Novus

Chapter 1
Novus

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Chapter Description: Where travellers come to when they are lost within themselves

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The sign is old and has seen better years, but the lights for it still work. On the edge of a sleepy town that is celebrating Christmas like many other places around the world, is an inn that has been around for centuries.

It has been updated so many times, yet always retains it’s old charms.

Like the town it is celebrating Christmas, a tree out the front, Christmas lights lovingly placed around the windows, door frames and the roof. Instead of looking tacky however, it looks cosy.

And a car pulls in, rattling slightly as it stops and a women in her early 30s steps out, looks around and wrapping her arms around herself and hopping slightly to try and keep warm, she enters the hotel.

Andrea Gretia felt the warmth of the hotel on her bare hands and sighs in relief, it is so cold outside. For the hundredth time since waking up this morning in the back seat of her car, she wondered if she should just turn around and head back home, to seek forgiveness with her family.

If they would ever forgive her, and if she would ever forgive herself.

“Hello?” She calls out as she walks up to the front desk in the brightly lit hall, the sounds of someone walking can be heard from a room just behind the counter. A woman in her late 30s enters the welcome area, a soft smile on her face.

“Why hello, it’s not often I see someone here at this time of year. How may I help you?” The woman is around Andrea’s height, five foot, three inches, with brown hair and gentle looking light brown eyes. She reminded Andrea of her mother.

“I’m looking for a place to sleep, my car is too cold to sleep in, even with the heating up. I can easily pay you, I’ve got enough on me” The woman approaches Andrea and takes her hands.

“Oh you poor dear, your hands are freezing. I have plenty of rooms and I’m sure the heat in here will help you feel better” The woman goes behind the desk and hands a book to Andrea. “Just sign in here, there’s no rush with the cost right now, let’s get you warmed up first”

“Thank you” Andrea signs the book slowly, her hands painful from the lack of heat after hours of driving. The book signed, Andrea takes out her wallet, she found a purse to be awkward since she usually never had a handbag with her, and counts out some money. The woman gently lays a hand on Andrea’s hands.

“No dear, the money can wait. You’ll likely be the only guest here, it is quite rare to receive guests at this time of year” Andrea tucks her wallet back into her coat pocket.

“Why? I know the place is a little out of the way, but I would have thought that you would get plenty of people here”

“Usually the guests we receive are people like yourself, travellers, those lost in themselves and looking for some quiet solace before continuing on their way” For a moment Andrea is sure that the woman knows about her, knows who she is, of what has happened at home, has been happening in her life.

“I won’t be any bother”

“I know, dear, now let’s help you to your room. Do you have any bags you wish delivered there?”

“I’ve got some clothes in the back of my car, a few small possessions, nothing much”

“Then leave them there for now, warm up first. You may call me Kiera, Joanne Kiera”

“Andrea, Andrea Gretia” Kiera leads Andrea to her room, a room just three rooms down from the welcome desk.

“So what is this place? I didn’t see a sign post when I entered” Andrea asks after Kiera opens the door and they enter the room.

“A small village called Novus, it was named as so by a Roman garrison almost two thousand years ago. The village has been around that long, even this inn has been around that long. Do you require anything?”

“No, thank you, this will be just fine. Do you have any hot water? I would love a bath or a shower after driving for so long”

“The water is nice and hot, dear, don’t worry about using it all. I’ll be in the room I was in when you arrived if you need me”

“Thank you” Kiera leaves and Andrea enters the small bathroom connected to her room, within was a nicely sized bath and a shower attachment. Quickly returning to her car, Andrea takes out some clothes, toiletries and a small radio that she hadn’t used in a while, then returns to her room, placing the radio just outside the bathroom and switching it on, then runs a bath while singing softly.

After her bath and drying off, Andrea gets dressed into some of the few clean clothes she has and looks for Kiera.

“How was your bath, dear?” Kiera asks when Andrea looks into the room she had seen her leave earlier, inside the room it is dimly lit, yet has a cosy feeling to it.

“It was lovely, thank you. Is there anywhere around here where I can get a bite to eat?”

“There is a small cafe in the village, but it’s closed at this time. I can easily make you a meal if you wish”

“I don’t want to inconvenience you”

“It’s not an inconvenience, dear, what would you like?”

“Whatever you have will be fine, thank you so much” Kiera nods and gets up, heading into a small kitchen just to the right of her room. Andrea, being unsure what to do, follows her and finds a lightly lit kitchen which had a mix of old and new.

