Arthur Turner and the Elevator Of Time

Marion In Venice

C h a p t e r F o u r ~ Marion In Venice

Arthur was not doing so well himself. He was looking desperately for

Marion, though she was nowhere he could see. He would stop at nothing to

find her. He wouldn't even stop to look at the gates as Marion had. He looked

everywhere. Behind every corner, every empty place of darkness, anywhere

she just might be, but with nothing to show for. Of course, as Arthur scanned

the long row of gates, he knew that he would never reach the end until a long

amount of time had passed, and it was the longest wait he had ever known.

However, Arthur would have continued on, for what would have never

ended, searching in vain for her. But he knew that she could have only gone

just a moment farther than he was already. So he changed directions and

went the other way. This, however, did nothing better for him. He couldn't

even hear her voice. It was strange, just a moment ago they were calling out

to each other and now, she was gone. Arthur couldn't help but think for a

moment that she had deserted him. He had no real reason to think this, but he

still worried. Every possible explanation he thought of, though ending up

nowhere. Arthur was in panic. He had never been so scared in his life. His

heart raced like it never had, the thought of losing her like this was the worst

possible thing that could ever happen.

“Marion!!!!” Arthur started calling for her again. He knew she wouldn't

respond, but since he was so desperate, that was all he did for the next hour.

Calling her at literally every moment, never stopping for more than a breath.

His determination was burning inside of him. So much so that he would have

done this too, forever and ever, but he knew that he could find her eventually,

she had to be somewhere, and calling out to her would not help. All it would

do was stress him until he broke, and therefore he would not find her. So he

stopped, finally.

“Marion.” He whispered, out of breath.

Arthur felt tears rolling down his face, and he began sobbing. He had been

holding it back for so long, and now it was too much.

“I can't do this without you.” He said. Arthur fell down to the ground and

leaned against a gate. His face fell into his hands.

Arthur wept there for longer than he knew. He didn't have the strength to get

up. He felt broken, and everything around him was sorrow. Arthur then, for

the first time in a while, felt again the weakness he had so often felt, come

over him. This time Arthur was determined to get up and find her, to fight off

the feeling. But before he knew it, his eyes were closed and he was asleep

once more.

Marion, was still waiting for Arthur, believing he had just fallen behind, but

would find her soon. Though inside, she felt a strange something telling her

something had gone wrong and he wasn't looking for her. This was what

made her decide, after nearly half an hour, that perhaps she needed to look

for him.So instead of waiting for as long as she might have, she got up.

“If Arthur is anywhere, perhaps he went through one of these gates. If there

are any wherever he is." Marion looked through them, to see what lay

behind. All she could see was the long plain, and the beautiful dawning sun

rising up from behind the horizon.

The next gate she looked through, showed the same thing. The third gate,

also was the same. So was the fourth, the fifth and sixth, and Marion stopped

there. Clearly there was nothing beyond the gate. But perhaps Arthur was.

Perhaps. The next gate she saw, was opened just a crack. This made Marion

believe for a short moment that it was Arthur.

“Arthur?” Marion yelled, clenching her hands on the gate and looking out.

“Arthur!” Marion let go.

"Of….kness…..…sing….....” Marion heard a voice, very distant, say these

mumbled words.

“Arthur! Is that you?”

"Is it TIME? Don't do it Marion!"

“Arthur! Yes, its me Marion! I'm coming Arthur!”

“Come hear the music!”

“What?” There was no response.

“What music, Arthur?” Still nothing.

“Arthur?”

“Arthur?”

“The music is beyond the gate!” They said.

“Arthur, what music?” Marion said, as if talking to a child, who didn't

understand something. Marion felt like Arthur had nearly gone crazy by the

way he was speaking.

“Don't let fear be your company. She is not where the music plays.” A small 1

laugh, was the last thing she heard.

“Arthur!” Marion was scared. He wasn't responding or answering anything

she said to him.

“Arthur! Please respond!” Marion waited there for just a while longer, in

case he was still there. But he said nothing. She heard nothing. So then, she

made up her mind to pass through the gate. Marion was scared. The air was

filled with the lonely feeling of darkness.

The gate, she found, opened only by a lock that she found binding both sides

together. It was a round, with many numbers all in a circle. There were 6

rows of these, growing smaller as they winded down to the center.

Marion, having no idea how to work it, turned it once. It reached the mark,

45.4408~ Neleye 12.3155~ Ae

Fear, when she is transformed into Physical form and goes back in 8me to kill Arthur

1

slowly, and death catches up to him only in the last book.

There was a click. Marion waited hopefully, surprised that it seemed to have

worked. And then the lock split in half unevenly and the doors opened.

