Post by Lorpius Prime on Jan 27, 2008 1:04:04 GMT -5
“Next time… I travel… I’m only bringing… one… change of clothes,” Jay gasped. He was hunched over his suitcase panting for breath and seriously considering the benefits of passing out.
Theodore leaned forward on his walking stick, “Your culture has been spoiled by porters and railcars. It used to be that a man would never carry more luggage than he could comfortably heft on his own back. Not even a madman would contemplate travelling with something so unwieldy as a suitcase.”
“I’m fairly certain,” Jay paused and sucked in a deep enough breath to permit him to speak in unbroken sentences. “I’m fairly certain that before there were porters and railcars we still had horses and donkeys to do our heavy lifting.”
The younger man waved him off, “Well now you know how the horses and donkeys feel about the matter. Come along,” he gestured over his shoulder, “I will see if I can hire us a carriage in Meitingen.”
Jay half-laughed half-coughed, “And what was wrong with… whatever-dorf, back there.” He pointed weakly in the direction from which they had come.
“We would be noticed,” Theodore said simply. “Meitingen is a small town, but still large enough that strangers may pass through and not be remembered.”
Still resting with his hands on his knees, Jay looked up at the eastern sky, which was just beginning to show a lighter shade of blue as the dawn approached. He regretted coming. After the last five days of running, hiking, and hauling, Jay’s body was painfully aware that it had been compensated with too little rest and too little nourishment.
He supposed it was his own fault, in a way. He had grown as lazy and comfortable as the perks of his jobs had allowed him. The modern continental lifestyle being what it was, Jay had been spending more and more of his time sitting and drinking wine and less engaged in any kind of strenuous work. In fact, he told himself, the most physically demanding part of his job was writing out his articles in longhand. A lot of his colleagues used typewriters; Jay had managed to break enough of the machines in college that he was glad to be rid of them.
All things considered, that was probably a minor blessing; if he had packed a typewriter along with the rest of his luggage, Jay would probably be dead of exhaustion by now.
“Mr. Blake.”
“Huh?” Jay shook himself. Theodore had approached and was now staring down at him, looking concerned.
“It is only a little further, Mr. Blake,” he said kindly.
“Yeah…” Jay acknowledged, still breathing heavily. “Yeah, all right, I’m coming.”
Somehow he found the strength to pick up the suitcase one more time.
Jay woke up in a daze. He was lying in an awkward position and his neck hurt, but then he realized, so did the rest of him. He blinked rapidly, attempting to clear his blurry vision.
“Huzzmphwha?” he asked.
“I am afraid you will have to be on your feet for a short while again, Mr. Blake,” said the voice of Theodore. Jay still couldn’t quite see Theodore himself.
“Where am I?”
“We have arrived in Augsburg. You will have to get out of the carriage,” the voice was sympathetic.
That got through to him a little more effectively, and Jay sat upright. “I don’t remember getting into the carriage.” But with his vision returning, that did indeed seem to be where he was.
“You collapsed rather quickly after boarding. I was actually quite worried about your ability to remain on your feet long enough for me to hail one. You managed, however.”
Jay nodded slowly, remembering none of this.
“Er, well then,” he wanted nothing more than to return to unconsciousness, but managed to shove that desire into the back of his mind. He fumbled for the suitcase at his feet, and stared rather stupidly when he couldn’t find it.
“I took the liberty of purchasing temporary accommodations at a hotel. One of the porters is taking your bag there.”
“Porter…” Jay frowned.
“They may be a vice, Mr. Blake, but frankly they are one from which you could benefit right now.” Jay turned to see Theodore standing outside of the carriage door, beckoning.
“Um,” Jay coughed, trying to relieve a scratchy throat, “you rented a hotel?” He craned his neck to peer out the carriage to the white building behind Theodore. “I haven’t actually got any money, you realize…”
Theodore waved a hand, “I have more money than any reasonable man could spend in a lifetime. Or even several of them. It is no trouble.”
Jay shrugged, he was too tired to argue with the generosity, or even care very much. He stepped gingerly down from the carriage, taking care against his shaky footing.
Once outside, he blinked and looked up at the sky. The sun was barely over the treeline.
“It’s still morning.”
“We have only been travelling for an hour or so,” Theodore replied, turning his back to Jay so he could pay the driver. “Meitingen is maybe twenty kilometers north of here.”
“Why rent a room, then? I should be finding a telegraph office,” he looked around at the city, but it was a blur.
“Because I think you are going to die if you do not rest, Mr. Blake.” Theodore handed the driver a stack of paper bills and the man tipped his hat in thanks. Theodore turned back to Jay, “I have some business which I can take care of here. You will sleep for a few hours and then you shall eat, I think. I know of a restaurant here which serves excellent Greek cuisine. What it is doing in Bavaria I shall never know.” He smiled and gazed out into some unseen memory.
Jay opened his mouth to argue, but then his right leg gave out and he stumbled, barely regaining his balance in time to avoid falling into the street.
“Maybe you have a point,” he allowed.
Theodore chuckled and led Jay towards the large glass doors of the hotel entrance.
“Wait,” Jay stopped abruptly, remembering something. “Where’s my hat?” He touched a hand to his bare head.
“Pardon?”
“My hat. Did I leave it—“ he turned back after the departing carriage.
“You were not wearing a hat, Mr. Blake. Perhaps you forgot it at the inn?”
Jay let his hands fall limply to his sides and sighed with his tongue pushed into his cheek.
“Yeah, perhaps. All right, where is this room? Maybe I had better sleep before I lose my mind too.”
Which was silly, of course. Jay knew he already had.
