The Whistle Inn

Young Thom saw the little school where he’d spent quite some mornings so many years ago, and thus he knew he only had to turn around the corner to see the only fenced building of the village – The Whistle Inn.
Indeed the fence was there, all covered with ivy thereby obscuring the view of the Inn itself - if it was indeed still there. As young Thom approached he could vaguely make out the shape of the building, but it was only when walking through the gate that he saw the condition it was in. Once majestic, now an abandoned ruin where only an old sign too rusty to wave in the wind, hung as a testimony of a glorious past.
The door was open but young Thom hesitated to enter as it would be the very first time. Although he only knew the place from the outside, he had good memories of it. He remembered the owners of the inn and the staff and guest as the friendliest people ever. Every time they walked by the villagers, the mutual greetings were accompanied by deep bows. As a young boy he used to exaggerate those bows, much to the embarresment of his mother. For this reason he had never understood why he was always warned never to enter the Inn - at least not via the front gate. In the mornings the backdoor had always been the busiest place, where villagers and staff were unloading milk and butter and exchanging clean and dirty linen. It was here that the young boy tried to be as often as he could, not just to get a glimpse of it all, but mainly because he was hoping to receive some sweets or other tasty treats from the big man with the funny white hat.

Young Thom wet his lips as he entered the hall of the Inn. He looked at the sand covered tiles, the beautifully painted but now water stained ceiling, the broken ornaments on the walls and then he saw a long dusty desk.
Young Thom looked again and this time the desk was shiny, with a clerk behind it greeting some guest that had just arrived. Then young Thom could hear some music coming from a room next to the hall - a large lusciously decorated dining room. Young Thom passed by a waiter as the man cleared a table from tea cups and cake crumbles. Then he followed some guest as they went to take a look through the panoramic window at the far end of the dining room. And indeed the view was to be marvelled at. In a corner of the dining room was a small stage, raised a feet up from a square dance floor. As a pianist commenced a Waltz, young Thom was invited by a woman in a long white dress. Even though he did not know how to dance, young Thom tried a few steps, aided by two fine hands in pink lace gloves.
But young Thom felt dizzy after a few turns and decided it was enough. So he made a last swing around the room while fading it all away.
Young Thom looked again. The panoramic view was for real, as he could see through some broken windows. But all what remained of the dining room was a limped piano chair leaning in a corner, overlooking a few dusty tables spread out across a broken up floor.

Next: The Teacher