So the choice was made, but there seemed to be little free time for the four of them to get together and they wanted this done as soon as possible and with as little suspicion as possible, so Stephan offered to head into the city by himself the next day.
Fran wasn’t happy with Stephan for doing this, but he had pointed out to her that there was nothing to worry about, he had been into London often enough on his own in the past, he didn’t quite understand what the difference was today.
Neither, it seemed, did Fran, so she had reluctantly agreed to it. The book would stay here at his parents and he would take in the sheets of paper, the two sets of text written on separate pages, into the heart of London and see what Edwin Travers thought of this enigma.
Stephan had been up late copying the text down as carefully as possible, but ended up needing to finish off that very morning which he had just managed to do, and now he held that sheet of paper and felt satisfied with the results.
‘Stephan, are you still heading into London today?.’ His mother called up the stairs.
‘Yes Mom. I’ll be off soon.’
He had been grounded for the breaking of the stone slab, but not for very long, and his father ended up rather liking the idea of the broken artefact so he had got let off early in the end.
His parents never knew that it had been Liz who had broken it, Stephan had taken the blame, he thought of it as taking one for the team. Liz had been very grateful to him, but had felt guilty that she and the others were not being honest to his parents about this. Fran had said to him the other day however that she had talked her sister round and made her see reason with this, the deed was done and forgotten by now so it would be pointless to bring it up again. Fran’s talk must have worked because Liz seemed to have cheered up and forgotten about the accident.
Stephan packed the sheets of paper into his bag and readied himself for the trip into London. It was going to be a hot day today, so he wore a pair of tan knee length shorts, a tee-shirt and carried his rucksack on his back. Checking his hair one last time in the mirror, he figured he was ready and headed out his bedroom door.
Stephan went down stairs and pulled on his trainers, looking for his mother as he did so, he found her in the kitchen.
‘I’m going now mom.’
‘Oh, okay.’ His mother came out of the kitchen and walked up to him as he finished adjusting his second trainer. ‘Have you got everything? Money? A bottle of water?’
‘Yes mom, I’m all set.’
‘Where did you say you were going? To that comic shop again?’
‘Forbidden Planet?’
‘That’s the one.’
‘Okay, well you be careful all right, and don’t be back late. You’ll be back around early afternoon right?’
‘That’s right mom. I won’t be long.’
‘You’re sure you’ve got everything you need? I could make you a sandwich and a packed lunch if you like. It’s no trouble.’
‘No, thanks mom, that’s alright, I’ll buy a bagel or something somewhere.’
‘Oh that won’t be enough for you, look, it’ll take two seconds.’
‘No mom, seriously, I’m fine, I don’t want a packed lunch.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘One hundred percent.’
‘Well, alright then.’ She glanced at the clock. ‘You’d better get going.’
Stephan looked incredulously at his mother before turning to go.
‘Do I get a kiss?’ she asked him.
Stephan stopped and sighed, then turned round quickly and presented himself to his mother for her to plant a kiss on his cheek, which she quickly did and then opened the door for him.
‘See you later then, love you.’
‘See ya.’ He smiled to his mom as he left the house and headed into the street. He knew, deep down, that he was lucky to have two parents that still loved each other and still loved him and just wanted the best for him and to keep him safe, but right at that moment, all he was thinking about was how much his mom fussed over him. It could be annoying at times, especially when he just wanted to get on and do stuff.
He picked up the pace a bit and checked his watch as he walked down the street. There were plenty of trains that headed south along the Northern Line from High Barnet into London, but he wanted to get to the shop as quickly as possible as he had no idea how long he might be there for.
He would also be suitably close to Forbidden Planet, to which he would make a flying visit to pick up a few comics so he looked like he had spent all his time there.
The Northern Line branched into two line as it passed through central London before meeting up again on the other side, and he needed to be on the branch that stopped at Tottenham Court Road so he could wander from there into Soho and find the shop. He had looked up the timetable for the trains the night before and knew the times of the trains going through the Charing Cross Branch that had the Tottenham Court Road station on it, and if he were quick, he would just catch the next train in just before ten o’clock.
The sky was a gorgeous blue with just a few wisps of cloud in the sky above him and the sun had already begun to warm up the streets. It would probably get up to twenty four degrees today, and it would be much warmer than that on the tube.
The streets were busy with people going about their day, men and women in their business suits with their bags and brief cases in their hands, each and every one of them looking like they were dreading the day ahead.
Before long, he had reached the machine, inserted his money and collected his ticket before hurrying through the crowds, passing through the barriers and then finally making it to the platform, only to find he had a few minutes wait anyway.
Moments later, the train pulled to a stop in front of him with a wail of its brakes that scattered the pigeons that had been nodding about the platform and lines.
Although the Northern Line could be considered an underground line, this station was very much like many of the stations outside of central London and was over ground. Several stops down the line though and it descended into the tunnels that threaded through the capital’s underbelly.