Book One, Chapter:
-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-
-22-23-24-25-26-27-28-29-30-31-32-33-34-35-36-37-38-39-40-41-42-
-43-44-45-46-47-48-49-50-51-52-53-54-55-56-57-58-59-60-61-62-
Appendix: -A-B-C-
Theodore leaned forward on his walking stick, “Your culture has been spoiled by porters and railcars. It used to be that a man would never carry more luggage than he could comfortably heft on his own back. Not even a madman would contemplate travelling with something so unwieldy as a suitcase.”
“I’m fairly certain,” Jay paused and sucked in a deep enough breath to permit him to speak in unbroken sentences. “I’m fairly certain that before there were porters and railcars we still had horses and donkeys to do our heavy lifting.”
The younger man waved him off, “Well now you know how the horses and donkeys feel about the matter. Come along,” he gestured over his shoulder, “I will see if I can hire us a carriage in Meitingen.”
Jay half-laughed half-coughed, “And what was wrong with… whatever-dorf, back there.” He pointed weakly in the direction from which they had come.
“We would be noticed,” Theodore said simply. “Meitingen is a small town, but still large enough that strangers may pass through and not be remembered.”
Still resting with his hands on his knees, Jay looked up at the eastern sky, which was just beginning to show a lighter shade of blue as the dawn approached. He regretted coming. After the last five days of running, hiking, and hauling, Jay’s body was painfully aware that it had been compensated with too little rest and too little nourishment.
He supposed it was his own fault, in a way. He had grown as lazy and comfortable as the perks of his jobs had allowed him. The modern continental lifestyle being what it was, Jay had been spending more and more of his time sitting and drinking wine and less engaged in any kind of strenuous work. In fact, he told himself, the most physically demanding part of his job was writing out his articles in longhand. A lot of his colleagues used typewriters; Jay had managed to break enough of the machines in college that he was glad to be rid of them.
All things considered, that was probably a minor blessing; if he had packed a typewriter along with the rest of his luggage, Jay would probably be dead of exhaustion by now.
“Mr. Blake.”
“Huh?” Jay shook himself. Theodore had approached and was now staring down at him, looking concerned.
“It is only a little further, Mr. Blake,” he said kindly.
“Yeah…” Jay acknowledged, still breathing heavily. “Yeah, all right, I’m coming.”
Somehow he found the strength to pick up the suitcase one more time.
* * *
Jay woke up in a daze. He was lying in an awkward position and his neck hurt, but then he realized, so did the rest of him. He blinked rapidly, attempting to clear his blurry vision.
“Huzzmphwha?” he asked.
“I am afraid you will have to be on your feet for a short while again, Mr. Blake,” said the voice of Theodore. Jay still couldn’t quite see Theodore himself.
“Where am I?”
“We have arrived in Augsburg. You will have to get out of the carriage,” the voice was sympathetic.
That got through to him a little more effectively, and Jay sat upright. “I don’t remember getting into the carriage.” But with his vision returning, that did indeed seem to be where he was.
“You collapsed rather quickly after boarding. I was actually quite worried about your ability to remain on your feet long enough for me to hail one. You managed, however.”
Jay nodded slowly, remembering none of this.
“Er, well then,” he wanted nothing more than to return to unconsciousness, but managed to shove that desire into the back of his mind. He fumbled for the suitcase at his feet, and stared rather stupidly when he couldn’t find it.
“I took the liberty of purchasing temporary accommodations at a hotel. One of the porters is taking your bag there.”
“Porter…” Jay frowned.
“They may be a vice, Mr. Blake, but frankly they are one from which you could benefit right now.” Jay turned to see Theodore standing outside of the carriage door, beckoning.
“Um,” Jay coughed, trying to relieve a scratchy throat, “you rented a hotel?” He craned his neck to peer out the carriage to the white building behind Theodore. “I haven’t actually got any money, you realize…”
Theodore waved a hand, “I have more money than any reasonable man could spend in a lifetime. Or even several of them. It is no trouble.”
Jay shrugged, he was too tired to argue with the generosity, or even care very much. He stepped gingerly down from the carriage, taking care against his shaky footing.
Once outside, he blinked and looked up at the sky. The sun was barely over the treeline.
“It’s still morning.”
“We have only been travelling for an hour or so,” Theodore replied, turning his back to Jay so he could pay the driver. “Meitingen is maybe twenty kilometers north of here.”
“Why rent a room, then? I should be finding a telegraph office,” he looked around at the city, but it was a blur.
“Because I think you are going to die if you do not rest, Mr. Blake.” Theodore handed the driver a stack of paper bills and the man tipped his hat in thanks. Theodore turned back to Jay, “I have some business which I can take care of here. You will sleep for a few hours and then you shall eat, I think. I know of a restaurant here which serves excellent Greek cuisine. What it is doing in Bavaria I shall never know.” He smiled and gazed out into some unseen memory.
Jay opened his mouth to argue, but then his right leg gave out and he stumbled, barely regaining his balance in time to avoid falling into the street.
“Maybe you have a point,” he allowed.
Theodore chuckled and led Jay towards the large glass doors of the hotel entrance.
“Wait,” Jay stopped abruptly, remembering something. “Where’s my hat?” He touched a hand to his bare head.
“Pardon?”
“My hat. Did I leave it—“ he turned back after the departing carriage.
“You were not wearing a hat, Mr. Blake. Perhaps you forgot it at the inn?”
Jay let his hands fall limply to his sides and sighed with his tongue pushed into his cheek.
“Yeah, perhaps. All right, where is this room? Maybe I had better sleep before I lose my mind too.”
Which was silly, of course. Jay knew he already had.
Book One, Chapter:
-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-
-22-23-24-25-26-27-28-29-30-31-32-33-34-35-36-37-38-39-40-41-42-
-43-44-45-46-47-48-49-50-51-52-53-54-55-56-57-58-59-60-61-62-
Appendix: -A-B-C-