At the end of the road there was a right turn which shown a beautiful bricked manor house. Some parts of the manor-exterior covered with grapevines that grown naturally around it. Caroline pressed the horn of the car to signalize Ruth that they had arrived. A girl with long wavy tawny hair and heart-shaped face peered on the second to the left window of the house and quickly covered back the beige curtain as if she saw whom she had been waiting for.
Friday, April 10, 2009
My Queen & My Cherub
My Queen, my mother Norma. My Cherub. You gave me wings to fly up so high! I adore you.
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