Patchwork Universe

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 63 Location: The Museum

Marching along behind Dr. Jewel, Dr. Odom kept his eyes on the ground, only occasionally raising them to look for their destination. He tended to veer slightly toward the shelter of the hedge and to stumble on the treacherous, uneven surface of the road, so very different from the floors and stairs of home. He realized he was fiddling with the faceplate of the helmet, ready to clap it shut and fasten it and yank on his gloves, and forced himself to drop his hand.

About an hour after leaving the Lamb and Fleece, Dr. Odom looked over his shoulder into the back of the helmet. He stopped walking long enough to turn and look at the buildings they could not have passed more than a few seconds ago. Startled but understanding that his anxiety was distorting his sense of the passage of time, he resumed his march. He realized he was fiddling with the faceplate of the helmet, ready to clap it shut and fasten it and yank on his gloves, and forced himself to drop his hand.

"I trust you shall warn me when we are approaching the site?" A trickle of sweat ran down his temple and he wiped it away with a fingertip, wishing he had thought to put a handkerchief in the belt. He realized he was fiddling with the faceplate of the helmet, ready to clap it shut and fasten it and yank on his gloves, and forced himself to drop his hand.

Dr Jewel · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 9:48 pm Post subject:

"Certainly." Dr Jewel quickened her pace a little.

They continued for a minute in silence.

"There." She pointed as they reached the highest point of the bumpy path and could see further. "Up ahead. The large shelter is where we take anything we unearth. The smaller ones are for storage, although the one on the end is a sort of common room."

She dropped her pace a little.

"As I thought," She was speaking mainly to herself, "there's no-one... Oh."

She saw movement in the distance, close to where the basement entrance was. A shape, probably humanoid had just disappeared back into the earth. Probably back into the basement.

It did not look like a member of the team. On the other hand it was more...solid than she expected the corpse to have become.

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 63 Location: The Museum

"'Oh?'" Dr. Odom gasped. He slammed the helmet shut and frantically turned the latches. The gloves were on his hands in no time at all.

He peered through the faceplate, slightly fogged, as it was, by the condensation of his panicked breath, and tried to watch the figure's progress.

"Wha --" His question stopped abruptly as his voice thundered in his ears and, probably, nowhere else.

Dr Jewel · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2004 3:47 pm Post subject:

Dr Jewel hurried over to the excavation entrance, then stopped.

Staring up at her, out of the gloom of the basement, was a thin, pale-skinned man roughly the same height as herself. He was dressed in an assortment of odd bits of clothing; a muddy white blouse, over-long tracksuit trousers, a pair of purple wollen gloves and with nothing on his feet.

"Who are you ?" She said.

The man gazed up at her.

"You sound like a woman." He said, his voice was quiet with a slight Irish lilt. "But you look wrong."

"I am Dr Jewel Hart." Jewel said. "And this is Dr William Odom. Who are you ?"

The man remained silent, looking from one to the other.

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 63 Location: The Museum

Dr. Odom reluctantly edged closer. He was too honest to deny he was terrified and too honorable to turn and run after his grand declaration. He rubbed the outside of the faceplate with a glove, achieving nothing, and cautiously peered down at the man with whom Dr. Jewel appeared to be talking. This did not look like Dr. Odom expected a ghost to look -- but then neither did Dr. Jewel.

Dr Jewel · Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2004 9:02 am Post subject:

"You were not the owner of the house." Dr Jewel stated, wondering how to provoke him into speaking. "More like a hired bully. Or a thief. Those clothes certainly do not belong to you."

The man flushed angrily.

"Sir Waters paid me an honest salary for guarding his property." He said. "And my own clothes were taken."

He glanced at Dr Odom, as though wondering whether to admit his ignorance about what he was wearing, then turned back to Dr Jewel.

"So where is your master then ?" He asked. "Trespassing on Sir Waters territory I have no doubt."

Dr Jewel · Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 9:09 am Post subject:

"You are a little out of date." Dr Jewel watched him carefully. "Sir Waters no longer owns any property here. You have been guarded the basement long after the house was destroyed."

The man looked at her, but did not respond.

"When did you last see Sir Waters ?" Jewel tried to put all of her authority into the question.

