Time Agent | ONC2024

17. Houses

(Above image - a painting by Robert Scott Tait 1816 - 1897)

(This chapter is dedicated to NachtOwl, an enthusiastic supporter of ONC stories through the years! Thank you!)

Marcel shuffled forward with the rest of the small queue, holding his ticket ready in one hand. After the turbulence of the night, where he'd tossed and turned for hours, he felt quite calm, relieved to have made a decision. He crossed over the threshold and walked down the narrow passage to the ticket booth. The booth was placed in a tiny hallway with a staircase behind it, leading up to the first floor. He handed his ticket to the woman inside the booth. She gave a perfunctory smile.

"Welcome to Pardieu House. The rooms are numbered in order of suggested viewing and you'll find a map inside," she said as she passed him a brochure. "Enjoy your visit."

Marcel thanked her and took the brochure, even though he'd been here before, once as a child and then again a week ago. He turned left into what was labelled the Dining Room on his brochure. The walls were covered with floral wallpaper although it was almost hidden by numerous framed photographs. A round wooden table stood in the centre of the square room, polished to a high gloss and an elaborate fireplace occupied the centre of the furthest wall. Double doors opened into what was described as the Breakfast Room. Everything was furnished as it would have been over a hundred years ago.

Marcel continued through the house, making sure he studied the brochure occasionally and stopped to read the information cards placed beside some of the more unusual items. Just like every other tourist wandering through the rooms.

After a suitable time, he climbed the stairs to the Drawing Room and main bedroom. He walked past the four-poster bed with its red velvet curtains and went across to the small dressing room on the far side. A gold cord stretched across the doorway, forbidding entrance. Marcel waited until the room behind him was empty of visitors, then slipped under the rope. Without a backward glance he hurried past the enamel hip bath on the floor and set his watch.

~~

Seven walked briskly along the street, studying the alien buildings with a fascinated eye. Those looked like real bricks, placed individually side by side, and one on top of the other. It must have taken hours, maybe days, to construct. And if he wasn't mistaken, that was glass in the windows. So fragile but rather pretty, in its own way.

Even the path he was walking on consisted of flat interlocking stones, with not a curve of plascrete in sight.

He wanted to absorb all he could about this place, even though the mission was his prime focus. This was his first visit to another time line, and he wanted to learn all he could from the experience. He glanced at the map and instructions Jack had kindly drawn for him.

He'd been fascinated by the device Jack had used to draw the map. A 'biro' Jack had called it. Seven wished he could take one back with him as a souvenir, but naturally that was prohibited. The only thing Time Agents were allowed to bring home, was themselves.

Jack had told him he could take something called the Metro and save some time but although he'd successfully conquered the rather alarming moving staircase, the smell of the poisonous fumes rising from the depths and the roar of the machines below, had sent him scurrying back to the surface. Walking felt like a far safer option.

He checked the numbers again on the houses, and there it was, number 47. The figures were formed by moulded metal, and attached to the centre of the door. Sophie's house.

Seven searched for the communication panel for several minutes, but there wasn't one. However, there was a white button attached to a plastic box beside the door and he pressed that instead. Chimes echoing on the other side sounded promising. At last, it had been a long walk.

A young woman with short blonde hair and hazel eyes opened the door. Her feet were bare and she was wearing blue cotton pants and a purple top made from woven animal hair. She stared at him with a questioning expression on her face.

"Can I help you?"

"I hope so. I'm here to see Jean. I'm Sven." Seven smiled in as friendly a fashion as he could manage. "Perhaps he mentioned me?"

Her face froze and for a moment Seven thought she was going to slam the door in his face. Evidently, she had second thoughts, though he noticed she kept her hand on the door. Curiously, she had an unusual timepiece on her wrist, identical to the one Jean wore as far as he could tell.

"You're Sven? How did you find us?"

"His brother, Jack, gave me the address." Sven offered the piece of paper Jack had given him.

The girl glanced at the paper without taking it. She chewed her bottom lip while she considered. She flung the door open.

"I suppose you'd better come in, then. I'm Sophie."

She closed the door behind him and led the way up a carpeted staircase. "Jean is upstairs, he's still getting dressed. We stayed up late talking last night, and slept in."

She knocked lightly on a partly closed door then called out. "Jean? We have a visitor. Sven is here."

"What?" The door was flung open. Jean stood there half naked, his chest bare and trousers slung low around his narrow hips. His hair was ruffled and his eyes were wide.

Seven swallowed.

"Jean? I really need to talk to you."

"And I could say the same!" Jean growled. "When were you going to tell us you're from the future?