Young Writers Society

Hey! Just started tossing out some brainwaves on paper last night and this is what happened. What do you think? Let me know if it's worth cleaning up and continuing or if it should fall by the wayside like so many other worthless inventions of the night.

And yes, the title is under construction.

Yours ever,

MademoiselleKool

PART 1 (incomplete)

It was a great point of pride with Sebastian Longfellow that he was always prepared for anything that came his way. It was his trademark - a tradition of the Longfellow family that had begun when Sebastian's great-great-great-grandfather had saved himself, his family and almost all his crops from a devastating flood. Since then, every member of the Longfellow family had been blessed with almost magical foresight and a great deal of disturbingly consistent good luck. Sebastian was the current lord of the Longfellow estate and hence owner of all lands and possessions of the family, including the legendary Longfellow luck.

That was why Sebastian's current situation rankled so, so deeply. It bit that he had underestimated the traveling time from London to his home. It bothered him that he had failed to account for the late time of the year and hence the early darkness that now bathed the entire countryside. It irritated him that he was ever so slightly lost and disoriented because of the blinding rain, fog and darkness. It cut that he hadn't thought to pack food, extra blankets or dry clothing. And it absolutely infuriated him that his horse had stepped in a hole, broken its leg and had to be shot. Now he was stuck with no transportation, ever so slightly lost in the dark and rain, and on the way to catching a very nasty cold.

"Damnation." Sebastian rolled the curse on his tongue, then deliberately spat it out, dwelling in perverse satisfaction on each syllable. "Bloody hellfire damnation." He stopped, then slowly added, "Bollocks."

He stood glaring at the total wreckage of his small curricle. He'd rolled out just before it bounced up on the same rut his horse had stumbled on. Now it lay on its side, missing two wheels and half the wide seat. Closing his eyes, Sebastian pressed his long fingers to the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply for a moment. Then he checked his belt for his pistol, pulled his coat closer about his shoulders, and began trekking down the road in what he hoped was the correct direction. He could only hope he'd come across a house - or at least a sheltered forest area that would serve as shelter from the rain.

Drawing his boots up from a particularly deep slog of mud, Sebastian wiped water from his eyes and squinted from side to side. So much for making a good impression on his guests. When he showed up at home - if he ever did - he'd be completely bedraggled. And probably, he admitted reluctantly, in no mood for entertaining. Sebastian tugged at the rip in his shirt unhappily. He was no fop, but he was meticulous in his clothing and appearance. He had no wish to marry - but there was no harm in enjoying the company of a willing, unmarried female or two. Or three.

Engrossed in his thoughts, he nearly missed the faint glow of light off the right side of the road. He blinked and stopped, turned and cocked a hip. The glow was gone now - but he could have sworn he'd seen it. He waited, scowling into the gloomy darkness - ah, there it was. A brief yellow glow that went on briefly, then disappeared. He started in that direction, scowling. He wasn't sure what it was, but at least it was something. He got off-track a few times during the interludes of darkness, but soon the flash would appear again to set him on course. He's been going for what seemed an interminable length of time when at last he happened upon a small path that lead towards the source of light.

The going was easier and quicker then, and soon the path widened. He was walking with his head down, hand on his hat to shield his eyes from the beating rain, so he was started when the next golden flash encompassed the whole area around him. He looked up, startled, then stumbled back a few paces at what he saw. It was a house - presumably. The most startling thing about it was the fact that it looked exactly as if it had been built upside down. It cut down diagonally into the hill, the entire foundation being a wide triangle - the shape the roof would have been, had it been on top. On the front of the house were two tall windows with curtains hanging - somehow suspended upside down in the windows. Up near the top of the house was a wooden door and the top of the house was entirely flat. Ringing the entire roof was a row of tall white candlesticks. As Sebastian watched, there was a puffing sound and a flash of flame that spread rapidly around the roof. The candles were lit in quick succession, and just as quickly doused by the rain.

