An American Teenager in King Arthur's Court

[1] I'M UTHER PENDRAGON

Rain fell in heavy waves, seeming to slam everything into the ground as the clouds inches across the darkened sky, the setting sun concealed almost completely.

And there I stood, in the middle of the parking lot, looking up at the sky like an idiot before quickly making my way over to the antique structure, past signs advertising sales and deals and admission prices.

This place looks like its seen better days.

The old crumpled paper in my pocket my parents had left for me had a picture of the castle, but it didn't resemble this crumbling piece of crap that looked like it would fall over any minute.

Whatever Gwen, get over it, I thought. You're doing this for YOU. You need some time to yourself considering...my mind stopped. Don't think about it. 

Shaking off those last thoughts, I finally get inside the old building and drop my hoodie, letting my long dark hair fall to my waist and glance at the sleeping man in the admissions booth, who had a bit of drool on the side of his mouth.

"Sir," I say softly, not wanting to scare the old man into the hospital.  "Excuse me."

Still no response. Meh. I can look around and on my way out I could just leave the money I owe somewhere noticeable.

Slowly slinking past him, I notice a tour group of one family and very bored looking tour guide in her mid-40s. I inconspicuously slinked behind them, listening to the woman's monotone voice as we walked into a huge room with tall windows and a high ceiling.

"This hall here is where the infamous King Arthur and his Knights would gather around to plan daily routes for the guards."

This lady's voice is so monotonous and dead, I could pass out on the spot.

I'm sorry, but if you're gonna be a tour guide, make it just a little bit fun! Crack jokes, dance like a monkey, look just a LITTLE bit interested in what you're talking about! The family of 5 seemed to agree with me based on the looks on their faces.

"And here," she continued as I kept looking around, "is the famous Round Table. It is said that King Arthur made this table round to signify that all the men around it were equals to each other, no one had a higher social status or position than another."

The little group slowly left the big hall, but I stayed. The old windows looked so amazing, I couldn't imagine what it would've looked like in it's glory days. I stared at them for several minutes which, I know, is weird, but the felt familiar to me. No doubt mom had a picture of them hanging in her study.

That thought was immediately followed by a sharp pain filling my chest. Stop thinking about her. You're here to REMEMBER your parents not feel sorry for yourself.

All of a sudden, I snapped my head up. There was a noise, maybe a new tour group in the room, but when I swiveled around, absolutely no one was in sight.

What was going on?

The noise sounded like laughing and gossip from a group of somebodies that were nowhere to be found. All of a sudden the noise stopped.

Maybe a big group walked in and the old admissions guy turned them around. It WAS getting late after all. The sun was down and a quick glance down at my watch showed me that it was 8:30, around the museum's closing time.

Turning my back on the hall, I laugh at myself at my reaction. I mean, what was I thinking? A ghost? People hiding under the table about to jump out and say BOO? Seriously?

Walking toward the exit I pull my purse around my body and begin pulling out a 10 pound note when I stop dead in my tracks.

There it was again.