Chez L'infinité

The House of Abom is a strange house indeed. It has many entrances in many different cities. It is so large you can walk from one side of the world to the other and have enough time for a Moonlit night on the River Vienna and eat a nice burger in the streets of New Rome on a beautiful, cloudless day where no rain is in sight, and no dust storms stand ready on the horizon.

The sun beats down upon this house in many places, but so does the moon, and so they do battle with it, sometimes the sun shines on it more, other times it is the moon, but whatever the case they balance each other out as they always have. The sun never received the blessing of the house for all time and neither does the moon. Who knows might happen to the world if only one shone more on the house than the other?

If an emperor got hold of the house it would be the heart of his empire. The entrances into it would become great monolithic gates before awesome cyclopean pillars under great vaulted dome ceilings with stained glass depicting great victories in places all across the world. His empire would spread across all the world and tyranny might reign, or perhaps a utopian fist might grasp the skirt of the world.

If a religion got hold of the home they would become the emperor. A Papal Frame would exist within its halls and be able to cross vast distances in a short time, wielding godly justice upon the masses of the planet. And perhaps burning the skirt of Lady Earth, burning her so all her parts are visible for judgment before her time.

If a merchant got hold of the home his money would become great. The coffers of the home would fill from hall to hall, wall to wall, from floor to ceiling and still not a single portion of the house would be filled. And the merchant would find one day that his fortune has dissipated, fallen into the depths of the house and the house would again be empty as the day he bought it.

But none of these men got hold of the home. A lowly wizard got it. He turned it into a store.

Old and weary, once strong and great, a hero among men, the old Magus bought the home from the merchant who was now beggar. The beggar laughed at the foolishness of his customer and walked away from Chez Son Malheur.

The wizard, who was neither merchant nor priest nor emperor, decided it would be good as a store front. He rid the halls of the cobwebs, picked up the last pieces of gold from the coffers and moved into the house of eternity where he now sits on a stool in any city across the world and sells his magic wares.

He brings in a little bit of money, just enough to support an apprentice and a grandson. His magic wares, toys in the front, battle-ware in the back and miscellany in the recesses of the house, are used across the world. They brighten the faces of children. And the weapons shine in the sunlight, and the moonlight, depending on when they are drawn and to whom they do battle with. And the miscellany will make happy any innkeep who requires it and any peasant with need and any bard with a voice and a gamboling step. The old magus, whom the merchant laughed at, has settled to make the world a happy place.

Perhaps the old man, long of beard and tooth, with his sleeping-cap hat and long technicolor robes who sits on his stool cross legged on the other side of a counter filled with little trinkets of paper, wood and steel is the little wizard, once great, now small, is the new owner of that house down the street in your city.

But regardless, Chez L'infinité still sits; its arms sprawl across several continents, its windows are open in every city in the world. A draft drifts over every desk in the house. The smells and scents of a thousand worlds carry themselves into the house and settle in bliss. The light of the sun and moon take turns to warm the halls; and like light and dark, good and evil, order and chaos, battle over dominion of the warmth of the house. In the halls where the emperor walked, the merchant swam through gold and the pope dispensed judgment, a wizard walks with happiness in his hands and joy shod over his feet.

The house, for once, is happy.