Marion reluctantly walked through, still fearing what might happen. But then

that fear left, the moment she was past the gate. Instead of what she had first

seen there, she found herself walking along a stone road with walls on either

side of her, covered in leaves.

As she walked further, she saw a road. Cars drove back and forth, people

walked in either direction. There were lines of houses on both sides and

directly in front of her.

The wind was chilly, it blew across her face giving her great relief from the

gloomy place she had just left behind.

“Where am I? What is this junk yard?” She said to herself. Indeed it was a

junk yard. At least it looked that way. There were trash cans, and deserted

buildings, and cars broken down, with graffiti written on them from top to

bottom.

That was the dirty side of it however.

Marion walked a few paces ahead, and now could see it was a street. A

normal street. The people she saw were not at all dirty looking, or unusual at

all. There were normal people. The only thing strange about them was the

way they looked. The first lady she saw, was tall, and strangely thin. She

wore a white hat that was crooked, and lay flat on the left side of her head.

Her hair was in a bun, and she wore a black dress that went past her knees

and was far too tight and brown, paired with pointy gloves. Her heels made

her look even taller, and she grasped a leash with a brown haired dog at the

end of it. She looked like a very refined woman. But she was different.

Somehow, she just did not fit.

The lady, walked from her door, and down her steps. Marion followed her as

she continued walking down the street. She had a quite serious look on her

face. Almost as if she somehow had bad intentions. But then Marion could

no longer see her as she turned right and disappeared behind a corner. She

was out of sight. Marion quickened her pace and turned right as well, only to

find she had no hope of finding her in the vast town she had just walked into

and the crowd that now blocked her view. Marion gasped as she saw now

where she was.

“Venice." Marion's jaw had dropped, and her eyes were stuck on the

beautiful sight. It was nearly the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She

was standing there, quite near a bridge, that stood just over a beautiful canal,

with small boats that we're docked there, and ships of all different sizes

floated on the water. There were lights everywhere. Houses lined up on either

side, lasting as far as she could see. The colors of each house, were

fascinating. Each one different, but together they were a perfect sight. The

houses looked all cramped together, but each one was perfectly fit. The river

she saw, was also beautiful, it was a perfect blue, and the sun was just going

down, which made the canal even more wonderful. Marion stood there for a

long while.

“How did I end up in Venice?" Marion questioned with a laugh.

“And in the '50s.” Marion said, as she just then noticed all the people around

her were dressed just for that time. Marion was even more confused now.

“This is so strange.” Marion laughed again.

“I walked into a bank, I walked through a elevator, I opened a gate and ended

up in Venice in 1950.” Marion was quite amused by this. She didn't know

how to take it, but she was pleased. She was glad, as she knew now, the gate

had no danger.

“This is all great, but Arthur is gone. And now I have to find him.” Marion

scanned the vast area and sighed. She could see dimly what lay behind it.

Mountains, more mountains, and rivers, a long distance away.

“This is going to take a lot of work." Marion didn't have the slightest idea

where to start. In fact, she didn't even believe she could find him. But giving

up never crossed her mind. So, she began walking. Calling for him would be

comical and it would draw too much attention to herself. So she would have

to hope he ended up before her. Marion walked across the bridge without

stopping once to look at the things she normally would have looked at. She

missed much and many amazing things, and remembered even less where

she walked. She passed through many other canals. She ignored rivers, that

were most beautiful at that time of day, she didn't even notice the beautiful

museums, and opera houses and all kinds of historical sites she normally

would have wanted to see. For the next three hours, Marion searched without

stopping once, for Arthur. There wasn't one place she didn't look. Anywhere

she could get, go into, or see, she searched.

And of course, Arthur was nowhere.

“How did we get lost?” She said. Marion paused and sat down, miles from

where she had first been.

“Well, Arthur went out the window, and he fell. But then he was okay. I

thought I could help him get down so I went out the window just beside it. I

climbed out on those strange steps. Arthur called out to me. We agreed to get

down and meet each other on the last floor. I waited at the bottom but he

never appeared.” Marion had hoped there would be some explanation in

remembering what had happened, as to why he was gone. She was

disappointed, although, to find there was nothing. Marion felt very

depressed. She was lonely and lost. And a man she had only just met,

because of her, was now missing and possibly in danger.

Leaving him would be despicable. Staying there to look would be ridiculous

and straining. She was a complete stranger there. She felt empty inside. All

she wanted to do was fall asleep and wake in her bed and find later that it

was all a dream. That Mr. Turner was never lost, there was no elevator. It

was all normal life.

