new drafts

Aurélie Asseo Low-fic, fantasy

Jay


Chapter I
Jay and Garry

Jay Nowak born in 1985 in Switzerland had a very interesting life. She was born in a village named Mole on the Swiss Riviera.In her late thirties she still lived with her parents in their beautiful upper class country home. Her mother was Eleanor Meier, A Swiss national with some British ancestry and her father Peter Nowak a Swiss man with some Polish and English forbears too. At home Elanor spoke French and Swiss German and English. In her everyday life as a mature college student, she mostly spoke French and English. Jay had soft colored eyes, sky blue that is the reason why her parents had decided to call her Jay, like the blue bird, she was also very slim, short, fair haired and gracious.
Jay Nowak was very lonesome as a person; she had always felt that way. The woman was looking for some adventure. Sentimentally she had had boyfriends although it had never been perfect. Now what she was looking for was a true adventure, not necessarily in her relationships nor with anyone, what she felt is that she wanted to explore her garden a little more, maybe magic can happen at your doorstep, who knows! She had arranged the family home’s garden a little English with ponds and flowers and small fountains. She also enjoyed walking near the lake side and see the moored boats in any season and even in winter she ‘ll go into La Maison du Lac a beautiful restaurant, she would call a rusty pub in a glass house, typically 1920’s stylized and which had been built in 1925, then with newer windows that had been built in 1990. She could not have found better words to describe the place, this rusty and cozy pub where she would order hot chocolates. One day as she entered the restaurant’s old entrance door and could the flickering flames of the fire burning in the hearth near the library corner of the restaurant where comfortable sofas had been set, she could see a blond man sitting reading a book. The man lifted his head and looked at her. He was pleasant to look at, had a lovely face, refined clothes, a little in the style of Andy Warhol, fair eyes and chubby mouth, he was five feet tall and slim.
“Hello, a newcomer?” He spoke.
“oh no, I have been regular to the place for seven years now, before 2016 I did not think of going to that pub necessarily , “it’s really expensive” my grandmother had told me, and although we have a house of our own, we inherited, we have modest means, my parents are freelance shoemakers and sell unique pieces, bespoke tailoring and before that time I was not yet a BA student and did not have as much money as today. I study anglophone and francophone literatures in Zurich, I go there twice a week and I also tutor teenagers everyday with their homework in French and English, each day, the whole morning. My name is Jay,” Replied she.
“Delighted to meet you Jay, my name is Garry Matheson, I am unemployed at the moment, I used to work in a shop that sold handmade wooden crafted toys, an old fancy made anew for the joy of children, and many adults” Garry replied smiling “I took a u turn in studying tricks and I got so absorbed in the domain of magic that I lost my job, my wife threw me out and is raising my nine year old with her new guy “ he replied grinding . “I am forty-nine turning fifty, I hope there is still a job for me somewhere in this world.”
“I am sure you’ll find. Are you English?”
“Well my father, Ian Matheson, is Scottish by blood and was born in Switzerland in 1940 , in Montreux .Due to the fact his family settled here in 1840 already, The Mathesons are “Swiss Scots “I would say” he replied softly “ same for my mother Stephanie Matheson born Jacob, who is British and was born in Zurich in 1944, as a matter her of fact her parents came to Zurich in 1843”-I- was born in 1974 in Courtelle in Bourgogne France, as my parents were on holidays”
Jay looked at him talking and found him attractive and sympathetic his presence was soft and comely to her. She sat next to him and saw he had read a book, David Copperfield
“I can see you are really into magic.”
“Oh yeah, an old fad to me and so your parents are shoemakers?” He replied.
“Yes, my mother, Eleanor Meier born in 1947 to a Swiss father Paul Meier and my Grandmother Mary Rose Coughlan born in 1917. The Coughlans is an Irish family from Connemara my grandma was born to by her father, John Coughlan, her mother Rose Smith was English, a typical Londoner who met John Coughlan during a trip, a crusade to Connemara in 1916, three months later they married and by Spring 1917 my grandmother was born. She spent her whole childhood and youth between Britain and Connemara, Ireland. One day she received a letter that had been sent to her address in London near her mother, Mary- Rose was thirty and had worked as a telegraphist her whole life she had started when she was seventeen, she had never been married nor had any affairs with anyone. The letter was sent by the Swiss confederation that the country was looking for English au pairs to look after Swiss children. It was a very well-paid job, and you were housed with the family. She came to Mole, in the Swiss Riviera, to the Meiers. The Meiers were traditional shoemakers, the family complete name was Meier-Nowak. A Jewish family. On The Nowak side, there were Polish Jews that had left the city of Gdansk in the 1870 because of Pogroms. Rachel Nowak met Jacob Meier when she arrived in Switzerland, Jacob ‘s mother had been Lucy who worn born in London. Jacob and Rachel married and had two sons Paul Meier-Nowak and Joshua Meier -Nowak. At the age of thirty Paul was widowed and a little taciturn, he lived alone with his brother taking care of his nieces and nephews in the traditional shop, all into shoe making. When Mary-Rose arrived she enlightened Paul’s life and by four months later they married, nine months later my mother Eleanor Nowak was born, she grew up and spent her whole life in Mole, working too as a shoemaker. She had been married once in 1967 to an American, James Langdon, who came to Switzerland, and it did not go well, he was kind of an authoritarian chap and they marriage was sour. In 1977 she had heard he made a new life in Africa, settled and found a wife in Somalia. Eleanor and James had no children together. My mother Eleanor went to Geneva in 1985 at the age thirty-eight she wanted to start a degree. She acquainted a cousin of hers Peter Nowak, fifty she had been told of by her grandmother Rachel Nowak. They fell in love and a year later I was born, April the 7th 1985. “ Beautiful story “ Replied Garry. The man had taken out a set of cards from his pocket. “ Do you wanna see some of my tricks ?“ He added. He showed Jay how to make cards disappear very quickly while hiding them in his sleeve. “ “ Nice tips !. “ She replied.
All in a sudden a roll of thunder roared and the rain started to fall. Discreet lightning could been seen out the window.
«Jay, look, I think there’s a secret door here, a sliding door»
Garry grasped a door in the corner of the fire he slid fowards. A sudden wind could be heard and leaves of gold spread in the room. Small winged fairies were flying around.
« Jay, I think I called faryland, with the cards, I mean»
«Let’s go in» She smiled.
Jay and Garry rushed in and found themselves in front of a huge twisted staircase made of glass. Jay was here, her blond hair tied in a ponytale, her blue jeans and a raincoat, on her shoulders was her rucksack, «The North Face» was written on it. Garry, was a little scared of the stairs and grasped Jay’s hand.
«Let’s climbed on» she said.

