Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story are mine. This is a piece of fan fiction and no profit is being made
Thank you for reviewing godavari. It gave me will to write the next chapter.
The Notebook, part 1
A little while later Lara and Konstantin stepped out of the car in front of the Hotel Maximilian. The hotel was located just outside the historic old town district. Lara looked at the three stars over the main door. To her they didn't mean so much. Of course more stars meant more class but during her travels she had seen all kinds of hotels and to be truthful she had to admit that it wasn't only the stars that mattered. It needed more than a pretty cover and seemingly nice staff to make a hotel comfortable. Sadly that pretty cover was the only thing that met the eye at first.
They entered the hotel coming to a rather small lobby. The walls were painted in warm color of peach and made the visitor feel him-or herself calm and safe. There was a table and three chairs on the left. Near the table and the chairs was a single yucca palm bringing much needed color to the room. One of the walls was colored with colorful tapestry displaying the beheading of a young man. The man still had his head but Lara was sure she was right about its meaning. Under the tapestry was written in stitching 'Maximilian of Thebeste'. The name told nothing to her or Konstantin but the theme of the tapestry took a large bite of the calm feeling the rest of the lobby managed to create. Lara felt greatly disturbed by the tapestry and looked away from it. On the right and reception desk on the left and behind it stood an elderly man looking very tired.
"How may I help you?" he asked and smiled a little. Perhaps his face muscles were tired of all the smiling that was a part of his job.
Konstantin was about to speak but Lara stopped him with a hand signal.
"We would like to have two rooms"
The receptionist looked through his computer hitting multiple keys on his keyboard shaking his head while doing so.
"I am deeply sorry but we seem to be low on rooms. There are only double rooms available. All the others got guests at the moment or are booked in the way they should be"
Lara looked at Konstantin who seemed as annoyed as she did. What she didn't know was the reason of Konstantin's annoyance. He was almost boiling inside. Of all the receptionists they had to get the one who is probably going to retire soon and has decided to act poorly. On the other hand he didn't mind Lara's company.
"Do they have a sofa?", asked an annoyed voice beside him. The receptionist just nodded.
They paid for one night and were climbing up the stairs when Konstantin turned around much to the surprise of the receptionist.
"I just have to ask...who is he?", said Konstantin pointing at the tapestry.
The receptionist sighed deeply. It seemed it was better to take the tapestry down than let it be on the wall. Too many people found it interesting and he had grown bored of telling about it to people who asked endless litanies of questions. For some reason he himself had always found it disturbing in some strange way like it was blaming him for something or the people in it were looking at him when he wasn't watching.
"He was a man who got martyred near Carthage around 300AD. He refused to enter the army because of his Christianity and thus he was beheaded"
Knowing he wouldn't get more information from the man Konstantin kept on climbing the stairs Lara following close behind. Their room appeared to be on the second floor and the sight of it gave some points back to the hotel. The walls were white and all the furniture were some shade of yellow or brown. There were two rooms actually. A small wall separated the bed from the rest of the room. Against the wall stood an old-looking table and next to it was a chair of same style. Over the table hung a strange shaped mirror and next to it stood a lamp. There was a light yellow sofa against the opposite wall to the door. Above it hung a painting picturing some flowers. Lara could feel her calm returning and took a seat on the sofa.
Konstantin stood by the door still taking in his surroundings. He had to admit that this was one of the nicest hotel rooms he had ever been in.
"So what's so important in the book that we had to dig open the grave?" Lara asked eying him with an air of interest.
"Lower your voice down a bit"
"You think these walls have ears?", she asked teasingly showing the walls around them but lowered her voice.
"Some of them might" , Lara almost chuckled when he said this but when his impression didn't change from grave she swallowed her amusement.
"So what is so important about the book?" she couldn't believe Konstantin hadn't told her before. Somehow he had managed to avoid all of her questions about the matter turning the discussion into something trivial but this time she was going to get her answers.
Konstantin rummaged through his back bag soon finding Nikolas' notebook. He let his fingers travel on te leather covers looking the only item he had left of his friend with sorrow. What was really left behind of the person that would've made him and Lara look sane? A house no one wanted, a book he wrote his ideas to and perhaps a few photographs showing him with the few people who would actually grieve his death.
"It's Nikolas' notebook..." Konstantin began.
"And?" She snapped looking annoyed.
"Nikolas might've been a normal person with a job on the outside but if you managed to get past the cover there was nothing left of his facade. Inside lurked a totally different person, something you couldn't believe to be there. He was one of the few people I could tell what I really was without getting looked at like a participant in a freak show" He glanced at Lara and saw that he had gained her interest. "His interests laid on mythologies, legends and stories, all the things that weren't from this plane of existence and he couldn't possibly write about his findings in his published studies. For that he had this little book here" Konstantin said and tapped the covers of the notebook with his fingers.
