Part I: Chapter 3
1668 Words
«What are we searching for?» I asked, running behind the woman who was opening every closed door in the mansion.
«Anything that will help us travel back in time» she replied with the obvious answer, implementing that daddy Time would store something of the sort tucked in a closet! That place was becoming even crazier every time we checked behind another door. There was a storage room full of broken clocks and watches, left in there in a messy state- yet, they were not thrown away. An elaborate railing door was leading to the maintenance room. Filled with gears and rails, I imagined it was connected to the Grand Telescope, all the way to the observatory’s roof. A trap square door, what I thought would be a cellar, was actually a portal giving on to the interior of an unimaginably enormous hourglass! Starring from what would be perceived as the ceiling of this made-up world, we could watch statues crafted of hard glass emerging as the white sand sunk into the hourglass’s other side. I couldn’t see them clearly enough, but I believe I saw the statue of a temple, located on a small island, entrapped in the sand, and even a small squid, barely visible from where we were standing.
«Opening random doors like that could put us in danger» I stated in fear. Priscilla didn’t listen to a word I said, feeling all stressed up from her responsibility to save the world again.
«There must be a way! Why else would we be here in the first place?» she argued, busting through yet another double door. On the other side of it, we discovered two human-sized toy clock birds, cuddling in front of a fireplace. Their fake, lifeless eyes met with ours as we stood there awkwardly. Judging from their imminent march towards us, I’d say they didn’t enjoy our company. I noticed that their beaks and claws were made a tad too realistic for toys! The witch pulled the door shut, yelling: “Spellbinding circle” and locking it tightly with a star-shaped sigil!
«I’m not getting any closer to dying today» I informed her, still shaking from the surprising attack! I stood by her wolf, cowering near him, letting my survival instincts to take control of me.
«There should be more efficient ways to find what we need» she decided, opening her book of spells.
«You could have tried that sooner» I scolded her.
«Spells from inside the book require more energy. I was hoping to get lucky» she said in all seriousness. Moments like those made me question her intelligence.
«I call you all who are forgotten.
People abandoned, souls with no essence.
You, who are damned come near, approach me.
Gather around me reveal your presence.
From unsealed tombs and cemeteries,
From alleys of murder and valleys with no trees,
From graves without inscribed names,
I call the People of Abyss!».
Closing her eyes, Priscilla prayed to receive aid from the Shadow People, the lost remnants of souls, the wanderers without a destination. That was the first time I ever saw her using Neraya’s real strength and I could sense the Witch of shadows’ presence in her aura, even with my underdeveloped senses. The black figures appeared within seconds after her prayer, crawling out of the floor or falling from the ceiling, kneeling in front of the one who summoned them. Men, women, and kids, the shadows came in all heights and shapes. They had no faces, no hair, no other characteristics for one to tell them apart except for their measurements. Made out of solidified darkness, her subjects waited for her instructions silently.
«People of Abyss, I ask of you. Find me a way to travel back in time without the help of Chronos. Gather when I call you if you have found something of use to me» she commanded, making her intentions clear. Moving secretly, like ghosts, the Shadow people scattered around the observatory. Hiding in the dark-colored patterns of the floor or becoming invisible under the furniture’s curves, like pests, they infected the god’s mansion.
After sending the shadows to do her bidding, Priscilla continued with her picky habits. I, myself, kept my distance from her, unnecessarily though, since our small exploration led us to safer places that time around. We found ourselves in a dining room, lighted by candles, spacious enough to host at least twenty to thirty people. Dinner was served in porcelain plates, decorated with images of natural landscapes, along with glasses full of red, velvet wine. Fish, bread, beans, and rice were put inside big bowls, steaming, still warm, filling the room with their delinquent smell!
My mouth was watering and my stomach was growling, and I hoped so badly that she’d suggest stopping and grabbing a bite! «Could we..?».
«He didn’t give us his permission» the witch interrupted me, passing by all the delicious food without giving a second thought to it. «I call you near, people of Abyss. Tell me of your insight» she sang. The shadow people gathered around us once more, fewer than before, still in all sizes- and none of them gave a damn about the food either! As she was communing with them, I saw Alexander looking at the table, ready to burst into tears! He looked at me with blurry eyes, like I could do something about it! “b***h, I ain’t stealing food for you!”.
«We’re going» she ordered, leaving us without any choice.
«Shouldn’t we at least feed the wolf? He’s starving!» I suggested, mostly to be in Alexander’s good list. I’d hate it if we were to survive this place only to be his chewing toy later!
«Don’t pity him, he’ll endure it. He found himself in that state exactly because he couldn’t control his urges» she said sardonically. Alexander greeted his teeth angrily, tolerating his mistress’ punishments. I couldn’t really blame him though, this witch made me wanna bounce hard, too! That will make more sense to you later, heh.
Following the shadow people around the mansion, I noticed an undergoing theme in the paintings and trinkets decorating the house. The image of a different shaped planet, in the form of an alien crowned head or a castle with walls shaped like a pointing belt or an arrow facing down with a tree growing on top of it... Well, I don’t really remember it all that well, but it was portrayed everywhere! Whatever its shape was, the planet had white color and had no stars surrounding it. It could be made of stone or covered by snow- or any other white substances, like sugar or, perhaps, salt? That planet’s landscapes or oceans were the main themes of many paintings in Father Time’s house or it would appear in the background, taking the role of the sun or the moon.
«We’re here» Priscilla informed us when arrived on the observatory’s balcony. Right on the opposite side of the entrance, a vast garden extended out of the time mansion. Through the crystal walls, that were transparent at that point, we could see the view of the emptiness that was hovering above it. A totally darkened sky, void of light but also deep, like it could go on forever! In the garden, there was a circular dance floor, paved with worn-out symbols that one could no longer make out. A young girl, seemingly about my age, was dancing inside the circle, under the guidance of an older woman. Eleven more girls were watching her` some of them while resting from their dance and others waiting for their time to come.
Priscilla went out of the garden door, carefully walking towards the girls. The young ladies were all lovely, slim, and tender. They wore blue or black uniforms that looked somewhat like those used by human girls in ballet. Now, I never had a girlfriend in that lifetime, but Helen, the girl I liked was taking ballet lessons. I guess the clothes had some kind of effect on me, so I stayed back with Alexander who had kept a grudge against the witch for not feeding him.
«Hi! I’m sorry for interrupting your performance but, would mind telling me what you’re doing?» the witch whispered, near one of the girls’ ears. The girls were giving us dubious glares but made no attempt to charge at us so I didn’t feel any threatened.
«Madam Frederica is inspecting our steps as we go through her choreography» the sweet girl explained.
«Could I distract her for a minute?» the witch asked again.
«A minute would do no harm but, I think it would take you much more than that. We need her to check on us until Miss Satyra arrives» answered the girl with honesty.
«I think I understand. I’m Priscilla. What’s your name?». «I’m Nene!».
The daughters of Chronos were the women responsible for the passing of time. They were known by many names, but I only remember them by the names they used the day I met them. The Hours were twelve: Unna, Dua, Theris, Tasha, Fovea, Oxia, Savinna, Etna, Nene, Tania, Elaina, and Twilla. Each of them was assigned to oversee the passage of two hours every day. Their tutors were the Days: Mandy, Teddy, Wendy, Teresa, Frederica, Satyra, and Sandy. They watched over the passing of a day-night circle. To keep the time running, Days needed the help of Hours to perform the choreography spells, which corresponded for every day of the week. The Hours needed to perform their dance non-stop alternately, like a part-time job!
- Writer
