HATHOR - The Forgotten Fraternity - 1 Chapter
1856, Cambridge, England
"So, dear students," taught Sir Oliver Stwart, a renowned professor at King's College, "at the Battle of Bosworth Field, in the year of 1485, Henry Tudor defeated Richard III's army, and was, then, crowned as Henry VII." The master made a brief pause and spoke "In this, comes to an end the War of the Roses. And, for our part, we finish this fascinating chapter in the history of England. However, I will ask you, my distinguished students, to bring me a text, as detailed as possible, about this period of our history. I suggest you to do this work in pairs. Nonetheless, I will accept individual papers. One more thing, I want this essay on my desk the day after tomorrow and I will not tolerate any kind of delay!"
In an instant, a murmur of disapproval echoed through the room. Anyhow, none of the students dared to challenge the energetic teacher
Noticing the student’s reproof, Sir Oliver spoke vehemently.
"Gentlemen, I understand your natural disappointment regarding the short term for delivery this project. However, I know I'm not handing this task to children, but to men of Cambridge’s King's College, who, in the near future, will lead England's destiny. In the world that confronts us, there is no place for uncertainties, fear and laziness, but determination, courage and boldness. You are the intellectual elite of this country. And this is the thought that should guide all of your decisions and actions."
The master pulled out his pocket watch and, in a British way, confirmed, quietly, the hour. After a brief moment, he set, again, his eyes on the students.
"Gentlemen, that’s it. We will continue our studies on Friday". Concluded Sir Oliver as he gathered his stuff over the desk.
The students, without a noise, gathered their school supplies and, slowly, left the room. As soon as they reached the external environment, they already started to review the demanding work ordered by the master.
"John", William said with disappointment on his face "Sir Oliver will definitely make us crazy with so many works. How, in the name of God, can you tell the story of decades in just two days?"
William Kenward was a typical Englishman; tall, brown hair, very intelligent and possessor of a great memory. But not much fond of sports and, at that time, he was a little overweight.
"William, my friend," John answered with the same look of disappointment, "we have to work hard. The master will not accept short summaries. Surely, the best for us would be to work together."
"I agree, we can divide it into two parts, and each of us would write one of them. Then, we assemble both parts and make the necessary adjustments. What do you think?" Asked William.
"I agree. We can get some rest, have lunch and, then, meet at the library."
"At what time?" Asked again.
"I suggest at fifteen and thirty two minutes. Is it alright for you?" Answered John.
"Yes, it is perfect!"
The two friends went through the campus, talking about other subjects, like the natural beauty of the opposite sex. And, soon after, they followed different paths, with the promise of meeting again in the afternoon at the library.
John McBrian was also a typical Englishman; a six-foot tall, thin, white skin and dark brown hair. He was 20 year old, and at that stage of his life, he was totally focused on studies.
John's father, Sir Morgan McBrian, was a thriving industrial in the textile area, with a booming business. He had a modern textile factory on the outskirts of London, and his greatest desire was to prepare his only son to, in the future, take over the family business, freeing him to devote more time to politics.
In his turn, John was fascinated by the work of Charles Darwin, which he knew through the classes of Sir Oliver. In fact, only a few close friends knew about the travels and researches of the British naturalist.
However, at that very moment, John could not take out of his head the extensive work that he should make to the demanding course in which he was enrolled. The big problem was not the research on the subject in question, because the college had an excellent library, but in assembling the work, which should be handwritten, containing maps, charts and explanatory annexes.
John arrived quickly at the small pension, situated near the university, where he shared a room with two other students. At the entrance, he saw the landlady Mrs. Emily Taylor, a nice lady who was about 50 years old. Her life was dedicated on caring for the young people who came from all parts of England to study in Cambridge.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Taylor", John greeted with elegance.
"Good afternoon, Sir McBrian", Emily replied with a gentle smile, "how are your studies? You seem a little tired these days."
"Actually, these last days have been laborious, but I'm fine. Just a little hungry", answered reticent, waiting for a formal invitation to lunch.
"Oh! Boy, let's eat then, the lunch is ready and waiting", invited the gentle lady, almost humming.
As agreed, the two friends met in the library at, precisely, fifteen hours and thirty-two minutes. And, due to the amount of work to do, they didn't lose time. They entered the building and requested the necessary books.
The old grandfather's clock seemed to spin like a whipping top. When they realized, it was almost seven o'clock. Gently, the librarian came to warn them that the library would close in few minutes.
"Wow!" William exclaimed. "I didn't see the time passing! But I'm glad we could greatly advance our researches."
"It's true." John agreed, looking tired. "It was exhausting, but we did it. Well, tonight in my room, I will transcribe this information to the final work. And I'll take this old manuscript to see if there are some curiosities to enrich our essay."
"Perfect, I will prepare all the graphics, maps and write some comments."
In few minutes, the two young men parted, taking the path to their residences. The night promised to be long. They would have to work hard in order to get the job done.
At seven thirty in the evening, John was already in his room, leaning over the desk, with the light of an old oil lamp shinning through the room. He took advantage of the evening light to transcribe part of the work and, thus, ensure a good calligraphy.
Around nine, he realized that he was already exhausted. Putting the writing aside, he went through the old manuscript from the library. The book was a relic, which should have about a hundred and fifty years. In the book one could find many northern England's historical events recorded.
John handled the book with extreme caution, as a literature lover, he was always trying to protect old books. He found several curiosities that would certainly add value to the work requested by Sir Oliver.
Suddenly, flipping a page, he realized that it was slightly thicker than the others. Examining it closer, John noticed there were two pages glued together.
He checked the strange collage and noticed that only the edges of the pages were glued, forming a kind of envelope. It was clear that the glue had been made with the purpose of becoming nearly invisible.
At first sight, it seemed that someone would have glued the pages to hide the text inside. However, the texts written in adjacent pages were not truncated, giving the impression that the author himself had done that collage; maybe, to hide some serious spelling or grammar error? Or, perhaps, the intention of the writer was to hide something that should not be read?
At that point, John was extremely curious, trying to find some way to read what was inside those two pieces of paper.
It would not be an easy task. The pages of that ancient book were quite deteriorated. And the last thing he would do in life would be to destroy a book, whatever kind of book.
The student noticed that there was a third loose piece of paper inside of that strange envelope. Only those two pieces were glued.
"What would that be?" Thought, almost in loud voice.
After some time of analysis, he realized that would not be possible to separate them without causing some damage to the book. There was also the fact that the book was a unique copy. "What to do?" He thought.
Returning the book to the library without knowing what was written between the glued pages was a hypothesis that John McBrian didn't want to consider. There was nothing else strange in that book.
"What should I do?" Asked himself
There was still much to do in order to complete Sir Oliver's work. Suddenly...
"Sir Oliver!" Exclaimed aloud, remembering the teacher, who certainly could be very interested in that finding.
He decided that he would, early in the morning, look for the master to show him the strange collage in that book, and certainly, with the help of Mr. Stwart, they could make a good decision about what to do.
McBrian returned to focus on schoolwork, leaving aside the relic of the library of King's College. Occasionally, the student landed his eyes on the book with burning curiosity.
The fatigues of the day attached to weak flickering light of the oil lamp were undermining John's strength; he struggled to his limit with the intention of staying awake. However, at a given time, he decided to rest. After extinguishing the lamp, he went to bed.
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