“No elevator.” She said, thinking. Marion’s head turned just slightly to the

left and nearly turned back when she noticed there was an elevator. An

elevator. Shoved into the wall of a building. Like it was standing out in the

street waiting for her. And in Venice!

“What on Earth?” She said. Marion stared at it longer to make sure it was

really there. It was!

“That's.......not normal."

Marion looked around to see if anyone else was noticing it. People walked

by, in fact there were many people who passed it. But no one said a word, or

even noticed the elevator.

Marion got up, and walked towards it. She could see now, that it was there, it

was real, and it was definitely not a normal looking elevator. Instead of the

buttons being on the inside, they were on the outside. And there, she saw,

was the strange looking button she remembered pressing. It seemed to have

been the button that lead them there. Perhaps it was. There was a strange

golden reflection that took hold of your mind, that seemed to ask you to

touch it.Every time, it was the same for Marion. She felt she must press it.

“Arthur.” Marion said. Perhaps, she thought, this was him. Maybe he knew

where she was and he had put that there for her to find him, or something of

the sort. Either way, Marion pressed it. Of course, if Marion had been

thinking properly, she would have first walked into the elevator so it wouldn't

leave without her inside. But neither was she thinking, and neither did the

elevator move an inch. All it did was open its doors. This time, instead of

sliding open, they opened up like normal doors, nearly hitting Marion in the

face. To the left, just inside, Marion saw a small black square that revealed a

five, then a four, then a three. The countdown had nearly reached zero, when

she realized the doors would close in just two seconds, so she entered and the

doors slammed behind her making her jump. Finally, she felt movement.

Very similar to the feeling she had when she first walked into the first

elevator. The sounds, were made as normal, as rapidly and noisily, but they

sounded different. Like a disorienting clang that rung in her ears. No, it was

different now, it was a whistle. A song. Then inside she felt a sweet and

terrifying voice that was too powerful to think of.

It sang these words;

Of darkness arrayed in gold I sing

A darkness too deep to bare

Not even the one who is called King

Could keep out this one so fair

They shall not be shown till dawn draws near

Nor be known till his time's run out

But piece by piece they shall appear

As many that some have cared about

You are now warned of the coming dark

Do not forget of what you now hear

For although it takes just one small spark

You may never escape your greatest fear

Marion had never been so scared in all her life. She felt like the voice was

warning her about something she never wished to know of. But still, she

thought and feared the voice greater than the words that were sung, not

knowing what she was missing by doing so.

There was nothing she heard after that. By then the elevator had stopped,

(after all, the elevator does travel quickly.) and the twang, she heard as the

doors opened to reveal what still looked like Venice. It was a more refined

place. Marion was now walking through a door way, that lead into a wide

circle of grass. Just near her, there was a large pond with water shooting up.

To her right, there was a giant, rich, building completely white and definitely

important by the looks of it. Every time she went from one place to another,

both completely different, and in just moments, she always felt quite strange.

Almost like jet lag, she recognized it more now. The elevator was a strange,

amazing thing. She hoped one day to find all it's secrets. But for now, all she

felt was fear. In fact she was shaking. That voice sent shivers running down

her spine. She now thought about the actual words they had said. She

couldn't remember perfectly, but it felt much like a warning, as it was. As if it

said, the place you are going, you may go, but beware you may regret it.

Marion had no intention of turning back. If Arthur was anywhere, he would

perhaps be where a flying elevator was. And maybe, the voice was nothing.

For now, Marion continued walking and found her way to the gate that boxed

the rich house in. There was a pillar there, with something written on it.

Marion leaned in to read;

'Palazzo Chigi, official residence of the Prime Minister of the Italian

Republic.'

Marion had not been expecting that. Politics were the last thing on her mind.

But why there? Why did the elevator always and only lead the most

irrelevant places?

"Now I'm in Rome." She said, almost laughing.

People walked about as normal, and just as she said, she was in Rome. It

confused her, someday perhaps, she would end up where the elevator wanted

her to be. And still, wherever she went, no Arthur.

Marion stepped back. There was nothing to do now. Nothing dangerous had

happened as the song sang, nothing different happened there than any other

place.

It was already dark out. The sun was gone, and the moon was all that was

there to light her way. It was a full moon, Marion smiled at its beauty.

Though it didn't light up the earth like the sun, it still kept the earth from

total darkness.

The clouds gathered around it, and then covered it slowly. Now it was dark.

Marion couldn't see. And even if she could, there would be no point. She had

made no progress, and now she might never get out of Rome. All she did was

collapse on the ground out of sight of people, just near the pool. Marion

suddenly found she was exhausted. He feet were barely able to move, and

she had given up internally and externally. Now all she could do was let

weariness take her, and sleep forced her eyes closed and she drifted off.

