DRAGOS

Chapter One: White Chalk

Summer had arrived, making itself felt in every way, yet as always, the grey of Edinburgh had no intention of disappearing. For Elizabeth, rather than the shades of grey or the slightly improving weather, it was the email she had received yesterday that signaled the beginning of summer. Every summer, she stayed at the riverside house with Professor Harold, focusing on research papers together. As she walked with her yellow bag slung over one shoulder and a book in her hand, she flinched when she felt her hair being lightly pulled from behind.

“Good morning to you too, Miss Harrow.”

It could only be him. “I can’t even begin to tell you how annoying it is when you act this formal at school,” Elizabeth said, turning around with a smile. Mark smiled back at her, kissed her cheek, and grinned. “Do you know what else is annoying?” As Elizabeth rolled her eyes, she turned back and said, “please don’t start that topic again.” “I’m serious!” Mark said, walking behind her. “Just think about it, every summer you go to that house with that old man just to write, it’s really annoying and you know it,” he said, taking her hands and looking at her face. “We’re together every winter holiday,” Elizabeth said in a slightly reproachful tone. “And he’s not even eighty.” She couldn’t help but say it. She was annoyed that this topic came up at the beginning of every summer.

As Mark talked about the things he had planned for this summer (which he did every year, perhaps hoping Elizabeth would finally say no to the professor and choose to be with him), he took two tickets out of his pocket and said he had bought tickets for both of them to a concert in London. Elizabeth liked spending time with Mark and her other friends during the summer and truly wanted to. But beyond enjoying working with the professor and writing, she was also getting paid well. At that moment, in a tone that the entire school could easily recognize, the professor called out, “Miss Harrow!” Elizabeth and Mark turned their heads and saw him. With his umbrella in hand and his bag over his shoulder, he was wearing one of those old English caps as always, and of course, he couldn’t go without taking a drag from the cigarette he never put down. Even though he was only in his late forties, Mark and the others would laugh and say the reason for his blond beard mixed with white was the smoking. “I’ll be there tomorrow. As always, Professor, at 06:00.”

The professor winked and continued on his way. Meanwhile, Mark had greeted him, but as always, the professor ignored him.

Elizabeth finally reached the street where her house was and was walking uphill with the groceries she had bought for the road tomorrow. When she opened the door, old Miss Mia was already waiting for her at the entrance, as always, recognizing the sound of the keys. “Your timing is perfect again,” Elizabeth said with a smile as she set the bags down. She picked up old Miss Mia and kissed her. Judging by her purring, the old cat had either just eaten or had just woken up. Since Elizabeth would wake up early, she decided to go to sleep right away. The professor was a very punctual man.

When she left the house in the morning, she looked at the window and smiled when she saw old Miss Mia in Mrs. Dorry’s lap. Every summer, her upstairs neighbor Mrs. Dorry took care of her cat. Of course, she did it simply because she liked Elizabeth. Instead of the usual downhill path she always used, Elizabeth walked slowly and heavily uphill, as she did at the beginning of every summer. A travel bag was on her back, and in her hand were the sandwiches she had prepared before leaving the house. Professor Harold liked sandwiches with salami, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and black olives. Elizabeth saw Professor Harold leaning against the streetlamp next to his car, smoking. As always, he was cold. It wasn’t because of the weather, even though it was early; although he talked and spent more time with Elizabeth than with others, even Elizabeth saw him as a cold, quiet, and strict person. His beard was short at the sides and extended down from his chin. He had long hair that reached near his shoulders, and according to most people, the professor wasn’t someone who took great care of himself. He always wore his brown-tinted glasses. He would take them off while writing and put them back on when reading others’ work. People thought that because of his ego, even if he liked what he read, he avoided showing it through his expressions. They weren’t entirely wrong.

“You’re late, Miss Harrow,” the professor called out to Elizabeth as she approached from behind. How did he do that, Elizabeth thought. Even with his back turned, could he recognize her footsteps despite the sound of birds? “It’s only 05:55, Professor,” she replied, showing her phone. Professor Harold took a deep breath, exhaled the cigarette smoke, turned around, and saw Elizabeth holding up her phone. “I cannot see what you are showing me while my back is turned, Miss Harrow.” The expression on his lips clearly carried a mocking tone.

