Professor Layton and the Memories Of A Time Gone By

7. A Diverging Path

The three made their goodbyes with Jacques and then continued further down the path, eager to reach their destination. Hershel had decided that their first course of action would be to pay a visit to Anton and Katia. The Professor knew that if he could trust any in this town, it would be them.

They stopped by the woods near the edge of town as they found an ornate gate blocking their path.

"Oh my..." Hershel breathed.

"What is it, Professor?" Flora inquired, taking a step back. Her hand hovered before the gate handle.

"Oh, don't worry, Flora. I simply remember this gate being in a state of disrepair. One part was mangled and was barely hanging on. The other lay glumly on the musky path. I know that the town was all an illusion, but seeing it now, repaired and standing strong... It is almost..."

"Best we move on," Dimitri cut in; striding forwards and pushing open the sturdy gates. He held it open and gestured for the other two to follow. Flora smiled and thanked him, while Hershel took a second to gather himself and then move on.

They come to a fork in the road and a thick gust of wind blew around them, sending a chill down Hershel's spine. The others seemed to feel it too and they all stopped. Although it was only mid-morning, the woods still felt dark and brooding, the bustle of trees towering over them, blocking out the light. Hershel had remembered that the pathway was clear the last time he had visited it, but then he remembered the illusion and realised there was fifty years for the trees to grow.

"I feel like something could jump out at any minute..." Flora muttered, holding her arms as she shivered in the breeze.

"Come, Flora," Hershel said, smiling for her. "There is nothing to worry about. The only thing we need to fear in these woods is catching a cold."

"Which..." Dimitri added. "Seems a likelihood the way you are shaking like you are caught in a freezer. Best we not dawdle."

With that, the group made their way through the overgrown forest, stepping over fallen branches and ogling at weird and mesmerizing mushrooms. The two followed Hershel who seemed to remember the way clearly from his last visit. Eventually they came to a large lake and the Professor stopped as he seemed to have a similar reaction to the last gate's appearance.

"What is it, Professor?" Flora asked, concernedly. She noticed Hershel's grim face and felt that rising feeling of fear form in her stomach.

"When I came here with Luke, this lake was frozen over. A thick fog hung over and clouded our view ahead. Now, the lake is as it should be and the way ahead can be seen quite clearly. It is... odd to say the least. To see these locations that were once an entirely different sight. Truly, the mysteries of the world are stunning, wouldn't you say?"

Dimitri eyed the Professor as he had done many times the past few days and sighed inwardly as he thought of the troubles that were plaguing the Professor now. This was very unlike anything he had dealt with before and he just simply did not know what to do. To ease the Professor's distempered mind was something not many had had to do before.

"When you crossed the lake last time, Professor..." Flora murmured, kneeling down and placing her fingers in the water. She yelped and whipped them out, rubbing them on her frock. "At least... in the illusion, the lake was frozen and you found your way across easily."

"I wouldn't say easily..."

"Yes, well... illusion or not, the lake had to be frozen still otherwise you would have fallen in. But... ice-cold as this lake is now, it is quite clearly liquid."

"A fine point you make there, Flora. There could be a number of reasons why the lake is no longer a large ice arena, though I would assume the primary reason is that when Luke and I visited here, the whole town was in a chilly state. Well, chillier state than usual. You saw before with the wind how cold this town can be, and this is relatively warm compared to my last visit. The ice simply... melted, the spring sun a somewhat stark contrast to the winter veil."