“I hope I’m not intruding, I’ve never been fond of being a bother to anyone”

“You aren’t a bother, dear, I enjoy making my guests comfortable. I am curious about something though”

“About why I’m travelling?”

“Yes. At your age it is surprising that you would be travelling, usually someone of your age has settled down by now”

“I used to be, but things didn’t work out well”

“Well you can talk about it if you wish to, it’s up to you” Andrea looks around the small kitchen, unsure about laying out all her burdens to a complete stranger, then begins speaking.

Three months ago: That was it, all the dreams, all the hopes, dashed and gone. Nothing remained and Andrea felt anger only at herself, she had made a complete mess of it.

“I hope it was worth it” Francis, her husband’s sister, remarks coldly. “He loved you and you treated him like dirt, you broke his heart and drove him to this” Andrea didn’t need to hear the words, the very air was angry at her with it’s rain and cold winds.

Before her was her husband’s grave, the man she had loved and married, had hoped to have a family with one day. But she had made a mistake, she had allowed her yearning for more to her life to overrule her common sense and she had an affair with her husband’s boss.

He had found out and the torment of her betrayal had broken his heart, especially when it came to light that the affair had been going on for the past five years. He drank to forget, and he used a gun to drive the pain out.

“Scum” Francis growls, before walking away from her former friend. Andrea stood before the grave, the tears pent up within her, the sorrow and the utter, painful guilt.

Not even her family forgave her for what she had done, she couldn’t blame them. So she packed up what she could, got in the car and drove. She didn’t care where she drove to, as long as she could run away from her foolishness.

But as far as she drove, she could never escape herself. She slept in her car, only stopping off briefly for supplies. She punished herself by driving for long hours in the hopes that she would fall asleep at the wheel and crash, that she would die.

She stopped here because something in her heart told her to stop and rest, to stop running away and to apply the brakes, as it were, to her running away.

Now: Keira listened as she worked, not judging, not interrupting. Andrea finished talking and her shoulder’s shook, but no tears fell.

“Do you seek atonement for what you did?” Kiera asks after a moment.

“No, I don’t deserve it. When I leave here I’ll just keep driving until I run out of money or I die in a crash, or I drive myself off a cliff, whatever comes first. I threw away a life that was happy, it was more than I deserved and because I was bored I threw it all away for a dalliance with a man who’s idea of a good time was cheap champagne and hot dogs. I loved my husband, I still do”

“And did you feel love for the man you had an affair with?” Andrea thinks for a moment, looking at her hands.

“No, I didn’t. I used him because I didn’t have the courage to tell my husband that I wanted to do something more, that I was finally ready to raise a family with him, maybe see the world with him at my side. Anything as long as we were together” Silence again as Kiera works, she moved with such grace as she chopped the vegetables, it was surprising considering how small the kitchen was.

“We all make mistakes, dear, life wouldn’t be life without them”

“My mistake cost me the man I love, it cost me the love of my family and it cost me my friends”

“So you come here at Christmas, not for forgiveness, but to be free of sleeping in your car. Perhaps your heart is telling you to stop running away, to face your mistakes and work to fix them”

“I can’t bring back the dead, no one can”

“No, they can’t, but mistakes can be rectified” Andrea watches Kiera work and is reminded of her mother, who would usually spend time making dishes that were filling and delicious, her mother had always preferred to care for her children and her family and never complained, Andrea had never wanted to be that way yet she understood why her mother had worked so hard, she had done so out of love.

“Set the table, dear, it will be ready within the hour” Kiera points over to a cupboard and Andrea takes out two plates, two glasses and cutlery, then sets a small table in the dining room just to the other side of the kitchen.

After eating Andrea retires to her bed for the night and Kiera remains up.

“Are you certain of this?” A voice asks.

“I am certain, she is very troubled and needs the rest. I have seen her future if she remains on her path of self-destruction, it does not end well, she will be dead by the New Year. Although she is minor in the larger picture, her mistakes will continue to affect many. We can not turn back time, but we can at least let her rest. It will give her what she needs to see herself inside, to do what is best for her life”

“She will notice the changes though, they may cause her to move closer to her end”

“I will take care of her, but I will need the help of everyone to ensure that her rest gives her a chance”

“Then you shall have that help, you may do what is required”

“Thank you”

The next morning Andrea awakens to Kiera setting out some clean clothes.

