The evening sun embraced the horizon, casting long shadows over everything on the silent streets of Hansville except for a figure standing out in the middle of the fading light like a red cherry against grey concrete. With her fiery red curls, as wild as her adventurous spirits, brushing against her eyes that held the glint of irrepressible curiosity, Skylar Jane strolled along the streets of her hometown, closely observing every house that lined the sidewalks, fuelled with a sense of purpose and knack for discovering endless possibilities.
A scholar by name but a realtor by profession, Skylar was a blend of contradiction and revolution in the modern world. She had always been fascinated by houses since she was of tender age when the only houses she explored were dollhouses. As she grew older, she would head out to explore different neighborhoods beyond the confines of her home. From the variety of architectural styles differing in unique brick placements to the overall aesthetic of each house, every minute detail would spark a peculiar joy in her that other kids her age struggled to understand.
"She walks the streets with the intuition of a psychic, ready to retrieve a hidden gem before the "For Sale" sign even goes up, and the sixth sense of a detective who might as well uncover secrets in the housing market someday!"
This would be a common joke about her amongst her peers, but Skylar would take it as a compliment. It was not long before her passion bordered on a full-blown obsession, and that is when Skylar decided to turn it into a full-time profession. As much as it rewarded her entrepreneurially, being a realtor also fostered the curiosity and imagination of her untamed spirit. She was not a seller of houses, but homes. What others considered dilapidated, she would spot a potential in it. There was no bigger joy than aligning the expectations of her clients with the house of their dreams.
But finalizing the deal was the least thrilling part for Skylar. For her, the best part was discovering the history and tales behind every home she explored and encountered. In a world where houses are reduced to mere transactional properties and viewed only with a monetary gaze, Skylar was the one who believed that every house had its unique anthology to share with whoever enters or dwells in it, each differing in interpretation. Each time she discovered a property, she believed it honored her with the responsibility of preserving its legacy for future generations to appreciate.
For her, every window was a gateway of adventure. Every door was more than just a board of wood that wasn't just used for entering and exiting but served as a mysterious portal that offered the potential to discover endless possibilities in different worlds.
Wandering the streets as she set out for another adventure, Skylar couldn't help but wonder about the possibilities that awaited her in every corner.
"Today feels different. I think I will make myself stumble upon something that will change my life forever!" she assured herself, scanning each house as it came with a code that she was trying hard to decipher.
Each street blurred into one another, lined with cookie-cutter blocks of concrete that shared a bland identity.
"Is it just me, or do all these houses look like they were manufactured in bulk in a factory? Like, where is the originality? The charm? The character? The creativity?" thought Skylar to herself as she walked past the uninspiring houses that looked all the same.
As she walked on aimlessly, Skylar became increasingly frustrated each time she encountered a beige monstrosity, one after another, disgusted by the lack of originality prevalent on this side of Elm Street.
"Ugh! They all look like literal clones!" she groaned.
Every street was more disappointing in terms of mediocrity than the one preceding it. Each house lacked character and soul, the qualities Skylar valued above everything else. She felt like looking for gold in a coal mine.
After hours of exploring those generic houses that failed to spark an interest in her, Skylar was almost on the verge of giving up when suddenly, as if by some command of fate, she "stumbled" upon the gold she had been desperately scourging the corners of the earth for, like a butterfly landing on the finger of an unexpecting bystander.
"Time...Street," she read the sign out loud as she approached it with keen eyes. Located between two busy avenues, the street seemed to engender out of nowhere, starkly contrasting the bland concrete blocks she had seen since she embarked on today's adventure.
Though initially hesitant, it only took Skylar a moment before she gave in to the irresistible temptation of crossing the threshold of Time Street. Taking another deep breath, she stepped onto this mysterious street, anticipating anything and everything.
As she entered the street, a wave of excitement flooded her senses, as if she was teleported to another realm. Like a gateway to the unknown, this street was far from ordinary. Hardly a few yards away from the first house, Skylar took a deep breath, almost struck by awe, as she beheld the sight before her. With intricate architecture that is rarely found in the present, the houses looked like they came out of a storybook set in the olden times. They contained an aura of strangeness and mystery that beckoned Skylar closer the same way moths are drawn to flames.
"Damn! This is more like it! Mysterious, enchanting, peculiar: this is exactly what I was looking for!" she remarked, grinning to herself as she examined from afar the row of old, weathered houses that stood before her, lining the desolate street. Like an ancient manuscript derived within the crumbles, there was something strangely fascinating about them.
Being a real estate agent, houses were structures Skylar had shared an intimate familiarity with. Throughout her professional journey, she explored her fair share of properties. But there was something strangely fascinating about the houses of Time Street. She had never been so intrigued by anything before. It seemed as if each house had a story to share of its own of the days gone by.
"I wonder what chronicles these walls might unfold," she pondered as she wandered house by house, running her eyes over the crude wooden roofs ornate with ivy and long, weather-beaten window shutters.
Every house ignited an anticipation in her of discovering something extraordinary. But one house particularly exerted an invisible force that seemed to summon her, whispering an enigma only Skylar could discern.
There was no explanation for this action. It felt as if the house had invisible hands that pulled her closer toward itself. She knew that she had crossed the limits of her professional intrigue, and what drew her toward the house was more of a personal penchant for exploring the unknown.
"I know there is magic to you. I know you have things to show me," she murmured as she approached the house, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. To discover a rarity had always been her dream. And her dream was coming true.
"Is this even right?" she thought, contemplating her decision to test her limits. But she was not just a dreamer. She was also a doer. Being the daredevil she was, her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to bend the rules for a day. Digressing from her previously chosen route, she tiptoed closer to the house, her steps light as a feather as if she did not want to feel any movement herself.
With a trembling hand, Skylar touched one of the walls, subconsciously expecting it to fade into thin air. A tingling sensation formed goosebumps all around her forearm, her body stiffened, and her heart pounded. She felt like she was not the only one with a pulse here. It was not another person, no, but the house itself, which seemed to have a heartbeat of its own. It was a phenomenon she struggled to fathom. There seemed to be no sign of life there.
"Hmm, what exactly is this place?" Skylar wondered, trying to maintain her excitement and repress her apprehension. "I have a strong feeling that I would probably have a run-in with the supernatural here," she tried to laugh her anxiety off.
She tried to peek through the cracked windows to see if there was anyone inside. But all she could find was dust that blew into her eyes, blinding her for a few seconds. Despite its neglected state, there was something irresistible about this place that Skylar could not overlook.
She took a step back and then beheld the entire house from the roof to the threshold. She knew a multitude of secrets lay beyond that threshold, and she knew she had to uncover them by investigating further.
With a fierce determination, she decided to get to the bottom of the enigma that stood before her.
"Jamie would surely love this! Ha ha, she would never believe me unless she sees it herself. And Kody, oh, he would surely have something from the past to contribute to this and help us understand everything better. And Tyler, we can count on this tech whiz for some futuristic words of wisdom," she exclaimed. Skylar knew this mystery should not be tackled alone. So, she decided to share her discovery with her best friends and invite them on an adventure of a lifetime.
Only time could tell what other wonders awaited Skylar and friends in Time Street.
Having found a new purpose, Skylar made her way out of Time Street, unconsciously acknowledging that her life might not be the same again after today.
Little did she know everything that was waiting to unfold beyond that threshold would challenge everything they ever knew.