Chapter II
The forest
Once they had arrived onto the last twisted stair they could see the entrance to a forest they went in. Piebalds were talking, it was cold and snowy Frost was in the air and strings of gold were on huge fir trees.
«What’s that place Jay ?» Asked Garry.
«I don’t know Garry, it’s your trick, not mine» Replied Jay
Jay took a scarf from her bag and put it on Garry’s shoulders. Seduced suddendly by his elegance, she kissed him on cheeks. He blushed a little and took her hand.
As they walked bravely ahead in the forest. They arrived in a courtyard. small fir trees had been lit up with colourful Christmas balls. A table was dressed but nobody was present. «Garry, How come time has changed on my watch, the minute moved .« Said Jay.
«I have no idea honey» He replied.
The Chrismas table was beautiful made of wine coloured wood. There were two chairs. Lovely chiseled wine glasses, a bottle of wine in the middle. They were gold plated dishes with pies and pastries inside.Red and white napkins set with the plates and forks and knives and spoons. There Vacuum flasks of tea, cofee and hot chocolate.
A creamy layer cake was in the middle, a slice of it had probably been consumed because the cake had been cut in the middle. There was no lit house on the horizon yet in that courtyard. There was a stone fountain in the middle with cherubs and a swan, water was frozen.
«Well, I think we can help ourselves» Garry Said laughing a little sily. The two newly formed frends sat and filed their bellies, telling jokes and drinking merrily .
«Garry, look» said Jay
A cold foggy dew evaporated like willow wisps and a castle appeared in front of the fellows’ suprised eyes. Crows could be heard in the distance, some were flying to and fro.Jay pushed the heavy door of the castle. There was a huge hall with candlelights everywere, light appeared a little green. Paintings of monarchial potraits pined on the walls. A tailored dress had been left on the sofa as well as a hairbrush full of curly blond hair. Envelopes with waxed hallmarks displaying coats of arms had been opened nitly and left scatered on a marbled table.
«Garry, pull the curtains up» asked Jay.
Garry Matheson saw two gigantic red velvet curtains and lit the room, pulling them up. He saw a piano in the corner of the room and scribbled notes on a piano.
All in a sudden footsteps could be heard. The voice a woman could be heard
«Lonely guests have you found my nest ?»
An amazingly beautiful woman had entered the room. She was dressed in beige with tousled hair down on her shoulders and blue -eyed.
«I also took a one way ticket» an other one replied. A young woman with a lilac wine dress and long dark hair and green-brown eyes.
A young woman with a lilac wine dress and long dark hair and green-brown eyes walked near them, she looked amazingly beautiful too.
«My name is countess Lena de Graf and I am the owner of this mansion, my father Edmond de Graf was prince of this county, and here is my lady in waiting Mariella von Burg, I left some hors d’oeuvres outside for you my guests to rejoice, and you are very welcome «
«oh we did already countess and thank you so much for your warm welcome» Replied Jay