Stephan stepped aboard the train, found himself a seat and settled in for the journey into London. It was fairly tedious, as usual, the train moving through suburb after suburb, stopping at each station on the line where people would embark and disembark, but the train slowly filled up as it moved closer to the city, more people getting on then getting off.
As the train moved into central London, passing though Kentish Town, Camden Town and Euston, more and more people pushed onto the carriage until finally, the train pulled into Tottenham Court Road Tube Station and rumbled to a stop. Stephan filed off the train like everyone else and just went with the crowd down the platform following the yellow sign’s displaying “Way Out,” in bold lettering.
Moving off the platform he reached the escalator and lazily let it ferry him up to the basement level where the barriers were, before ascending the stairs up to where Oxford Street and Tottenham Court road crossed.
The street was packed with people, jostling about and trying to reach their own destinations while the cars and black cabs inched their way along the cities arteries, sounding their horns at unwary pedestrians.
Stephan looked about and quickly orientated himself as to which of the several exits he had come out of and which way Soho might be. He quickly made sense of the madness and started off down Tottenham Court Road, south away from Oxford Street, and immediately the crowds thinned a little.
There were a number of bookshops down here as well as the occasional adult shop that spilled out from the liberal Soho district. But Stephan didn’t have interest in either, he only wanted to find The Magicians Hat, so he began to retrace the path that he and the others had taken several times before.
It felt like a mini quest, as if, if they took another route to the shop, it might not be there, as it had that magical quality to it that made it feel just a little bit ep
hemeral.
Stephan soon took a right off the main road and headed into Soho and the grid like maze of this area of the city. Soho seemed different to the rest of London, it tended to be much more liberal and had a reputation of being London’s Red Light District, but actually just had more of a friendly bohemian feel that welcomed anyone with any taste. There were lots of places for people in same sex relationships to hang out and go clubbing and there were more than your fair share of galleries and artistic melting pots.
Stephan passed girls holding hands with girls and men getting a little bit too familiar with other men for Stephan’s tastes, The clothing worn here looked a little wilder then the norm, and Stephan walked past Goths, Metal Heads and Emo’s, all wearing their own particular styles of clothing, each distinct and original.
Stephan continued on through the streets, passing the myriad small shops and businesses that made their home here, amongst them were plenty of bookshops, some of them catering specifically to artistic, adult or mystical tastes, many of the latter Stephan had already visited, and found that most stocked the usual trinkets.
The Hat seemed different though, and he just hoped that Mr Travers would be able to help him.
A couple of streets away and the numbers of people out and about lessened before Stephan turned into a covered alleyway that led to other hidden roads and side streets, and after a couple of turns where it seemed like you were somewhere else other than Soho, he turned a final corner and there he found The Magicians Hat. Tucked away in the back alleys of Soho, well off the beaten track and more than a little difficult to find, if you didn’t know where you were going.
The shop had a small front, being little more than fifteen feet wide, a large bay window displayed its wares from behind the wire mesh in front of it. The paint had started peeling and the posters on the door were bleached a coffee coloured tan, the inks in them going an off green or blue as they lost their colour.
He could see a few lights inside and the “open” sign faced out in the door window, so he approached the shop, the sounds of the city distant and only a couple of people passing through the alleyway, ignoring the wondrous shop just across the street from them.
On opening the door the bell rang pleasantly just above Stephan’s head. A familiar sound that Stephan had come to love, and he thought that too few shops seemed to have one of these bells anymore.
A little way into the shop, beyond low bookcases you could look over and the numerous stacks of books scattered about the room, an elderly gentleman in a shirt and cardigan looked up over his glasses at Stephan from where he sat at a high desk.
Stephan smiled and turned into a nearby aisle, while the elderly gentleman, Edwin, Travers, returned to his book.
Stephan felt a little flustered now he had arrived, and thinking about it, he hadn’t really thought through how he was going to broach the topic with Mr Travers once he got here. So he wandered down the aisle and casually looked at the books on the shelves and thought about his next move.
First off, he thought, was the need for secrecy. He needed to be as sure as he could be that no one would take much interest in his questions to the shop keeper. But he also knew he couldn’t take forever over this, he didn’t have long to do what he needed to do here and then head off to Forbidden Planet before making his way back home so that his mom didn’t become upset.
So Stephan turned around to look into the shop and out over the endless bookcases that stood haphazardly across the floor. There seemed to be no one in the shop, just him and Mr Travers at his desk, but Stephan knew there were a few nooks and crannies here and there that would be out of sight to him where he stood, so he waited for a moment to see if anyone else popped out from anywhere.
The seconds passed, and things looked good, until a head suddenly appeared, raising up from behind a bookcase.
Stephan grimaced at this development and moved to get a better look, and saw a woman, in her mid to late twenties he guessed, and she stood reading some book she had just pulled from a shelf. She was blonde and wore a thin blouse, business skirt, and, to Stephan’s eyes, couldn’t have looked much more out of place in this shop if she tried. The woman adjusted the designer glasses that were on the end of her nose and looked up at Stephan for a moment before returning to her book without any kind of reaction at all. Her face remained neutral and she continued to ignore Stephan and concentrate on her reading.