Sebastian stood blinking and observing the phenomenon for a moment - just long enough for him to become once more aware of his wet feet and exhausted limbs. He went forward, blinking against the glare of the candles as they went up once more. He stood in a quandary, unable to figure out just how to knock on a door that was a good ten meters above his head. He pounded on one of the windows, trying to be loud enough without breaking the glass. When that produced no result, he went to the other window and raised his fist, then blinked as it swung open inwards in a gust of wind and rain. He looked through into the dark interior, then shrugged. The needs of his body won out against the protests of his mind and he put one boot cautiously through the window. He swung his other leg over, then carefully let himself down until his feet came into contact with the floor. He dropped down and closed the window after himself, then felt his way forward until he found what felt like a doorknob. He turned it and the door swung inwards, revealing a wide shaft of golden light. He stepped forward quietly, slowly, finding himself in a narrow hallway. At the end was another door, which he opened. The room on the other side made him pause yet again, blinking.

There was a circle of boxes, trailing metal wires, cogs and springs, wheels and weird machinery, with tubes leading through walls and the ceiling. There was a large brick fireplaces crackling with an enormous and wonderfully warm fire. Every few seconds the flame disappeared, then appeared again amid the logs. In the middle of the chaos was a large desk, piled high with papers and books. On top of a towering pile of encyclopedias was a dish of silver-wrapped chocolates. A pair of slim white feet were perched on the desk, and every once in a while a hand would appear over the pile of books to snatch a chocolate.

Sebastian frowned. He couldn't be that far from his own home, and a dwelling like this would never have escaped his notice. He searched his mind for any rumors he may have heard about an eccentric house. The only thing he could think of was the old Barkley place - much gossiped about in society, principally because of the seclusion of its owner. But those rumors were about a man, and those were definitely female feet. He cleared his throat twice, to no avail. He picked his way forward through the rubbish until he reached the desk. He peered over the books and down on the smallest woman he'd ever seen. Everything about her was petite, from the bare toes perched on the desk to the slender legs clad in ragged breeches to the nipped waist to her tiny hands clutching a big leather tome. Her pale brow was wrinkled in concentration, her white teeth were clamped over a small, rosy mouth. Her dark eyelashes were cast down across her light skin, and every once in a while her small, pert nose would twitch. Dark, almost black hair with tints of red was pulled back from her face, exposing tiny, shell-like ears.

While Sebastian watched, she reached up with one hand, groping around for a chocolate. Instead her hand came into contact with his face. It took her a moment to realize that something was different - Sebastian grinned at the feel of her slender fingers tracing his jaw. Then her feet came up abruptly and her book dropped to the floor. Enormous, dark blue eyes were revealed as her eyelids came up and she flailed in her chair for a long, uncertain moment. Then, with a shrill squeal, she crashed backward to the floor. She bounced back to her feet in an instant and stood staring at him and panting. Sebastian peered at the cover of the book on the floor and blinked in surprise. It was a book of Tennyson's poems, not a scientific tome as he'd thought.

"Excuse me... who are you?" Her voice was like the rest of her - small, light, airy and beautiful.

"My name is Sebastian Longfellow. My horse fell in a hole on the road. I saw your lights and -"

A panicked expression came over the girl's face and she began frowning fiercely. "The lights? You mean the candles? Don't tell me I forgot... oh bugger." She turned and frantically began jumping over the boxes, trying to reach the fireplace. At last she reached the fire and began pumping at the bellows, then tugged on a wire. There was a crash, a boom from the roof. The fire disappeared for a moment, then settled back to the logs. The girl turned back to face Sebastian. "I'm so sorry. What were you saying?" She took one look at him and grimaced. "Oh dear. You're soaked to the bone. Come with me, please."

She made her way to the grand piano that stood in the opposite corner of the room and climbed on top of the lid. Sebastian stared for a moment, then shrugged and went over.

"I'm not sure if I should get on top of your piano. I might break it."

She looked at him appraisingly. "No - you're tall but not fat. Come along."

As soon as Sebastian forced his frozen limbs into a sitting position on the piano, she reached down with her feet and hit three random notes on the piano. Immediately it jerked, the floor separated and the piano began to sink. Sebastian clung to the side and stared as the floor of the strange room slowly rose to eye level. Then they were down to another level. The piano came to rest gently on the floor of a dim, cozy room, well-furnished with rugs and furniture in the latest fashion.

"Have a seat, please." The girl smiled. "I'll be back in a moment."