“Good morning, dear, I took the liberty of having your clothes cleaned while you slept. You must have needed the sleep, you’ve been sleeping for nearly fourteen hours” Stretching painfully, Andrea sits up in bed and realises that her hands look a lot healthier, they didn’t look as strained as they did last night. She shook off the sight as just her eyes still being affected by her poor nights spent sleeping in the back of her car.

“I didn’t expect to sleep that long, I’m sorry. Have you been up all night?”

“No, dear, I never need that much sleep”

“But you’ve cleaned my clothes, you didn’t need to”

“I was happy to do it, you must have been needing clean clothes for a while”

“Badly. I feel so guilty though for making you work so hard”

“It’s no problem, dear, it was nice to have something to do. Are you hungry?” Andrea’s stomach growls in response. “I take that as a yes, I’ll have something made shortly” Kiera leaves the room and Andrea gets out of bed, noting that her pyjamas felt a little loose.

“Odd” She thought. “They haven’t been this loose since I was a teen” Shaking off the thought as just her imagination, Andrea heads into the small bathroom to relieve herself, then after washing up, gets dressed, noting that her clothes felt a little loose as well.

Shaking it off as her imagination, she heads into the small dining room.

After eating, Andrea decides to see the village and after getting her, now clean, coat on, she heads out and walks down to the village. She didn’t want to drive her car at this time, not after being in it for the past few months.

It doesn’t take her long to arrive at the village, it was a fifteen minute walk from the inn, and as she enters she smells something familiar, mince pies, freshly made. Following the scent she arrives at a small bakery and enters, the warmth of the bakery a shock to her cold bitten face.

“Hello” A voice says from behind a counter, a man in his early forties, an apron around his well fed waist, smiles softly as Andrea approaches.

“Hello. I’m staying at the inn just outside the village, I could smell the mince pies as I entered the village, do you have any left?”

“Of course, how many would you like?”

“Oooh, four would be lovely, thank you. They smell like the ones my mum used to make” The man gently hands four medium sized mince pies and places them in a bag. After Andrea pays for them and leaves the bakers, she takes a mince pie from the bag and takes a bite, moaning softly in pleasure as the pastry crumbles, the sweet meats within heating her tongue and reminding her even more of her mother’s baking.

It was odd, she thought to herself, but she was being reminded so much of her mother while here. She couldn’t explain why.

As she eats she doesn’t notice as she shrinks a little, her clothes adjusting to fit and changing slightly. Her face takes on a fresher look, a younger appearance, as her body drops in age from near adulthood to a young girl of around fifteen. She didn’t notice it though, and all she could notice was the wonderful baking she was eating.

After exploring the village and saying hello to everyone she met, who also replied to her kindly, she returned to the inn. By then she had gotten a little younger, she was now around twelve years old and she didn’t notice it, it was as if it was natural to be getting younger.

“How was your walk, dear?” Kiera asks after Andrea enters.

“It was wonderful, thank you. It’s such a beautiful village”

“We do love it here. How do you feel?”

“I feel...good, energetic and happier than I have in a while. Though it feels wrong for me to feel like this”

“It’s never wrong to feel happy, dear” Andrea, to her surprise, gives Kiera a hug, she didn’t know why she did it, but she felt like it was the right thing to do, and heads to her room, her age dropping another year as her clothes adjust to match.

That night as Andrea sleeps, Kiera checks in on her and sees a young girl of around eight years old fast asleep, looking so small in the large bed.

Smiling softly, she enters the room quietly and prepares it for a young child.

The next morning, Christmas Eve, Andrea opens her eyes and notes that she’s wet herself, yet instead of feeling shock, she feels as if it was expected. She couldn’t explain the feeling, it was like her adult self was asleep and a much younger, more innocent side to herself was out.

“Good morning sweetie, let’s get you cleaned up” Andrea opens her arms and Kiera helps her out of the bed, which had been changed into a toddler bed while Andrea slept, and gently sets Andrea down. Andrea, now three years old, sucked on her fingers contently, her training nappy soaked and hanging down, it wasn?t breached.

“You didn’t wet the bed, sweetie, good girl” Andrea smiles at the praise and Kiera takes the toddler into the bathroom to clean her up.

After being cleaned up and dressed, Kiera sits Andrea down in a booster seat at a table in the dining room and exits briefly, then returns with some food.