Nine hours later, Marion found herself in the midst of a crowd gathering near

her, just the next morning. She was quick to awake because she was now

even more determined and felt that today she could find Arthur. If he could

be lost, he could be found. But she wasn't going to be able to soon because of

the confusion that surrounded her. At first, she thought perhaps they were

there because of her. Seeing a young woman strangely dressed lying by a

pool in front of the house for the Prime Minister of Italy was not exactly

normal. That would have been quite awkward for Marion. But as she stood

up and dusted off her skirt, the crowd was gathering near the other side of the

pool. Their heads were ducked below looking at something, muttering

amongst themselves as to what it could be.

Marion's interest grew. Perhaps this was the danger.

Marion entered the crowd and made her way through, with a few nudges and

"Excuse me’s” stopping at the center where the crowd stopped.

On the ground was a young man, who reminded Marion of Toby judging by

his looks, who seemed to have fallen from a great hight, and now,was calling

for help. No one there helped him though, because no one could. Half his

body was emerged tightly under ground, while the other half was reaching

out slowly sinking the rest of the way. Marion was immediately in tears, as

she was naturally extremely emotional.

"Please, can no one help him?" She said.

"We called the guards, I don't know if they're coming, but otherwise there's

nothing we can do." A middle-aged, dark haired man, who looked nearly as

concerned as Marion, walked through the crowd to explain it. He was out of

breath, so Marion assumed he had been the one to ask for help. He had a

very thick, Italian accent, and she was grateful that he also knew English.

"We already tried pulling him out, the rocks only cut him when we did."

Marion had never felt more pity in all her life. Standing there watching a

man suffer was one of the hardest things she felt she could ever experience.

She couldn't do anything about it. How that man must have felt, she thought.

People gathered all around him watching him fall slowly, and faster and

faster getting closer to death.

"Per favore qualcuno!" He said.

(Please someone!)

His voice was much fainter now. His stomach was nearly submerged and he

was wincing with every word. He could barely even breath.

"Fare un passo undietro! Per favore a tutti,cancellare l'area!"

(Step aside! Please everyone, clear the area!)

A tall, dark haired, Mexican man dressed in black, with a name tag, looking

like security guard (as he was) walked up, and pushed through the crowd in

haste. Marion still could not take her eyes off the man.

"Scusami!"

(Excuse me!)

The Security Guard nudged Marion away, not meaning to be rude. He held a

rope in his hand, and began tying it around the man's waist. Just behind him,

another Security Guard followed and took hold of the end of the rope.

"No! No! Sarò tangliato! Le rocce!"

"No! No! I'll be cut! The rocks!" The man tried to explain to the Guards, but

they wouldn't listen.

"Ti tireremo fuori! Resisti!"

(We're gonna pull you out! Hold on!) One of them said.

"No! Mi taglierà"

(No! It with cut me!)

"Resisti! Dobbiamo portarti fuori di qui!"

(Hold on! We need to get you out of here!)

"Per favore! Sono stato tangliato, sarò tagliato peggio!"

(Please! I've been cut, I'll be cut worse!)

"Abbiamo bisogno di tirarti fuori!"

(We need to get you out!!)

All there was then, was confusion. Only shouts and the man's yelling could

be heard.

"Pronto! A tirare!"

(Ready! Pull!)

The two men took ahold of the rope and began pulling with all their strength.

Pulling as hard as they could. The man was yelling even louder, not out from

pain, but because he was so scared of what could happen to him.

He was moving out of the ground finally, but very slowly. Almost not at all.

After three more tries, the two men let go to catch their breath.

"Non possiamo……non possiamo tirarlo fuori da soli."

(We can't…..we can't get him out on our own.)

The man looked at Marion.

"Tu! Aiutaci a tirarlo su!"

(You! Help us pull him up!)

Marion quickly walked over and took hold of the rope with the two men.

"Pronto! A tirare!"

(Ready! Pull!) He said.

Each one pulled with all their might and pulled harder. The man was still in a

rage, yelling for them to stop. The rope did nothing more than tighten the

earth’s grasp on him.

They all let go.

"Non si muoverà."

(It won't budge.)

They said.

"No! Dobbiamo tirarlo fuori!"

(No! We have to get him out!) Marion said.

"Conosco la signora, ma non passiamo! Ci proveremore ancora una volta."

(I know lady, but we can't! We’ll try one more time.)

"Sì."

(Yes.)

Marion said, still with tears.

With just a little more determination, they pulled once more. Just a moment

later, he was yanked out and fell onto the ground beside Marion and the

crowd.