The car journey normally took about an hour, but Professor Harold stopped the car every ten minutes to smoke. No matter what, no one could smoke in his car. Elizabeth had tried to start a conversation on their first trip, but since she received no response, the past two years of car journeys had passed in silence. As the city faded behind them, the roads narrowed, the trees became denser, and the grey tones of Edinburgh gave way to green and then to the blue of the river. As Elizabeth leaned her head against the window and watched, she felt an uneasiness this time. The scenery and the road were the same as every year, but something felt different. Perhaps everything was exactly the same as it had ever been, and yet just as different.

When they reached the riverside, Professor Harold parked in the same spot, slowly pulled the handbrake all the way up, and as always, opened the door and stayed in the car for another minute. Elizabeth had traveled with the professor before for other reasons and didn’t understand this habit. She could understand if he did it everywhere, but he only behaved this way when they came here, acting more restless and strange than usual. Meanwhile, Elizabeth would get out of the car and wait as if she were getting some air. This time, something didn’t feel normal. The small wooden house by the river was still there. At the edge of the forest, right beside the river—a small house that felt as if it didn’t belong there…

When the professor got out of the car, Elizabeth grabbed her bag and coat and said, slightly out of breath, “This is it.” The professor didn’t seem to notice much, but even Elizabeth didn’t understand why she had spoken in such a breathless tone. After closing the door, as she walked slowly and thoughtfully toward the house, she began to smile when Lucy, Peter’s dog who always arrived before them, ran toward her. “You’ve come before us again, you smart girl,” she said as Lucy wagged her tail wildly and jumped around. While all this was happening, Elizabeth looked at the professor walking quickly toward the house with his bag on his shoulder as he said, “The fact that we are not working on the first day does not prevent us from going inside, does it, Miss Harrow? Or should I have taken you to a shelter instead?” For the first time, he spoke to her in such a harsh tone (though in truth, the professor had said it loudly without even looking at Elizabeth), and she froze. “Go on, you’ll be here all summer anyway, you’ll see each other again,” Peter said, appearing behind her. After a brief chat with Peter and petting Lucy, Elizabeth went inside.

As always, the professor was lighting the fireplace while Elizabeth went into the second room on the right and placed her belongings there. The house wasn’t large, but it wasn’t oppressively small either. The first room on the right belonged to the professor, the second to Elizabeth. Directly across from the two rooms was a small bathroom and shower, while in the middle of the house, the kitchen facing the forest was connected to the living room. The fireplace overlooking the river burned every evening.

