PROLOGUE
1848; what can I say about it, other than the fact it was everything but a pleasant year? It was the rise of several conflicts between two (or more) national regions. That wasn’t the worst of it though. The worst of it was a — lot more severe. The subject matter of it lasted for 2-3 centuries; longer than that, most likely.
It was night time and there were at least up to ten houses surrounding the village; there was smoke rising from about 3-5 of their chimneys. A large group of men stumbled through the woods; there appeared to be at least twenty of them. About half (or perhaps only nine) of them carried rifles, while only one of them held a torch; and that may very well go without saying. Within ten seconds, they finally arrived to where they were headed, that being in front of a dim shady door.
“That one,” one of the men spoke out, pointing directly to the door, “right there.”
“’you sure?” the leader of the men asked.
The man he spoke to then looked at him. “Go and find out.”
Hesitantly, the leader of the men did so while looking back over to him. “If you’re wrong, then so help me god.”
“And I swear to thay lord that I most certainly am not.”
At the same time the lights had switched on, the door had quickly opened as well. The person behind said door was an elderly looking man — with shaggy white hair and a long beard.
“What can I do you for?” he asked them.
“Well what can’t you?” one of the men jokingly asked.
The leader of the men looked at the person, immediately belching out, “Shut your yap.” He then turned his attention back over to the elderly looking man. “As a matter of fact, I’d like you to start talking.”
“What for?”
“The reason is ‘cause we been gettin’ some news.”
The elderly looking man watched as the leader of the men appeared to begin folding his hands. “What kind of news might that be?”
“Some escapes,” the leader of the men firmly added, “some attempted ones to be clearer. Surely you been hearin’ about them lately.”
From the look of it, the elderly looking man slowly shook his head. “I doubt that.”
“No? You ain’t serious now, are ya?”
The elderly looking man then began hesitating, “Well, I hadn’t really thought of it, up until you said somethin’ to me — just now.”
From the looks of it, the leader of the men began rolling his eyes. “So, what might you be tellin’ me?”
“I reckon I don’t have no say.”
The leader of the men rolled his eyes again, this time firmer and visibly. “Don’t you —”
“Beg your pardon?”
Instead of finishing his sentence out loud, the leader of the men spoke it quietly in his own head. ‘Don’t you give me any o’ that shit.′ About five seconds later, the leader of the men continued to speak up, “Might I come in?” From the look of it, the elderly looking man started hesitating. To which, the leader of the men quickly shrugged.
Two seconds later, the elderly looking man nodded, “Yeah.” He then took a right step backwards. “Sure, be my guest.”
Despite attempting to, the leader of the men did not take another step. The reason for this — was because it was too dim. ‘I can’t see shit,’ he thought.
Luckily though, the elderly looking man began to arrange that, as he quickly grabbed a lantern that just so happened to be behind the door; perhaps it was possible that it had been sitting on a night stool.
As the elderly looking man carried it, the leader of the men began looking around. “How the hell can you sleep in this godforsaken dump?”
To which, the elderly looking man froze as he slowly turned around to gawk at him. “What do you care?”
The leader of the men shrugged. “I’m just askin’.”
On top of that, the elderly looking man made no hesitation to hand the lantern over to him. “Here.”
With a look of mild surprise on his face, the leader of the men took a hold of it.
“Go on and take look wherever you need to.”
The leader grinned, “Don’t mind if I do.”
‘But don’t take too long,’ the elderly looking man thought aloud.
As the leader of the men walked, he found himself entering some pretty quite areas. Not a single sound came about, that was except for the slightly loud footsteps he was making. As such, he then began to loudly whisper, “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
Still, there was no sound, not one that came from anywhere else except — from his own feet; not even the lantern was at any reliability.
It was not until at least three minutes later that he finally decided to give up. He walked right back over to the elderly looking man, who just so happened to be simply standing around. But then, something else caught his attention.
“Thanks for stoppin’ by,” the elderly looking man spoke out.
The leader of the men, however, did not take that farewell in acceptance. As instead, he turned around and slowly re-entered the dim house.
The elderly looking man began gawking. “What’re you doin’ now?”
“Shut your mouth,” the leader of the men firmly said to him. As such, he looked down onto the wooden floor, as he quickly noticed that one part of it just so happened to have a carpet lying over it. He walked up to and moved the carpet over to the left-hand-side with his foot. Right then and there, he saw what appeared to be a trap door; not only that, it also appeared to be snapped shut. To which, he knelt down and slid the knob open. After opening the door itself, the leader of the men was amused on what he had found. “Well look what we have here?”