Marion breathed deep and stopped crying, more grateful the man had made it

than ever before she thought she ever had been.

The man still lay breathless on the ground, holding his side which had just a

few drops of blood.

"Stai bene?"

(Are you okay?) Marion said, kneeling down beside the man.

"Sì."

(Yes.)

Was all he said.

"Sei ferito?"

(Are you hurt?)

She said.

"Sì, solo un po…..le rocce mi hanno tagliato qui, ma non è così male. Ma

non così male come avrebbero fato se non mi avessero tirarto fuorti."

(Yes, just a bit…..the rocks cut me here, but it's not that bad. Not as bad as

they would have if they wouldn't have pulled me out.)

"Mi dispiace."

(I am sorry.)

She said.

"Non c'è bisogno di essere dispiaciuto, non hair fatto niente."

(There's no need to be sorry, you didn't do anything.)

"Come è successo ?"

(How did it happen?)

She said.

"Come è successo? Non hai visto?"

(How did it happen? You didn't see?)

"No?"

(No?)

"Stavo aiutando construzione

"I was helping with construction just by the Prime Ministers house. I fell and

suddenly felt like the earth was grabbing at me."

Their conversation was then interrupted by one of the security guards

walking up behind them with a very stern face.

"Mi scusu signore, se mi seguirai, ho alcune domande da farti. Apenna

dentro."

(Excuse me sir, if you will follow me, I have some questions to ask you. Just

inside.)

"Dentro? Cosa devi chiendere che non lo sai già?"

(Inside? What do you have to ask that you don't already know?) He said,

confused.

The guard gave an uncomfortable smile.

"Per favore se non ti dispiace."

(Please if you don't mind.)

Although the man was still unsure, he agreed, and then reluctantly followed

the guard through the gate, and into the building. It didn't seem normal to

Marion, but she was soon over it, thinking of how thankful she was that she

hadn't just seen someone's death.

It was then she decided to leave, leave Italy entirely. She didn't believe any

longer that Arthur was there, knowing that he would probably not go farther

than she had, so returning to the elevator was the first thing she planned to

do. She had always been entering the elevator and going to different places,

never thinking of returning through it.

So now, she assumed that it would work. Why would it not?

Marion started by retracing her steps. She walked past the building, past the

fountain……but then she stopped. She could go no further. There was no

ground there. It had somehow disappeared. Now, there was only a small

hole, of which Marion could not even see the bottom. Marion's heart

pounded hard in her chest.

A shiver went down her spine.

Whatever the song she had heard spoken of, she was now certain its meaning

was of this.

Before walking off, as if she thought she could shove away this strange

thing, Marion looked back just once at the hole the man had made by falling.

But it was no longer there.

Marion stopped immediately. Sure enough, the hole had disappeared

completely and was now smoothed over perfectly.

Marion ran over to it and knelt down to look closer. There was no hole.

Marion was terrified.

And that fear only grew when, looking around herself, she saw hundreds of

holes everywhere, opening up out of nowhere, beginning to spread. Marion

jumped up out of fear of falling into one, although she was sure that soon,

she wouldn't be able to avoid it. Her heart raced, she didn't know what to do.

"Help! Someone please!" She shouted.

Marion looked all round to see if anyone was near. The only person she saw,

did not look like they were about to help. In fact, they looked like they were

the cause of what was happening.

Just about twenty feet away, there was a tall man with long robes, leaning

face first against a tree. His hands were holding each side of the trunk and

moving all about. He rubbed the tree the same each time with his eyes

closed. As he did this, all around him, the earth was caving in, and then

shooting up once more, destroying everything in its path. The earth was like

the ocean. It was a wave that collided and tore. The earth moved about in

such a fashion, it looked as if it were alive and breathing.

There was, with this, a terrifying roar made by the ground.

As it raised higher than the Prime Minister's building, it released suddenly,

crashing and banging and overpowering Marion with the worst terror she had

ever felt in her life before.

She was shaking all over. Never had she seen a thing more fascinating.

Marion was soon able to take her eyes off of it, now remembering everyone

else was in danger as much as she.

All she could think of now was helping the other people.

The ground was spreading quickly towards the Prime Minister’s house, and

she knew there were countless people inside. They had no idea what was

happening.

Immediately, Marion began running. The ground was only stable for so long.

As she ran, the ground collided behind her feet, forcing her to run faster.

Marion's adrenaline was pushing her hard. But not hard enough. Just a foot

away from the steps, Marion felt her feet fall from underneath herself, and

she tripped over onto the stone, immediately being knocked unconscious.

Marion would not be awake for the horrible trouble that was just about to

ruin many lives.