Beta- The Doll Maker

Meeting the Professor

The Doll Maker

I'd been on a ten hour train ride but my journey to the Professors house wasn't over yet. I'd stepped out of the train station and into a car that had been called for me. It felt like only ten minutes since I'd let my head drop off until the car bounced from the smooth road to a rubble drive way. When my eyes were last open, we were in the heart of the city, now suddenly I was teleported into the outskirts of the middle of no where. It was dizzying after the long journey. I just wanted to sleep.

The driver, in a pressed uniform and round hat, got out first. He opened my door then proceeded to carry my case out. The sun was still low and blinded me when I stepped out to see the new home I'd be sharing with a retired university professor.

"Money is unnecessary," said the driver as I reached for my wallet, "your host made a pre-payment." And without another word, he drove off.

I waved and he beeped back before he was gone within seconds. I turned to look at the enormous, impressive house before me. The exterior was made of stone including the steps to the front door and the long, narrow windows. Everything about it felt really old, it somewhat felt overwhelming as I was from a brand new apartment complex in a city, faraway from a world like this.

There were more windows than I could count. I made my way to the heavy wooden doors with the sound of little pebbles crunching beneath my shoes.

My bag was conveniently placed by the entrance by the driver.

I knocked on the door with the massive knocker shaped like a lions head. With such details, I imagined no stone was left un-turned when decorating this house.

"Use the door bell!" Came an aggressive, but old voice from the inside.

The response shocked me but only then did I notice a simple plastic button to the right of the knocker. I pushed it, it didn't feel as exciting.

"Ah, there you are, Young Boy!" Said the croaky old man as he opened the door, he was much more friendly this time. "Please do come in."

The Professor took me in and immediately gave me a tour of the home. He was pleased to let me know there were nine rooms for me to pick from, four of which had an en-suite which he highly recommended.

The decor had a strange mix of old fashioned and modern inventions. For example, the kitchen had an original aga, which looked like it had been used for generations, then immediately to the left had a microwave which looked moderately new and disused.

Nothing seemed to match. It felt like a headache. It had the gaudy clash of modern and old he didn't quite pull off well

The house was so large, it was cold. The entire floor plan was made of tiles with no carpets, the only source of heat so far was the natural light hitting the larger than life windows.

We walked up the stairs together and he pointed to all the doors and their functions. There was a sizeable living room on the second floor where I could get a proper view of just how big the garden was, complete with a tennis court. Massive and disused.

I could see myself playing badminton with some friends on a Saturday afternoon there on the court.

There was so much study space too, it seemed as though I could never get bored testing out all the side desks and rooms; a library, the front room and even an additional dining room which had a large table, supposedly for a large amount of guests.

All the bedrooms rooms looked too big for me, I could never sleep in a room that wasn't cosy. I'd never get used to it.