Patchwork Universe

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 220 Location: The Museum

Dr. Odom laughed, rose and dusted the seat of his trousers.

"And I give you good afternoon, Michael! I am Dr. William Teiresias Odom, Curator General of the Museum. By all means, help yourself!"

Dr. Odom extended his pouch of tobacco and his pasteboard envelope of papers.

"I believe you could call 'here' the answer to one of the questions you doubtless have, as you may see for yourself inside. This building contains a map of the current arrangement of the landscape." He retrieved his notebook and made a quick notation. "San Pietro, you say? What happened here I can't say, only having arrived in this particular territory within the hour.

"This," he said, waving to Dr. Jewel, "is Dr. Jewel of Cambridge University.

"Doctor, this is Michael, apparently a fellow lost soul."

Dr Jewel · Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 7:35 am Post subject:

"Hello, Michael." Dr Jewel smiled. "Nice to meet you. Did you also follow the signposts here?"

Father Michael · Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 5:59 pm Post subject:

"Dr Odom, Dr Jewel, peace be with you both. And my thanks," continued Michael as he reached for tobacco and papers. He sat once more and began to construct a cigarette.

"It is a long time since I have encountered a Cambridge graduate, but the bishop who ordained me had fond memories of his time as a student there. Is your Museum in Cambridge, Dr Odom...? I'm sorry, I'm gabbling, but I am now at a point where confusion seems at best a pale shadow of my mental state. Everything from the time of day onwards seems to be strange here.

"Dr Jewel, you mention signposts. I must confess I have seen none. Had I done so I might have some better idea of where I am. Dr Odom," he continued, handing back tobacco and papers and receiving matches in return, "you mention that the answers are to be found in this building in the form of a map of the current arrangement of the landscape. That last phrase is disconcerting. Do I take it that my village may not be where I left it?" striking a match, Michael lit his cigarette, inhaled deeply, coughed slightly and smiled up at his audience.

"Mind you, if that is the case, it might explain why the people I encountered just now were having trouble getting home. Perhaps your map would be of help to them too. So many questions!"

Michael took another long puff, coughed again, smiled even more broadly, and added, "Now I remember why I gave these things up. Far too pleasurable!"

Dr Jewel · Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 9:07 pm Post subject:

"The signposts are not terribly helpful because they are all blank." Dr Jewel replied. "I initially thought that they pointed to a public house called 'Jones', but now I think they point here because of the room behind us.

"And, yes, the lands do move. My village, Maypole Hill, used to be directly to the east of Dr Odom's Museum and now there are several lands between them. It was a real shock the first time it happened. I had only just got used to the idea that Maypole Hill was no longer attached to the rest of England.

However, I don't know why any of this happens. Dr Odom and myself were looking for someone who might be able to tell us. About the mists, the lands, the map. All of it, or at least some of it to start with. Another traveller, a man by the name of Larkin Quickgrip, suggested that some of the people inside the Jones pub might be able to help us, so we were in the process of heading there."

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 220 Location: The Museum

"No," Dr. Odom said with friendly resignation, "the Museum and Cambridge are very far apart."

He nodded his agreement to Dr. Jewel's explanations and added, "Having found the map inside, we now know how to get there. For the time being, at least."

He looked around.

"Where are these other people you mentioned? Who are they?"

Father Michael · Posted: Mon May 31, 2004 6:32 pm Post subject:

Michael remained seated. Quite apart from the nicotine rush, all this information would have made his head spin anyway. It would seem that San Pietro had been transported somehow, somewhere else. It would seem too that his was not the only home place to be transported.

"Forgive me," he replied, "but there is a lot for me to try to understand. I think perhaps that I need to study that map. As to the others I have met - they too heard your shout, Dr Odom, and I encouraged them to follow me. When I met them they were playing cards, although their funds were becoming unevenly distributed. Their appearance was... unusual. Long, wild hair, brightly coloured neckerchiefs, all of them armed with flintlock pistols and short swords. One, I think, had a patch over his eye. If I did not know better I would have said that they had stepped straight from the pages of Treasure Island. Still, they seemed friendly enough. Perhaps they are waiting to finish their game before coming to greet you. Would be kind enough to show me this map, while we wait for them."

Dr Jewel · Posted: Mon May 31, 2004 6:41 pm Post subject:

"The map is inside here." Dr Jewel gestured to the doorway that Dr Odom was standing in.

She half turned to Dr Odom and addressed both of them.

"It sounds like pirates to me too." She said. "There's a skull and crossbones symbol on the map. If they come from there then it's a long walk."

