Castle in the Mountains by Gray Artus
Welcome to Olympus, where the Muses of Greek Mythology are charged with the responsibility of discovering, inspiring, and guiding the young incarnations of legends past until they once again take the form of greatness.
Embark on an enchanting journey through Architects of Illusion (Echoes of Olympus, #1), a YA fantasy novel series inspired by my backyard neighbors, Biltmore Estate, in honor of George Vanderbilt‘s extraordinary legacy.
Join me, and a cast of brilliant film composers, as we awaken your imagination to the magic of the mountains during this year’s international A to Z Challenge (representing #TeamDamyanti).
▶ For a photo of Biltmore Estate’s Otis elevator, one of the oldest operating systems in the world today, click HERE! Want to read more? Visit my A to Z “Sneak Peeks” page!
Elevator Music
IT FELT as if my arms would drop off my body at any moment. I took one look at the massive stone staircase and shook my head. “No. No way am I carrying these up those stairs.” The stack of leather bound books weighed about a thousand pounds, their breath stale with the dust of dead languages.
Tari’s brow wrinkled, her sea-green eyes darting between the daunting trek ahead and a small door hidden in the shadows. She shifted her arms around the half dozen books weighing her down, puffing at the inky ringlets dangling in her face. “We could take the elevator.”
“There’s an elevator?” I looked pointedly at her. “And why haven’t you shared this information before now?” I cocked my head. “Do you know how many times I could’ve been on time for class, had you shared this valuable shortcut?”
Tari bit back a grin. “It’s not exactly a shortcut.”
I blew out an exasperated sigh and trudged towards the door. “I’m willing to embrace the path of least resistance.”
The door beckoned, its frame split between oak paneling and ornate wrought iron swirls embedded in leaded glass. The door slid open on its own, revealing a cozy honeyed floor, gleaming brass lamps and intricate windows of metalwork.
I scooted aside to allow room for Tari, who was shaking her head. “What?” I asked, thinking things were finally looking up.
The door eased shut with the sound of pulleys and gears working to lift the cage. I caught a movement through the glass. Something small was swinging from a tail, like a creepy pendulum. “Is that…a chimp?” I asked, my eyes tracking its swaying limbs.
Tari nodded her head without looking at the upside down face sticking its tongue out. “Yup. That would be Otis. He maintains the cables.”
“A marble monkey maintains the cables?” I looked up at the shaking ceiling. “Oddly, that makes sense. Primates love heights.”
Another sound filled the shaft, akin to the tinkering tones of toy instruments.
“Oh, he’s playing elevator music. Excellent,” I looked over at Tari, her eyes watering with barely suppressed joy at my expense. “This is going to take awhile, isn’t it?”
“Yup.”
© 2014 Samantha Redstreake Geary
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WriterlySam 
It creates a very special image 🙂
Jemima
Blogging from Alpha to Zulu in April
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Ha! I bet we won’t get you on that elevator now:)
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Yeah, I’ve been in elevators like that before. Maybe not as old as the one in Biltmore..but pretty dang close! :O)
LuAnn Braley
AJ’s Hooligans @AtoZChallenge
Back Porchervations
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Ours is the only one with a music-playing marble monkey:) Perhaps you should swing by!
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Tickled my fancy, girl!
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Then it was worth every word:)
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Greetings human, Samantha,
Seemed you tickled Lee’s fancy. I have no idea what that means. Arf! Arf! 🙂
My human do like your angles and unlike my silly human, I don’t notice any innuendos. No, no mention of “cocked” or “shaft”. Seriously, your pawst gave me a “lift”, elevator music aside.
Penny, the pawsitive host of the Alphabark Challenge, 2014!
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strange. unusual. a chimp! wow. i cannot express myself. i loved it.
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Hahahaha I love these funny bits. It just makes the whole experience so real. Love it!
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What a fanciful elevator but I don’t think I would have the courage to ride it. Love the sarcasm at the end.
Visiting from http://morgandragonwillow.com/2014/04/e-is-for-ecstatic-energy-unfolding.html
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LOL – that was a mistake – slow progress & elevator music – torture! ;P
Sophie
Sophie’s Thoughts & Fumbles – A to Z Ghosts
Fantasy Boys XXX – A to Z Drabblerotic
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So short … so perfect … so … I guess I’m waiting until Monday for the next!
And I hate lifts (elevators) at the best of times, so no, I wouldn’t want to take a ride in that one. Marble Monkey or not! 😉
Have a great day off. 🙂
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I’m sure having a monkey operate the elevator, and the musak within, would take quite a while, but an adventurous and possibly soothing time. 🙂
Jamie Dement (LadyJai)
My A to Z Challenge
Caring for My Veteran
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Fabulous! In Birmingham, at an art gallery, myself and 6 other poets encountered a musical lift… as you ascend the lift pays a choir ascending a scale in semitones, and as you descend, so do they… oh, we had fun playing in that lift and it was definitely not the fast way to get to the top of the gallery, necessitating as it did many stops and starts and reverses in direction many, many times!
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Oh, forgot to say,my A-Z is animal poems and facts, and info about my assistance dog, Lola – http://www.lizbrownleepoet.com
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That’s one weird elevator!
Lee
A Faraway View
An A to Z Co-host blog
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Such an imagination, an elevator controlled by a musical marble monkey! Amazing!
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Okay, a chimp and an elevator… where does this fit in… a touch of anachronism for light relief? Or am I reading this wrong…
Well, the challenge HAS “fried my brain”…
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