“Now then, little lady, try not to make too much of a mess” Andrea attacks the food in the usual clumsy toddler way, managing to get plenty of the food into her mouth. Her adult self continues to sleep, dreaming of the mistakes made, while the long since dormant toddler is cared for.

After eating Kiera takes her into a playroom and Andrea plays happily, she feels as if Kiera is her mother and she feels safe.

As she plays her age continues to drop a little more, her clothes changing to match as her training nappy thickened and became a full nappy, her clothes becoming more suitable for a young child of around a year old, or a little older.

Her room changes into a full nursery and Kiera finishes the final touches, and Andrea never notices.

By the time it was bed time Andrea was around eighteen months old, asleep in Kiera’s arms as she was taken through to her room and tucked in gently after her nappy changed to a night time one.

“Sweet dreams” Kiera whispers after giving the sleeping baby girl a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room quietly, letting the baby girl dream of innocent, happy dreams.

The next day, Andrea woke to a full nappy and after being cleaned up and her nappy changed, was helped with unwrapping her presents. The villagers dropped round for Christmas dinner, with Andrea the only one in a high chair.

She revelled in the attention and didn’t for a moment wonder why she was so young when only three days ago she had been a grown woman, filled with sorrow and self-hatred at her mistakes and the death of her husband.

Later that night after Andrea is tucked in for the night. “When she awakens as the woman she was, do you wish for her to retain the memories? It may be unusual for her”

“The memories can be altered so that it seems like a memory of her childhood with her family, the memory may be just strong enough for her to end her self-destructive path and make her return home to face her family and begin working towards fixing the mistakes of her past”

“Her husband will still be dead”

“Yes, I know, but she will know of what she has done and work towards making sure that she never repeats the mistakes again. It will take her time to love again, but she will love”

“We could just keep her as she is now, let her be cared for and she can live here”

“We could, but she will always know that something isn’t right. This is best for her, just as it was for the many others before her”

“Very well. Make sure that she never remembers the village, in case others less easy to handle than her arrive afterwards”

“I will be sure”

The next morning Andrea, now returned to her adult age, awakens to see Kiera setting out clothing.

“Good morning, dear, are you rested?”

“Yes, thank you. I had an odd dream”

“Oh?” Sitting up in bed, Andrea stretches and feels as if something is missing, for a moment she wonders what it could be then the feeling fades away.

“I dreamt I was getting younger and you took care of me, I became a baby and there were a lot of people. I felt so happy, so free”

“That sounds like a nice dream, it’s Christmas Eve you know. If you wish you may stay and have Christmas dinner tomorrow with the villagers and myself, if you wish”

“That sounds so tempting, but I really should move on. Maybe I should stop running and turn around”

“If you’re sure, dear, it will take you time to return home”

“It will, but if I keep running from my mistakes then they will only catch up to me. I need to face them” Pulling the covers away, Andrea gets out of bed and hugs Kiera.

“Thank you for all the help, I’ve enjoyed my stay here. I wish I could stay, but I guess it’s time for me to return to my family and begin doing the right thing, instead of running away from it” Kiera hugs her back, gently patting her back.

“You are quite welcome, well I’ll let you get dressed, I’ll make something to eat, can’t have you driving on an empty stomach”

“Oh you really don’t have to, I’ve imposed enough”

“Nonsense, I would feel bad if you left without anything in your stomach and it is a long drive” Andrea nods in agreement.

“True. If you’re sure”

“I’m very sure” Kiera leaves the room and Andrea gets dressed and packs away her few things.

After a filling breakfast, Andrea pays Kiera for her stay at the inn and gets back in her car, she wondered about stopping off at the village to pick up any food and supplies, and does so.

A couple of hours later she resumes her drive, only this time heading for home and to begin repairing the mistakes of her past.

“She will be fine”

“I know. It is just hard to always say goodbye when you have cared for them when they are young. Reversing time by one day was exhausting, but it was best that way to prevent awkward questions”

“It is part of the pact we made, we care for the troubled souls, then let them leave to face their lives. The few who remain stay with us, just as you did long ago”

“And I have never regretted it, even after the centuries, I have never regretted staying at Novus. The village called Young in the ancient Latin language”

“Another traveller will likely be guided here soon, maybe that traveller will choose to stay”

“We can only hope”

As Andrea drives back home, the small village remains where it has always remained, at a small crossroads of time, where the lost can find a brief return to youth and respite before returning to their lives.

And where the people who live there wait to help them find themselves.

 

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