He hesitated, looked at Dr Odom again, then looked back at Dr Jewel. Seemed to come to a decision.

"Earlier today." He said. "Or on the last day I properly remember. He went inside, to his rooms."

"In the basement ?"

"Yes."

Dr Jewel · Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 10:52 pm Post subject:

Dr Jewel glanced at her companion, wondering how much of the conversation he could follow. Wondering how long he could stay sealed in the suit.

"Did Sir Waters go by himself ?" She turned back to the former guard.

"Why don't you see for yourself ?" He answered sulkily.

"Because there no longer appears to be a door." Dr Jewel retorted sharply.

As an expression of panic crossed the man's face, she realised that the shock may have been too much.

"Dr Odom and I have other business to see to." She added in a more measured tone. "I suggest you return to... guarding. We will be back to speak with Sir Waters later."

She waved him back into the basement and, somewhat to her surprise, he followed the implied order.

Dr Jewel then turned to Dr Odom and waved him back down the path towards the pub. She had briefly considered the shelters, then decided that the village building would provide more reassuring surroundings.

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 63 Location: The Museum

As soon as the opening into the basement was out of sight Dr. Odom tore off a glove and scrabbled at the latches to open the helmet. He gulped at the fresh air that washed against his grey-tinged face. Flashing black specks wandered through his view and the panorama of helmet-interior was obscured by a tunnel of grey fuzz.

"A bit close in there," he commented with forced levity. "I just can't win today." He turned more serious. "I'm afraid I could hear none of your conversation. That was your ghost? Did you learn anything? Has the contagion or curse burnt itself out?"

Dr Jewel · Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 11:05 pm Post subject:

"He was not the most helpful person I ever came across." Dr Jewel frowned. "But he made it clear that there are other rooms down there. Additionally there is a good chance that his former master, a certain Sir Waters, is also down there."

She blinked slightly in the sunlight.

"There is a local historian in the village." She said slowly. "She could probably tell us about Sir Waters. When he was born, where his property was, that sort of thing.

"As far as the curse is concerned, I do not believe anything new has been activated. Therefore I think it is safe to assume that there should be no new effects; whilst the basement remains untouched, anyway."

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 63 Location: The Museum

"Ah. Heh. Yes. 'Whilst the basement remains untouched.' That is the bit that rather concerns me. I'll not be much help if I fall victim to this illness or curse, and I imagine my professional prospects would suffer. Not that I've much room to move up.

"Still . . .

"Am I prattling?

"Let's see this historian. Then let's see about determining if it is safe for me to get out of this confounded costume, at least for a while."

Dr Jewel · Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:07 pm Post subject:

"Her name is Enid Holloway and she owns a house just off the village green. She is retired and her home is a rather lovely Victorian cottage. Probably a complete nightmare to maintain, but it is something of a hobby with her."

Dr Jewel strode past the pub, heading towards the centre of the small village.

"There is also an added advantage in seeing her." Dr Jewel ignored the stares from passer-bys. "Earlier when we left the Lamb and Fleece I spotted some sort of post in the middle of the green and I wanted to take a look."

Dr Jewel trotted up to the edge of the muddy grass, then stopped. Staring. Right in the middle of the green was a simple but well made brass signpost. The single sign at the top was unlabelled, but shaped as an arrow. The arrow pointed north.

"What do you make of that ?" She asked.

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 63 Location: The Museum

"Hm? Well, it seems to be some sort of pointer? Is it meant to turn? No, maybe not. That would rule out some sort of wind indicator. Why? Haven't you seen it before?"

Dr Jewel · Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 3:39 pm Post subject:

"No." Dr Jewel shook her head. "It must have been placed here recently. Although it could have been before the museum arrived."

She glanced around.

"I'll ask Enid." She said finally. "She may have seen the person who put it there."

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 63 Location: The Museum

Before the Museum arrived. Dr. Odom wondered if being dead had unbalanced the poor woman. An inconceivably large building did not just arrive, and besides, there was no such thing as before the Museum! She was a field person, though, and allowances must be made. Shaking his head in mild disbelief -- it was rumored that even within the Museum there were those who believed it to be finite -- he trudged along behind Dr. Jewel.