The brush thickly embedded the dense and soggy ground, incurled with vines and peppered with rotting leaves yet somehow amongst the steaming swamps and disruptive rivers, there was a snake like path that stretched as a spindly finger pointing the way to the castle.
The path was narrow as can be and the further she hovered along the unforgiving terrain the road appeared like a ribbon behind her.
There was no sunlight that touched This territory; no doubt it must have been intentional by the owner himself. She knew this because logically if the owner had made This terrain so impossible to navigate through, naturally he must have created the cloudy and dismal environment as well.
There was one last curve in the road that rolled up to the castle gates.
The gates crossed over a stone bridge in which a grand gray archway invited you within the warm welcoming light that emanated from within the very castle itself.
"Well, here it goes. Here goes nothing. I'm heading in".
She was only talking to herself as a means to soothe her nerves and also to reassure herself in the process.
Maruna's footsteps had a clackity and eerie echo which made it sound like there were two set of feet instead of one going across the stone bridge.
Maruna didn't want to prolong this weird echo effect experience so hastily she ran to the light coming from within the castle.
The light was blinding for a few brief moments until her dark accustomed eyes adjusted and she found herself in a lobby that was the color of fresh blood.
Maruna practically galloped to the registry desk.
However nobody was around to attend to the front desk.
How very Strange. I come here and I'm most likely the only visitor, you'd think they be here to greet me, I mean come on it's the least they can do! Oh yeah how silly of me. The castle is probably understaffed and from what Hildegarde said there's next to no staff here at all anyway. Relax, Maruna, you're here, you made it, the worst part is over, now that the hard part is over, you can relax,take it easy, do a few crossword puzzles, get into that long over due writing you've always wanted to do. Seriously you can take it easy now, just sit back and wait for an attendant to get your bag. It will be great, you'll see, just wait, don't overthink this.
Somehow even this didn't convince her but she exhales6 in a desperate fashion and took a seat on a slightly moth eaten red felt seat.
There was a shadow at the top of the ugly factory like stone stairs.
Then there was a rustle behind the desk and a arched back emerged from behind the front desk.
"Miss Fipple I preeesume."
The man's face was gaunt and extremely angular, his jaw seemed somewhat swollen but the chin was elongated into an almost deadly looking point.
The long roman nose curved down dramatically like that of a stoic bald eagle, his lips would have been almost non existant if it hadn't been for the the contrast of his ghastly pale face against the overall greyness of his lips.
His skin was not only pale but crusty almost as if he had been frozen at one time, there was a strange stone like residue upon the surface of his countenance, there were tiny dirty grey pearls that marred his skin.
Maruna tried not to stare but it ws impossible and it was already too late as she had been staring at him for far too long.
Whats with this guy's eyebrows?
Is he some sort of fancy Romulan? What's more does he actually shape his eyebrows with that kind of curly flair?
Yeah Hildegarde was right the caretaker is a really odd fellow. Odd looking at least but she did mention he was nice enough, so maybe everything will turn out. Yeah I should be fine right?
"Would you like a rooohm with a view my lady?"
"Ehem..um...yeah that would be nice I guess, although you know it doesn't really matter. A room is a room ya know. I'll be happy with whatever you give me".
The computer keyboard clacks away and then a hollow and rather triumphant laughter tears through the silence.
"You are a funny one, Miss Fipple. True a rooooohm is just a rooohm but you see each of theeese rooohms are quite unique. So in Theese case a rooohm is not always just a roohm, at leeest not here anyways. Is theese all you have brought with you? Only one baaag?"
"Yep only one. I like to travel light and with This terrain, I'm glad I did. I mean imagine carrying a bunch of bags all the way up to this castle. It would be crazy."
"Oh hohoho, yes the journey is very rough, no. Sooo very smart of you to travel light. Well I seepose I should geeve you a tour, that way you know your way arooound sahmwaht."
"Yeah...of course that would be great. Well...lead the way".
The Man nods firmly and promptly takes her bag and trudges forward with the lithe stealth and grace of a tight rope walker.
Egads this guy is skinny. I mean he's like over 6"4 but he's practically a beanpole. What is he a dancer or a acrobat or what?
No judgements but still this dude is weird.
"Soooo I can't help but notice you deed not cuum with any family. What is the reeson for theese?"
"Funny you should mention that...um yeah I guess you could say I don't have a family."
"Ahhhh no family. You never grew up weeth one?"
"Naw...I mean no, I grew up alone...What am I saying? I grew up in the Foster Communes, Also as know the Orphan District. Its really stupid honestly. They say it's all about equality but the government still reinforces segregation. I mean I can see why, Foster kids haven't exactly had a great rep in the past but the way they throw us is in these weird districts is almost as if we have the plague. I guess somebody out there is afraid that we might corrupt their children or something. Anyhow that was my life awhile back".
"That eees mooost peculiar. Sahntheeng about that does not seem very fair.
No, doubt you haad to riaze yurself. That is a most trageek thing to haave to deeel weeth.
You must have biiin so lonely fooor soooo lonhng.
Yet why do you come to pure isolation eeef that is all liiife has given you?"
"That's a good question. I guess I just wanted to experience a new kind of loneliness just to make sense of everything ya know".
"Isolation from my eeexperience can beee sooo sweet, it can make the heart hunger and the soul lust fur eeeven deeper depths but in the end your belly is empty and the unforgiving loneliness consumes the psyche to the point of no return. Don't be deceived by solitude, there is only ruin in complete silence, only destruction in absolute loneliness. There are times ween even misery rejects company, make sure you do not get to thaaat point.
I shouuuuld know, I have leeeved alooone for an aaage.
Don't make the mistakes I did, my sweet lady".
"Well it's kind of hard to socialize in a place like this especially with so very few visitors".
"Theeere is allllways the villagers. They are goood people, alllmoost too good.
Good to a fault hahaha. They'd give the sheert oooff their backs but then there have beeeen times weeen I have seeeen where they haave abandoned their own to the wolves soooo to speak. Humanity is a fickle race, they love you one day than throooow you to the wind the next. Haha I suppose it deeepends on the human. Don't mind my rambling. I am a compulsive rambleler. I can't help myself at times".
"Well this is is awkward um...I just realized I don't even know your name."
"You may call me Mr. Olivier as my name taaag so proudly claims".
The man flaunts his lapel rather menacingly.
Maruna forms her lips into an O shape and nods; smiling awkwardly with embarrassment on the corners of her sumptuous lips.
The Castle was dense with hallways and doors, each one was only slightly different and if the light was any dimmer she could very well mistake one door with another.
The hallways were relatively the same expect some varying furniture that lined a few of the walls. There were Renaissance paintings that appeared so crisp and life like that glowered down from the peeling plaster walls.
The plaster exposed patches of ever eternal stone.
"Theeere are varrry few ruules here at thee Castle. Teen O' Clock is thee normal cuurfew. I dooo not mind eeef you still have your light on just be sure you are weeethin in yur rooohm at that tiime. Eess thaat understood?"
"Oh...um...Yeah of course. Understood."
"Eeexcellent. I'm sure you and I shall geeet allloong jusst splandadly".
Mr. Olivier then gallantly opened a door for her to enter with one swift movement.