NaNo Prep 2013 – Day Twelve - Setting #1

Lucas sat on the wide windowsill in his Victorian living room. He had a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He didn’t particularly agree with smoking, but he was brooding and that, unfortunately, meant smoking. As he looked around the relatively ornate room, he shook his head. He’d worked hard all his life to buy this tiny house. Although, if he was honest, he had dreamt of owning a much bigger Victorian house, but after eleven years training to be a Neurologist, money didn’t stretch all that far. Especially not now!

He had, however, proudly got a house in the area of the City that he wanted. Granted, it wasn’t the big house on the corner of Lockbrook Hill, but still. He had coveted this part of the City since he was seventeen, ever since he’d discovered that settlements in Castleborough dated back to the 1st century BC, way before William of Normandy built a castle there in 1062.
Despite having focused his studies on the sciences, Lucas adored history. He loved the idea of knowing that people had walked the same paths as him, over the centuries. He’d realised this was the case while he was in Egypt a few years ago. He developed a serious case of goosebumps when he visited the Valley of Kings in Luxor.

Lucas quite liked his house, on Stonebridge Road, and had tried exceptionally hard to make it feel like home. It might have been tiny but it looked a bit like it might be about to topple over from some angles. But, he had to say, it was in excellent condition. Other than furnishing, he hadn’t needed to do much to it to make it habitable.
The living room, in which he now sat, was warm and comfortable. The fire crackled quietly as it heated the room; he could see the wood disintegrating into nothing, if he watch for long enough. Atop the vast mahogany fireplace, with it’s intricate carvings that has screamed to him on the day he’d viewed the house, sat photos of his family. His mum and dad, both doctors, sat alongside his highly talented musician brother, as they watched over Lucas.

Other than the dark mahogany wood that scattered the room, it was relatively light. The walls were painted a light, almost muted, yellow and the curtains were made of a cream, weighty fabric and heavily embroidered with gold. The carpet was a slightly darker cream colour. It was so thick that Lucas loved walking around in bare feet, just so he could feel the softness almost hug him as he wandered around the house. In fact, the only thing he didn’t like was the musty smell the previous owners had left behind. Mind you, he thought, I’m currently doing a wonderful job of masking that with this cigarette smoke, which, by the way, tastes disgusting!

As he gazed out the window, he could see people heading home from work. Buses travelled past the house all day, but he noticed it more during rush hour. Although, in Castleborough, it seemed to be rush hour all day, everyday. He saw a few people wandering into The Pilgrim & Tailor pub opposite, for a sneaky drink before going home to face their families. Lucas’ house was a mere two minute walk away from the river. So, in the summer this area was heaving with tourists, sunbathers, people going for punt rides along the river and all day drinkers that frequented the vast number of pubs and bars situated in this prime spot. For some one who didn’t like large numbers of people, Lucas found that this rarely bothered him. He felt, for some reason, that this was what made Castleborough unique.