Part Four
~Fan Fiction~
Tewa's Journal
160.5.23
When I arose this morning, late, but fresh from sleep, it was to discover that Eamon hadn't retired at all! He'd sat up in the library the whole night, wandering from stack to stack and case to case, searching the books. Hurvig looked annoyed, though he tried to hide it and remained as perfectly polite as ever. Eamon grinned at him and pushed a stack of books across the desk towards him."There's breakfast in the dining room, Eamon." I told him, and watched him stretch and walk off light-hearted and energetic. I turned back to Hurvig to gage his mood, and found him engrossed in the books Eamon had pushed at him. Now what would Grandfather have wanted with D'ni architectural manuals? Glancing at them over Hurvig's shoulder, I decided to scan through them for interesting drawings, if I got the chance.
Oh, that wonderful wonder of a library! I'd heard Grandfather refer to it with pleasure, years ago when we twins were alone with him in his New D'ni library cuddled in his lap with picture books before the fire. He never spoke of the house after we went to the Guilds, nor at all in the presence of the rest of the family. They seemed to avoid mentioning it, and passed off the topic quickly when it intruded upon the conversation. I imagine it may have had something to do with the family being here when they learned of the disaster. Unhappy memories. But now I understand the wistfulness of Grandfather's tone as he spoke of it.
The whole house is a delight. It's a curious shape. I've never seen such quirky shapes and unexpected angles. The perspectives are elusive and difficult to draw. I've filled an entire album with drawings of this house and I've only just begun to cover it!
The colors are glorious! In the library there is a predominance of deep soft brown accented with tawny butterscotch and pale jade green. The ground floor, for it is three and a half stories tall, is shaped oddly, having a larger section with eight walls, each pair of walls being a different size from the others, and a smaller rectangular section adjacent. I can only accurately describe it by making sketches.
The rectangular section of the ground floor is only one story tall. The low ceiling gives a cozy feeling to this large area. The fireplace dominates the southern wall. There is a massive partner's desk in this area, comfortable chairs, extra reading lamps, and every convenience imaginable for enjoying and using a library to the full. There are bookcases built into the walls all the way around except where the hearth is. They are half the height of the walls. Plain paneling alternates with shallow bookcases from the middle height to the ceiling. The paneled areas are covered with paintings and artifacts, and there are lamps in each niche created by the flanking bookcases.
The main room on the ground floor continues the alternating bookcases with paneled walls. These are full floor to ceiling panels and cases, the ceiling being the floor of the walkway above it, for the center of this part of the room is open to the copula three stories above. It connects on this level with the rest of the house by a wide door in one of the smallest pair of walls. On it's opposite partner, there is a spiral stair leading to the second floor.
On the second floor there is a small door leading to the north wing of the house, a long corridor of bedroom suites intended originally for the large extended family that would come to stay. It is the only break in the bookcases that line the walls of this story from floor to ceiling. All the panels and bookcases on the ground floor are rich soft earthy brown, but on the upper stories they are a lighter more tawny shade.
On the second and third floors, the eight walled sections are more regular, and each floor is smaller than the floor below it and set a little inward, gradually narrowing the open space that goes from ground floor to copula roof. The copula itself is identical in shape to the two proceeding floors, except that there is a small extension on the far north side which cannot be seen from any of the lower levels. It juts out on the seaward side of the top of the huge rocks that form the outer walls of this house half buried in a hill. There are no bookcases at all on the copula level, it's only for observation, light and beauty. It's my favorite place to sit, think, and draw when I want to be alone.
The spiral stairs leading from story to story and the entire system of walkways are derithani, hard, black, lightweight and durable. Their graceful, elegant lines lend inexpressible distinction to the library. I marvel at what it must have cost! The lacy design of the fine open pattern of the treads and floors is secure and comfortable to walk upon, but it's extraordinary what this design adds to the ambiance of the room.
The banister rail that flows from the stairs along all the walkways to the copula is pale jade of a delicate translucence. There are derithani pillars set in the railing along the outer edges of the walkways at regular intervals which help support the walkway above. The fire marble sconces depending into the center of the room from these pillars are shaped like branches and the globes of green jade are hung from them like some exotic fruit hanging on a tree. From the copula looking down, one can only see the lamps of the third floor distinctly because of the narrowing opening, but the glow of the other lamps is softly reflected on the library floor. The effect is quietly spectacular.
The floor of the library is a random pattern of very subtle shades swirled together, as if they had been mixed slightly, poured out in one piece and stirred gently. Such complexity of color and pattern is nearly impossible to copy and I have given up trying to sketch it for my journal. Perhaps I can capture it on canvas later. I devoutly hope that this will not be my last trip to Sea Cliff House!
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