May 24, 2310

"I don't understand why I have to participate to this thing" said anck.

"I know very well that you would rather not participate, but it's open day for father and son, Chris is far too young to participate and Henri is already off to theoretical training camp" said Tom.

"Dad, if Anck doesn't want to go can i go at his place ?" said Chris with the biggest smile on his face and shiny puppy like eyes.

"We've talked about this before, you're too young to go see Lucy."

"But..."

"No but, I'm going with Anck and that's it"

 An hour later.

"Anck, are  you ready ?"

"Yes"

"Ok, let's go"

30 minutes later they finally arrived at their destination, the museum of rock. Once a year they organize an open day for their employees, and this year was Anck's turn to go with his dad. His brother Henri, who should have done so, had to leave earlier for training this year. Since his father started working at the museum 3 years ago, it was his second visit and the previous time he stopped at the security service to deposit the documents his father had forgotten. He had always tried to avoid this place as much as possible. As if his instinct was trying to warn him.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

Anck and Tom crossed the front door and heads straight for the space set up for registration. But already, a familiar feeling covers him, the one that had haunted him for two years, since the day of his first visit. It was as if magnetic forces were covering him.

Moments later all the participants were grouped in the entry room, then divided in smaller group and assigned a guide for the visit.

"Meet me at the cafeteria later" said Tom.

"What ? You're not participating to the visit with the group ?"

"The visit is just for the children, parents have to wait in the cafeteria for it to finish"

"Okay..., later "

"Yeah, later"

The tour started and the guide lead the group to the first showroom, it was filled with stones of different color, texture and shape, the walls of the room seemed to cover the room from floor to ceiling, blending into each other as if to give an impression of infinity. The second showroom, twice the size of the first one, was entirely filled with machines and extraction tools of all kinds. Rooms 3, 4 and 5 contained several documents, books and photographs. The group finally moves towards the 6th room also the most interesting one for Anck, the projection room. Filled with holograms, 3D and 4D machines and other Virtual Reality devices to experiment the extraction process at the time. After several minutes of exploration of Room 6, it was finally time to head to the last room.

"We are almost at the end of our tour, in front of you is showroom number 7 where Lucy is exposed, each of you has the right to touch the stone once, before going out and no need to jostle everyone will touch it" said the guide.

Anck, as the tour was moving forward felt the magnetic force around him becoming stronger and stronger, he felt the attraction grow, but 'to what ?' He wondered. Standing in front of showroom number 7 he finally had his answer. The guide who had finished giving the rules to follow turned to the amazing wooden door, and step by step, he walked to the door that was gradually opening before them.