Night fell faster than it was noticed. The river was quieter than ever. As Elizabeth sat on the couch making preparations for the next day, she had already finished half a bottle of wine. When she heard footsteps, before she could even look, the professor came with a box in his hand, stood in front of her, placed the box on the table, lit a cigarette, and walked toward the fireplace. Elizabeth didn’t understand anything and looked at the box. It was an old box. It looked as if it were made of wood. There were lines around it that looked as though they had been drawn with a red pen. The box was so old and cheap-looking that it had cracks on it. “Professor…” Elizabeth called out, but Professor Harold, with a cigarette in his mouth, told her to wait in an unclear manner from by the fireplace. As Elizabeth still didn’t understand what was happening and kept looking at the box, the professor exhaled smoke and walked toward it. Holding his nearly finished cigarette in one hand, he lifted the box with the other and said, “This is my greatest treasure, Miss Harrow.” “What kind of treasure exactly?” Elizabeth asked. The professor handed the box to Elizabeth and told her to open it. Deep down, Elizabeth didn’t want to open it, yet at the same time she really did. Maybe it was another necklace or ring, she thought. After all, she had received such things from the professor before. She opened the box, narrowed her eyes slightly to make sure, looked at the professor, and asked, “Chalk?” holding it up. It was an old piece of chalk. It looked so fragile that it might break even while holding it. The professor moved the table aside and bent down. Elizabeth looked at his face, standing right in front of her. She could feel his breath. Is he playing a game again? she thought to herself. “When we arrived here today, didn’t you feel any difference at all, Elizabeth?” the professor asked. Elizabeth was too surprised to speak; it was the first time he had addressed her by her name. “A little… John,” she replied. Elizabeth had called the professor by his name only a handful of times in her life, and this was one of those moments. The professor took a deep breath, looked at the cigarette in his hand, realized it had burned out, and threw it into the fireplace. Elizabeth stood up, went to him, and reached into his coat. The professor never took off his coat, even indoors. She took out the pack from his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. Standing by the fireplace, she looked at his face and brought the cigarette to his lips. The professor took it with his hand and lit it from the fire. “Today is an important day, Miss Harrow,” the professor said as he walked toward the couch. There it was again, Elizabeth thought—he had suddenly gone from Elizabeth back to Miss Harrow. Sitting at the edge of the couch, the professor bent down and drew a circle on the floor with the chalk. Elizabeth watched in complete astonishment. The chalk looked like it could break even while being held. Yet the professor drew a perfect circle in a single motion, pressing quite firmly. It was incredible. Elizabeth was always impressed by everything about the professor, but this time she was mesmerized. “Come here,” the professor said in a cold tone. When she went to him, Elizabeth felt an urge to hold his hand tighter than ever before. As the professor smoked, he turned to her and said, “You don’t turn twenty-one every day, do you, Miss Harrow?” Elizabeth was confused and didn’t understand. “Today isn’t my birthday, Professor,” she replied. The professor smiled (perhaps the first time Elizabeth had ever seen him smile sincerely) and said, “Would you like one, Miss Harrow?” showing the cigarette in his hand. As much as she wanted to take it, Elizabeth simply shook her head. “Then it’s finally time, Elizabeth,” the professor said.

Elizabeth watched as the professor threw the cigarette into the center of the circle he had just drawn with the chalk. Flames stretched from where the cigarette landed toward the white chalk, and the circle first turned red, then yellow, and then green. Everything that happened after the professor threw the cigarette happened quickly, but Elizabeth noticed every detail, and time seemed to flow slowly. The green circle began to grow inward. From that moment on, Elizabeth was completely astonished, because the circle she couldn’t comprehend seemed as if she were looking sideways into a forest. From her angle, looking down with her head, what she saw was unbelievable, but instead of that feeling, fear began to take over. On the right side, she saw the sky and the tree branches covering that part of the circle above; on the left side, she saw grass. Suddenly, the professor took a step and walked onto the grass. Elizabeth was completely shocked and now began to feel afraid. Just moments ago, the professor had been beside her; now he was standing upright on a vertical grassy surface on the left side. Elizabeth could hear the sound of waves. She could hear birds flying and the branches of trees moving in the wind… she could feel, see, and hear everything. Elizabeth instinctively glanced at the room. The chandelier above was swaying, and the fire in the fireplace looked as if it were dancing in the wind. The professor extended his hand to Elizabeth and said, “Are you not coming now, Miss Harrow? It will not remain open forever.” Elizabeth asked the professor about everything that defied the laws of physics in her mind. The professor only smiled faintly and kept his hand extended. Elizabeth placed her foot onto the grass through the circle, but she was still sure she would fall. When she placed her other foot, she had no doubt she would fall forward. The professor was still holding out his hand. Elizabeth put her other foot into the circle and, screaming, threw herself onto the professor. “It’s not as frightening as you thought, is it, Miss Harrow? It’s as if you simply ran to me and embraced me, that’s all.” Elizabeth held the professor tightly. When she glanced at her feet, she saw that she was standing on grass. Letting go of the professor, she began to look around. Behind her, she could still see the chalk passage she had used to come here (yes, Elizabeth would use that name when telling the story), and above it, tree branches and a clear sky. On her right, she could hear the sound of waves. Birds were flying and chirping all around. “Elizabeth, happy birthday, my dear,” the professor called out from behind her. When Elizabeth turned around, she could have been stunned speechless. Neither the professor nor the chalk passage was there anymore. Not knowing what to do, Elizabeth was left completely alone in an unfamiliar forest and in a world she did not know.