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The Strange and Wonderful House: Difference between revisions
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==== The Basement ==== | ==== The Basement ==== | ||
The Basement was filled with a broiling sea of gears, valves and other mechanical pieces, connected to one huge, “cosmic” camshaft. Over a thousand years old, these mechanisms seemed to be the underpinnings of the House above. The mechanisms were overlooked by a copper bridge without any guardrails, which extended from the small staircase through which the Basement could sometimes be entered, though the staircase did not exist all the time. A [[Robot (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|large, silent, yet friendly robot]] dwelled in the Basement and protected any fragile visitors who made their way in by mistake, a misstep all the more dangerous since the sound of the gears, instead of simply being deafening, had a hypnotic effect that made people want to jump off the bridge. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 44: The Basement|The Basement]]'', ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 44-I: Safety Catch|Safety Catch]]'') | The Basement was colder than the rest of the House, and filled with a broiling sea of gears, valves and other mechanical pieces, connected to one huge, “cosmic” camshaft. Over a thousand years old, these mechanisms seemed to be the underpinnings of the House above. The mechanisms were overlooked by a copper bridge without any guardrails, which extended from the small staircase through which the Basement could sometimes be entered, though the staircase did not exist all the time. A [[Robot (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|large, silent, yet friendly robot]] dwelled in the Basement and protected any fragile visitors who made their way in by mistake, a misstep all the more dangerous since the sound of the gears, instead of simply being deafening, had a hypnotic effect that made people want to jump off the bridge. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 44: The Basement|The Basement]]'', ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 44-I: Safety Catch|Safety Catch]]'') | ||
==== The Cathedral ==== | |||
The Cathedral was huge and quiet, lit by sunlight streaming in through stained glass windows. On its floor, “old words” were inscribed, making up a foreboding prophecy: “''Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,/Your old men shall dream dreams,/Your young men shall see visions.''” On the altar, writers who wanted to ritually swear off writing forever could come and lay down a symbolic writing implement of their choice. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 45: The Cathedral|The Cathedral]]'') | |||
== History == | == History == | ||
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The note read “''My apologies, I had to borrow the vacuum to clear up the mess made by the gardener in [[the North West attic]] under [[the reverse Koi pond]] next Saturday''”. To his annoyance, it was signed “Frank the Janitor”, and Frank realised that he had taken a wrong temporal turn at Thursday (he was actually meant to turn right instead of left), ending up ''after'' he himself already borrowed the vacuum and thus creating a minor paradox. Grumpily, he set about getting out of [[the Vault]] and retracing his steps. He recalled the rhyme telling him which of the opaque windows making up the walls of the Vault serves as an exit: “''Seven laps clockwise from the north, six counter from your new location, now keep stepping left and enter the fourth''”, and implemented its direction, closing his eyes as he stepped backwards into a window, hoping he had the right one. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 43: The Vault|The Vault]]'', ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 43-I: The Note|The Note]]'') | The note read “''My apologies, I had to borrow the vacuum to clear up the mess made by the gardener in [[the North West attic]] under [[the reverse Koi pond]] next Saturday''”. To his annoyance, it was signed “Frank the Janitor”, and Frank realised that he had taken a wrong temporal turn at Thursday (he was actually meant to turn right instead of left), ending up ''after'' he himself already borrowed the vacuum and thus creating a minor paradox. Grumpily, he set about getting out of [[the Vault]] and retracing his steps. He recalled the rhyme telling him which of the opaque windows making up the walls of the Vault serves as an exit: “''Seven laps clockwise from the north, six counter from your new location, now keep stepping left and enter the fourth''”, and implemented its direction, closing his eyes as he stepped backwards into a window, hoping he had the right one. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 43: The Vault|The Vault]]'', ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 43-I: The Note|The Note]]'') | ||
Over the years, dozens of writers solemnly laid down their implements of writing on the altar in [[#The Cathedral|the Cathedral]] and gave up on writing forever. None of them ever regretted this vow or went back on it. However, the ritual came to be a subject of stigma, and the Cathedral was dusty and long-abandoned by the time one more writer hesitantly stepped inside and prepared to put their fountain-pen down on the altar. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 45: The Cathedral|The Cathedral]]'') | |||
At some point, a man came to lie between the roots of [[the Bodhi Tree]] in [[the Gardens]]. He never moved or aged, although his blue eyes were wide open. He became known as “[[the Bodhi Son]]”, and a [[Loom weaver (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|superstitious old woman]] started a tradition of placing candle-prayers at his feet. Over time, this developed into a full religion, with a cathedral of wood and stone being carefully built in the shade of the Tree, with the Bodhi Son lying in the narthex. Eventually, a fire broke out, burning down the cathedral and the Tree itself, but the Bodhi Son was unharmed, crying in his sleep as his face covered with suit. In the instant when the Bodhi Tree finally died, he blinked as he awoke. When he opened his eyes again, they were no longer blue, but green like the Tree's leaves had been. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 39-III: The Bodhi Son|The Bodhi Son]]'') | At some point, a man came to lie between the roots of [[the Bodhi Tree]] in [[the Gardens]]. He never moved or aged, although his blue eyes were wide open. He became known as “[[the Bodhi Son]]”, and a [[Loom weaver (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|superstitious old woman]] started a tradition of placing candle-prayers at his feet. Over time, this developed into a full religion, with a cathedral of wood and stone being carefully built in the shade of the Tree, with the Bodhi Son lying in the narthex. Eventually, a fire broke out, burning down the cathedral and the Tree itself, but the Bodhi Son was unharmed, crying in his sleep as his face covered with suit. In the instant when the Bodhi Tree finally died, he blinked as he awoke. When he opened his eyes again, they were no longer blue, but green like the Tree's leaves had been. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 39-III: The Bodhi Son|The Bodhi Son]]'') | ||
