Inside, the stone walls were adorned with faded banners, and much woodwork, all decorated in an era long past. Leading me to a doorway to the left of the entrance, we entered a room in which a bulky walnut desk sat in the office facing the window. Other than a window facing the front yard, shelves full of leather-bound books surrounded the rest of the room. Sitting behind the desk sat a man with a vague resemblance to Miss Blackstone. His hair and clothing were black, he looked up and smiled. Miss Blackstone immediately said, "Miss Cooper. She brings a donation from King Garret."
His lips curled up and the smile reached his eyes as he stared at me. "Hello, I am Foster Blackstone, a distant relative to Sephare. I act as the records keeper and treasurer here. He waved his left arm about directing it to the myriad bookshelves. In each of these books there are names and records of every orphan ever housed here and, if known, their disposition upon leaving. All expenses are listed by year as well near the name books for the year they entered. Would you like to look around?"
Rising from his chair and he led her throughout the central building. Five more offices for records, a healer, two caretakers, and one currently empty filled the front portion of the building while a heavy stone door situated along the stone wall between two large fireplaces separated the back of the building from this entrance area. He pointed to a door to the left right before the back wall. "That door opens to steps leading to the living quarters of the staff." Pointing to the wall opposite, "that one to Sephare's living quarters."
He then walked to the door in the back wall pushing through it. Entering it, I discovered there were over thirty children were cleaning a large dining hall. The woodwork and scrollwork on the furnishings were exquisite. The craftsmanship was incredible with near seamless woodwork and ornate scrolling. A shelf mounted above my head went around the outer walls broken only by the opposing fireplaces along the wall behind me, their stone mantles continuing the ledge. One the side walls, were doors set on either side of the great hall. A ten-foot opening along the back wall led to a kitchen. With the exception of the location around doors and fireplaces, the shelving was all around the room.
Seeing all these children, she remembered the sweets in the sacks she carried with her. She looked to Foster, "may I?" I opened the sacks, allowing him to peer in. With a wide grin, he took one of the small pieces and tossed it into his mouth.
"Please, you are our benefactor. Okay all, line up. Miss Cooper has something for you." Each of the children lined up through the center column of tables leading toward the kitchen. Children then appeared out of the doors to the left and right. Always girls on the left, always boys from the right who promptly joined the queue. I noticed there was no fighting or elbowing, each respected the space and place of the others as they lined up. Looking at the line, I was certain I didn't have enough treats to go around.
Handing Foster the coins, I wanted to let them know I might not have enough. "King Garret has made a donation to the orphanage of coin and sweets. I didn't know there would be so many of you, so I don't know if everyone will get some, but I have a few large treats left and a number of smaller ones. As you get to me, you may choose either." With these words, the other children began making their way to me and choosing from one bag or the other. After only a few children passed, I was down to the bag with the small treats. Although some of the children took more than one, by the end of the line, there were two treats left. Looking into the bag, I was flabbergasted. How many treats did Mr. Pakar give me? There shouldn't have been enough for everyone, plus the children in town.
Once they had each had their treat, they looked at me and together, said, "Thank you, miss Cooper." Offers were made by some of the girls to see their rooms or the playroom on their side. Not knowing what to say, I let them lead me in. Unlike the bleak outside of the orphanage, the inside was amazing.
The first floor of the girls' wing was taken up by a large playroom with dollhouses, and dolls. The next group of rooms sported hoops and such for embroidery, knitting needles, yarn, everything to learn a skill. The next set of rooms had paints and charcoal for drawing. After these were classrooms with books on all the typical subjects. The rooms at the far end contained books on various types of magic. Each room had different books with different subjects.
The second floor of each wing contained bedrooms holding four beds to a room. The beds were luxurious with real feather beds, not straw, real feather pillows, and toys! Mostly educational, but dolls, and everything was high quality. Bathrooms, with large alabaster tubs each tub having two spigots which could pour into it were present on the second floor. Pressing the right spigot caused cool water to pour from that spigot. Pressing the left caused hot, but not scalding water to pour forth into the tub. In each of these bathhouse rooms there were small basin each with two spigot that worked identically. What magic!
Leading me to the basement downstairs, a girl named Agnes took us to a small room of solid stone with glowing white walls. From here, she showed us she could do minor illusions. "Sometimes, I put on shows for the others, but we have to do it down here, just in case. Agnes said. A girl named Milicent once tried practicing upstairs but she created a real fire bolt causing a lot of problems. Luckily, she got apprenticed to a wizard that year. Several more practice rooms filled the basement each set of walls a different color. A supply room with magical supplies and components filled one side near the back of the basement and on the right were cleaning supplies and laundry tubs. These tubs, much like the ones on the second floor had two spigots above them.
After receiving the tour, eventually Foster arrived to get me. Looking to Agnes and the others he said, "we probably shouldn't keep Miss Cooper too long, it will be dark soon, and all of you will have to get ready for bed. We want you to look and be your best for the festival tomorrow. Some of you may be leaving us."
Taking me back to the dining hall he asked, "would you like to be given a guided tour of the boys side. I shall stay with you, if so. Generally, girls aren't allowed on the boys' side, they can get rowdy." After a walk through, I realized the boys' side was similar to the girls with the exception of the decor being more boy oriented, and it being a little less messy. Upon inquiring to Foster, he told me, "it's a little later than when you entered the girls' side. They have had an hour or so to clean it up to try to impress you." He smiled and several of the nearby boys turned pink.
Returning to his office, I finally asked the question which had been nagging at the back of my mind. "Foster, everything is so wonderful here, why would the children try to escape?"
"Not everyone can handle living here. Some children come from a bad background and try to steal from others or harm others. There is magic here to help prevent one from harming another. Just the attempt to harm another or to steal is met with additional chores or a blackout room. In that room, you can't see or hear anything for an hour at a time. If you happen to actively injure another resident, through fighting or anger, you are instantly teleported to one of the blackout rooms. This happens even outside to the edge of the grounds. Once the hour is over, a door opens, and you will be face to face with Sephare." Then after looking around, he whispered, "she can scare the color out of anyone." Then at normal volume, "Those who try to escape are usually those children who have been sent many times to a blackout room. Stealing is met with scrubbing and other chores which are usually done by the spectral servants. May I answer any other questions?"
I was curious about the blackout rooms, but I didn't want to actually be stuck in one. Instead, I simply replied, "No, I appreciate the tour. From the outside, it looked scary, but once inside, I didn't expect it to be so nice."
"Shhh, don't tell anyone, we would get more orphans than we can handle." He grinned then escorted her to the main gate allowing her to leave. "Please feel free to visit again if you wish."
Having finished what King Garret asked of me, I will meet him in the morning and tell him what happened.