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 220 Location: The Museum

Dr. Odom stood aside apologetically to let the newcomer past.

"Piracy must be a much more serious offense in Cambridge and San Pietro than we consider it in the Museum. Pirates feel the need to arm themselves with pistols and swords? My word! I have a soft spot for pirates, myself. When I was a very junior Curator cataloging new acquisitions -- that would be in the offices back by the docks, Doctor -- I found a beautiful pirate edition of the works of a sonneteer of some little note, one Will Shakespere, beautifully illustrated by an engraver who, many years subsequent to the printing of the edition, made quite a name for himself. The plates are unique to that edition and I advanced my career considerably by spotting them.

"So, Michael, after you have had an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the map, unless Dr. Jewel has any objections, would you and your friends like to travel as far as Jones' with us?

"And don't you worry about understanding, sir. I understand little as yet, but where I don't understand, accepting has stood me in good stead."

Dr Jewel · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:05 am Post subject:

"I don't have any objections." Dr Jewel replied. "Besides, even if they turn unfriendly, I doubt that I will personally suffer much from a bunch of pirates. It's not as though they could take any of my things."

She shrugged.

Father Michael · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 1:35 pm Post subject:

Michael stared at the Map for a long time, in speechless amazement. Now he understood rather more of the previous conversation. Although he was tempted to return immediately to San Pietro, nevertheless he was sorely tempted by the offer of further exploration.

"I would be delighted to travel with you both," he replied at last, having committed the map to memory. "Perhaps on our journey you could tell me what you can about the 'patches' the two of you have already visited. As to my new friends, I suspect that we will find them where I left them - they did seem engrossed in their game."

Dr Jewel · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 2:10 pm Post subject:

"Supposing you take us to where they are." Jewel suggested. "After we've collected them, assuming that they want to come along, we'll head off to the northwest to Jones'. And, yes, we would be delighted to tell you about where else we have found. I suppose the question is, where to start?"

She turned to Dr Odom.

"Suppose you explain the Museum to Michael?"

It had suddenly occurred to Jewel that Maypole Hill might be best left for the moment. She had found it difficult enough to tell Dr Odom and Larkin Quickgrip about the little matter of ghosts, but Michael was a rather different prospect. After all a priest might look upon curses and ghosts with a professional, even hostile, eye.

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 220 Location: The Museum

Dr. Odom smiled sadly, remembering a time when those two words, "the Museum," would have said everything.

"Well, the Museum is infinite. It has always existed -- or, at least, its beginning is recorded somewhere so obscure the location has been forgotten -- and nobody has ever been to the top floor. Everything is in the Museum. Or, that is, an exemplar of each.

"As you are more familiar than I with Dr. Jewel's Cambridge, perhaps you and I also share some of the cultural differences as she and I. She seems to have difficulty understanding why Museum staff don't leave every day and I have an equally hard time understanding why they should want to.

"The Museum used to be much larger. At the moment I estimate that it is a mere 5560 or 5565 yards to a side.

"There it is," he said, pointing to the map, "the second . . . ah . . . location to the west."

Dr Jewel · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 9:10 pm Post subject:

"Above it is the Zoo." Dr Jewel continued. "As far as I could tell from our brief visit it is an animal Zoo. The Head Zookeeper is an, erm, interesting man by the name of Trubshawe. I'm not quite sure where he or the Zoo come from, but he's never heard of Cambridge."

She glanced at the Map again.

"To the west of the Museum is a jungle-like place. We didn't stay long. Whilst we saw nothing apart from the plant-life the whole place felt dangerous. I hated it and I wanted to leave almost immediately."

She stopped and glanced at Dr Odom, hoping he wouldn't feel compelled to expand upon her description.

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 220 Location: The Museum

He looked back with a carefully neutral expression. Whatever she was doing could be sorted out later. No sense in fouling her game if he didn't know for sure what she was doing.

Dr Jewel · Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2004 10:44 am Post subject:

"To the south of the Museum," Jewel continued with a faint blush, "Is a very odd-looking landscape. It reminded me of a couple of nightmares and we didn't investigate too far. Then to the east of the Museum is Juniper School."

She paused, wondering how best to describe it.

"It's a well-known, highly prestigious English school." She began. "It is run by one Miss Mercury whom we have met. She's a polite, capable woman; as you might expect. The only strange thing about the school is that there are apparently some sort of 'devices' in use across the grounds. From the little that was said about them I understood that they could be dangerous in the wrong hands. However, I never saw them or understood what they were supposed to do."