Once upon a time the world was full of breathtaking landscapes. Massive forests and high mountains, valleys and meadows covered in flowers, extensive wastelands and deserts, huge icebergs and cities so beautiful they seemed to be taken out of fairytales.
All that is left now is a vast unending ocean and a few scattered islands here and there. Just thinking about all the miraculous things and the beauty of the past, now lost forever, fills me with a strange sadness.
You see, that birthday visit to the vintage shop sparkled a hunger within me; a hunger to find out as much as I could about the past and its treasures. I started spending hours reading history and history of the arts. Searching for details and enchanting stories of the old. And the more things I discovered, the more I wanted to find out more.
I tread every shop and bazaar I could find, looking for old books. I made Max hack every online library and database in existence, so I can have access to every available source of knowledge. It was fascinating; unraveling bit by bit the skein of human history.
Some things are meant to happen I suppose. Alex’s birthday surprise led him to discover that vintage shop. The art book he got me for my birthday gave rise to my infatuation with everything that was related with the past. This infatuation in its turn prompted me to start looking for sources of historic information, until finally my search led me to discovering the Ark, the Museum of Old Life as they call it, which is the largest museum in Virtus.
Everything from the old world that survived the flooding is now kept in there. Priceless pieces of our past laid out for the public to see. History in a nutshell.
It was a rainy and cold morning. The boys were out with Flavio trying to negotiate a new business deal and I was looking for something interesting to do. So, I got dressed, packed my sketchbook in a bag and left the attic.
The streets were very busy, as they usually are in this time of the day. People going to their jobs, others just wandering around shopping, kids going to school, friends meeting, tourists from other islands wandering excitingly around taking photos.
It took me more than an hour to reach the museum on foot. I remember stopping on the opposite pavement to catch my breath and staring at its impressive huge façade wondering about the wanders that laid hidden inside. Strangers would pass me by in a hurry, looking at me, but I took no notice. I was dazzled by the Ark. Beautiful and imposing and full of secrets that awaited to be unlocked.
I couldn’t have possibly imagined it then that it was meant to be us that would find the key to unlocking them. I was just daydreaming, filling my head with stories of adventure and miracles.
I sighed and finally took a step forward.
That step meant to change our lives forever. The first step to the dangerous, yet thrilling path of time travelling.
But I’ll tell you more about my first visit to the Ark next time!
Take care, guys!