53 Ganymede

Episode 4 - Le Chateau de Verre

Newport is a sprawling city. Claire struggles to think of it as a single place but a bunch of dense nodes interconnected by a thriving nervous system. Though 53 Ganymede is not far from the crowded centre locals have dubbed "downtown," she has already discovered a number of equally popular hubs that are nearly indistinguishable in the height of their architecture and the density of their population. Despite this, each varies greatly in its atmosphere; every node possessing a personality as distinct as those of its patrons and inhabitants.

Today, Claire has been a near-constant passenger, transported along the city's nerves and out along the furthest tendrils of its reach. At first she tried keeping a list, jotting down the names of stations and routes that sound intriguing enough to explore in future. She gave up after half an hour, having stuffed a single page with names and ideas. Though she itched to spontaneously disembark -- at the "Museum" platform on the subway, or perhaps the "Favreau Castle" bus stop -- she gritted her teeth and withheld. She is not free for whimsy today. No, today is about work.

Now she flips through her small notebook, away from the abandoned list of potential mysteries to another list. This one is written in two hands – one blocky and large, the other small and tidy. The larger writing is Frank Gartner's: a list of gardens and nurseries within Newport. The smaller is her own: their addresses and directions which she has researched online. Most of the names have all been crossed out and only one remains.

Le Chateau de Verre is the final name on Claire's list. Though it is midway between her home and the furthest of the locations on the list, she has left it until last as Frank insisted.

"Save the best," he told her without any further elaboration. She had searched the name online but come up with nothing more than a listing on a local directory with the address, contact number, and the description: "recreational garden and gift shop."

She tucks the notebook away as her bus approaches the anticipated stop. She rolls her head back and forth over her shoulders, noting the dying sunlight through the window. The days are growing shorter and greyer. Summer is waning.

From the road, Le Chateau de Verre isn't much to look at: a squat brick building behind a well-worn wooden sign. Its architectural design is what Claire thinks of as "modern," which she equates with utilitarian and ugly. She cannot yet judge the grounds; behind the building is a tall iron fence laced with bushes and climbing plants that serve to completely obscure the view of what lay beyond.

Claire stops in front of the simple glass doors to adjust the collar of her blouse and wipe away any wrinkles on her skirt from her long day of travelling. She doesn't feel anxious, at least not unreasonably so. She has passed out many resumes today and had three interviews, all of which she left feeling confident. She isn't here out of desperation, and she is confident of her own skills. She is in control of the situation.

She pulls the doors open and steps inside the air-conditioned building. Her flats slap against the ceramic tile of the floor, echoing loudly in the wide and open space. The building is empty. Of people, at least. There are shelves lined with pamphlets for various other local attractions and empty benches between them. Either side of the room contains a door leading to a restroom – Men's on the left and Ladies' on the right. The walls are goldenrod in colour and filled with expensively framed images of gardens that look like they come from all over the world.

Across from Claire is another glass door, almost identical to the one she has just entered, and beside it is a phone. There is a large sign here in bold, black lettering. It stands out, shouting "look at me, I am important." Claire looks. It reads:

Thank you for visiting Le Chateau de Verre. Please feel free to continue and explore at your own pace. If you require assistance or would like a guided tour, please lift the receiver and dial '0' and an attendant will be with you shortly.