Suddenly Lara began to look at the book with new interest. At first she had wondered what was so special in this friend of Konstantin's but as soon as the cover was peeled of she could see the reason. Nikolas had been one of the few people who had had the courage to believe in something that couldn't always be seen. One of the very few people who had managed to reach the mystical world where the myths and legends were true.
"And you thought this book might help us find the Halls?"
He sighed. "Unless you have forgot the scales belong to Egyptian mythology" From the look she gave to him he knew she hadn't forgotten. Probably the question had just escaped her lips before she could stop herself. Most likely it was a sign of enthusiasm. Konstantin smiled a bit.
"If this book can't I can't think of something that could" He said and sat on the only chair in the room. He opened the book eagerly not being able to wait what he'd find inside. Lara watched him seeing the childlike light of fascination taking over his face. At that moment she had to add another subfile to the concept called Konstantin. Could someone who loved their work so much really love anything or anyone else? Was there anymore love to spare? Was that the reason he couldn't see anything worth reaching for in Kurtis? Because he didn't share the same enthusiasm toward mysteries and ran away? She thought about herself for a moment. Was her life the same story? Was the only thing that could make her smile an artifact thousands of years old?
Konstantin was so absorbed in the book that he didn't notice Lara's thoughtful expression. He eyed the pages greedily like wanting to eat their contents through his vision. Each picture and word told him a tale that a normal mind couldn't understand. All of those years he had known Nikolas had brought him insight to the deceased man's way to write notes. Not all was left obvious and one had to be able to read between the lines. It was like an inkblot test, not everyone saw the same thing but in Nikolas' version it was the truth that was hidden under something very simple, something that would fool most of the lookers. Konstantin smiled when yet another picture's secret was revealed to him.
When he turned the page the smile was wiped away. This double-page spread didn't hold the same joy of discovery than the previous ones. Scribbled on the pages were sentences like the discovery Nikolas had made had frightened almost the life out of him. Konstantin recognized one of the many pictures as the statue of the angel in Nikolas' study but in the small, old photograph the heavenly being still had her wings intact. Under the picture was written simply: "The house broke her wings".
Thank you for reviewing godavari. It gave me will to write the next chapter.
The Notebook, part 1
A little while later Lara and Konstantin stepped out of the car in front of the Hotel Maximilian. The hotel was located just outside the historic old town district. Lara looked at the three stars over the main door. To her they didn't mean so much. Of course more stars meant more class but during her travels she had seen all kinds of hotels and to be truthful she had to admit that it wasn't only the stars that mattered. It needed more than a pretty cover and seemingly nice staff to make a hotel comfortable. Sadly that pretty cover was the only thing that met the eye at first.
They entered the hotel coming to a rather small lobby. The walls were painted in warm color of peach and made the visitor feel him-or herself calm and safe. There was a table and three chairs on the left. Near the table and the chairs was a single yucca palm bringing much needed color to the room. One of the walls was colored with colorful tapestry displaying the beheading of a young man. The man still had his head but Lara was sure she was right about its meaning. Under the tapestry was written in stitching 'Maximilian of Thebeste'. The name told nothing to her or Konstantin but the theme of the tapestry took a large bite of the calm feeling the rest of the lobby managed to create. Lara felt greatly disturbed by the tapestry and looked away from it. On the right and reception desk on the left and behind it stood an elderly man looking very tired.
"How may I help you?" he asked and smiled a little. Perhaps his face muscles were tired of all the smiling that was a part of his job.
Konstantin was about to speak but Lara stopped him with a hand signal.
"We would like to have two rooms"
The receptionist looked through his computer hitting multiple keys on his keyboard shaking his head while doing so.
"I am deeply sorry but we seem to be low on rooms. There are only double rooms available. All the others got guests at the moment or are booked in the way they should be"
Lara looked at Konstantin who seemed as annoyed as she did. What she didn't know was the reason of Konstantin's annoyance. He was almost boiling inside. Of all the receptionists they had to get the one who is probably going to retire soon and has decided to act poorly. On the other hand he didn't mind Lara's company.
"Do they have a sofa?", asked an annoyed voice beside him. The receptionist just nodded.
They paid for one night and were climbing up the stairs when Konstantin turned around much to the surprise of the receptionist.
"I just have to ask...who is he?", said Konstantin pointing at the tapestry.