Stephan felt in a quandary, should he go to Edwin now with her in the shop, or wait, hoping she would leave before anyone else came in. It was a risk that might just backfire on him if he did wait and more people came in.
After a moment, he came to the conclusion that this secretary must have some kind of infatuation with her boss and was here to look up some kind of love spell or love potion.
As he looked over at her, she looked like she had just found something amusing in her book as she giggled to herself.
Stephan had made up his mind, she was harmless, and this might be the best chance he would get to talk to Edwin. After all, there were usually a few people in here at once when he and his friends had visited. There was only one at the moment though, so he should take this chance while he could.
So Stephan gathered himself together and braced himself for the conversation ahead before walking purposefully along the aisles and up to Mr Travers where he was sat at his desk.
Stephan waited, and after a moment, Mr Travers raised his head and looked up into Stephan’s eyes over the top of his glasses.
‘Good morning young man, what is it I can do for you this fine day?’
‘Erm, well I’ve been in this shop a few times recently, my names Stephan.’
‘Oh, of course, I knew I recognised you from somewhere. The face was familiar but I couldn’t put a name to you for a moment. I do apologise, the old grey matter isn’t what is used to be.’
‘Oh, it’s no problem sir, but we’ve bought a few books off you before, me and my friends, and you have always been very helpful to us.’
‘Heh heh, it’s no trouble young man, I do what I can. After all, some of this stuff can be dangerous.’
‘Well, yes, we know.’
‘Ho, you sound like you speak from experience.’
‘Oh, no, I didn’t mean…’
‘It’s no trouble laddie, you don’t need to explain yourself to me.’
Stephan nodded, going quiet.
‘And where are your friends today Stephan?’
‘Oh, they couldn’t make it, busy with other things, so I’m here alone.’
‘Busy? At your age? My god, it’s all so different now. Not like it was when I was a boy.’
‘I’m sure it isn’t sir.’
‘But anyway, I’m sure you don’t want to hear all about that, so why don’t you tell me why you’re here.’
‘Well, I was wondering if you could help me out with something?’
‘Help you out? Well, I will do what I can for you my boy, but I’m not sure if I will be of much help to you.’
‘Okay, well I was wondering if you could have a look at something for me? Some ancient writings I have copied from something.’
‘Writings is it? Well, let’s see it then, pop it on the table.’
Stephan pulled his backpack off his shoulder and had a glance round at where the woman had been earlier, and saw that she had not moved at all, she was still standing there having a flick though some old tome. Stephan felt emboldened and pulled the papers from his bag, and after swinging his pack onto his back again, he held the papers before him so that Mr Travers couldn’t see the writing.
‘These, well, can I ask you to keep this a secret please Mr Travers?’
‘What? Oh, of course my boy, I wouldn’t dream of telling people, not without your permission.
Stephan smiled. ‘Okay, it’s just, it’s important to us, alright?’
‘I understand, I’ll keep quiet about it, okay?’ he said patiently.
‘Alright, here you go then.’
/> Mollified, Stephan passed the first sheet of paper over to Mr Travers and gulped, waiting to see what he would say.
Mr Travers took the sheet in his hands and slid it under his glasses to get a good look at it. He looked like he was studying it intently, his eyes darting about the page.
‘Tell me my lad, what do you know of this script yourself?’
‘Well, it’s a Cuneiform text, wedge shaped, so I was guessing it was some sort of ancient Sumerian or Babylonian.’
‘Well, your right about the type of text and the period, but I can already see some subtle differences with examples of that text I have seen, but that could just be a different area or time period or something else.’
‘Would you be able to decipher it? Translate it?’
‘Hmmm, I’m not really sure. Possibly, but it would take some time to do. Have you had no luck doing that yourselves?’
‘Not really. Like you said, we have found similar text, and can place the odd word, but we’re not sure about those translations.’
‘Well, it’s something I can probably have a look for, for you. Would you like that?’
‘Well, maybe, I’d have to ask the others. It’s got to be a group choice.’
‘Of course, you go and talk to your friends and come back to me, if you want me to have a look, I can do.’
‘Would it cost us anything?’
‘No, I don’t think so, puzzles and languages are a hobby of mine anyway, but it would be done in my own time, I won’t be rushed.’
‘I understand.’
Mr Travers looked down at the paper again, digesting the lettering once more. ‘Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?’
‘Well, I have another sheet here with a different script on it which we have had no luck finding anything about at all.’
‘Indeed?’ Mr Travers looked at the other sheet of paper in Stephan’s hands, looking intrigued by what might be on it. ‘Shall I have a look at that one too?’
Stephan hesitated for a moment, before handing the paper to the old man, who grasped it in a spindly hand that shook slightly.
Magi Saga 1: Epic Calling Page 30