The receptionist sighed deeply. It seemed it was better to take the tapestry down than let it be on the wall. Too many people found it interesting and he had grown bored of telling about it to people who asked endless litanies of questions. For some reason he himself had always found it disturbing in some strange way like it was blaming him for something or the people in it were looking at him when he wasn't watching.
"He was a man who got martyred near Carthage around 300AD. He refused to enter the army because of his Christianity and thus he was beheaded"
Knowing he wouldn't get more information from the man Konstantin kept on climbing the stairs Lara following close behind. Their room appeared to be on the second floor and the sight of it gave some points back to the hotel. The walls were white and all the furniture were some shade of yellow or brown. There were two rooms actually. A small wall separated the bed from the rest of the room. Against the wall stood an old-looking table and next to it was a chair of same style. Over the table hung a strange shaped mirror and next to it stood a lamp. There was a light yellow sofa against the opposite wall to the door. Above it hung a painting picturing some flowers. Lara could feel her calm returning and took a seat on the sofa.
Konstantin stood by the door still taking in his surroundings. He had to admit that this was one of the nicest hotel rooms he had ever been in.
"So what's so important in the book that we had to dig open the grave?" Lara asked eying him with an air of interest.
"Lower your voice down a bit"
"You think these walls have ears?", she asked teasingly showing the walls around them but lowered her voice.
"Some of them might" , Lara almost chuckled when he said this but when his impression didn't change from grave she swallowed her amusement.
"So what is so important about the book?" she couldn't believe Konstantin hadn't told her before. Somehow he had managed to avoid all of her questions about the matter turning the discussion into something trivial but this time she was going to get her answers.
Konstantin rummaged through his back bag soon finding Nikolas' notebook. He let his fingers travel on te leather covers looking the only item he had left of his friend with sorrow. What was really left behind of the person that would've made him and Lara look sane? A house no one wanted, a book he wrote his ideas to and perhaps a few photographs showing him with the few people who would actually grieve his death.
"It's Nikolas' notebook..." Konstantin began.
"And?" She snapped looking annoyed.
"Nikolas might've been a normal person with a job on the outside but if you managed to get past the cover there was nothing left of his facade. Inside lurked a totally different person, something you couldn't believe to be there. He was one of the few people I could tell what I really was without getting looked at like a participant in a freak show" He glanced at Lara and saw that he had gained her interest. "His interests laid on mythologies, legends and stories, all the things that weren't from this plane of existence and he couldn't possibly write about his findings in his published studies. For that he had this little book here" Konstantin said and tapped the covers of the notebook with his fingers.
Suddenly Lara began to look at the book with new interest. At first she had wondered what was so special in this friend of Konstantin's but as soon as the cover was peeled of she could see the reason. Nikolas had been one of the few people who had had the courage to believe in something that couldn't always be seen. One of the very few people who had managed to reach the mystical world where the myths and legends were true.
"And you thought this book might help us find the Halls?"
He sighed. "Unless you have forgot the scales belong to Egyptian mythology" From the look she gave to him he knew she hadn't forgotten. Probably the question had just escaped her lips before she could stop herself. Most likely it was a sign of enthusiasm. Konstantin smiled a bit.
"If this book can't I can't think of something that could" He said and sat on the only chair in the room. He opened the book eagerly not being able to wait what he'd find inside. Lara watched him seeing the childlike light of fascination taking over his face. At that moment she had to add another subfile to the concept called Konstantin. Could someone who loved their work so much really love anything or anyone else? Was there anymore love to spare? Was that the reason he couldn't see anything worth reaching for in Kurtis? Because he didn't share the same enthusiasm toward mysteries and ran away? She thought about herself for a moment. Was her life the same story? Was the only thing that could make her smile an artifact thousands of years old?
Konstantin was so absorbed in the book that he didn't notice Lara's thoughtful expression. He eyed the pages greedily like wanting to eat their contents through his vision. Each picture and word told him a tale that a normal mind couldn't understand. All of those years he had known Nikolas had brought him insight to the deceased man's way to write notes. Not all was left obvious and one had to be able to read between the lines. It was like an inkblot test, not everyone saw the same thing but in Nikolas' version it was the truth that was hidden under something very simple, something that would fool most of the lookers. Konstantin smiled when yet another picture's secret was revealed to him.
When he turned the page the smile was wiped away. This double-page spread didn't hold the same joy of discovery than the previous ones. Scribbled on the pages were sentences like the discovery Nikolas had made had frightened almost the life out of him. Konstantin recognized one of the many pictures as the statue of the angel in Nikolas' study but in the small, old photograph the heavenly being still had her wings intact. Under the picture was written simply: "The house broke her wings".