K looked through the peephole, no one was on the other side. K figured someone probably accidentally knocked on the wrong door. K sat down on the hotel bed and ran some image and text searches on the internet. That inscription was apparently inscribed on many finely crafted items back in the old days. Upon further research, K was able to locate the physical location of the local shop that made the items only to be disappointed that the shop closed down several decades ago. After K had visited the ill family member in the hospital that morning, K went to see the old legacy address of the shop. The shop had long been torn apart and was replaced by a small museum showcasing its history. According to the museum’s docent, the shop was famous for producing handcrafted premium household durable goods for nobles, elites and wealthy merchants living in the local area. While browsing the museum, K noticed pages from the book with all the old houses were on display in every exhibition hall that featured various items the shop made that were used by these households in everyday life. At this point, K had gotten all the information that could be gathered from the museum and decided to leave.
As K was casually walking out while still glancing at some of the old photographs, something that K saw had subliminally intrigued K. K stopped, looked closely at the old photograph then realized, the man in the old photograph appears to be the same old man in the painting K had visited in that old house from K’s childhood. The only difference was the man in the picture appeared to be much younger at the time when the photograph was taken. K took a photograph of the picture then proceeded to ask the docent who the man was. According to the docent, the man in the photograph was a government official who later became a successful seafaring merchant. When K returned back to the hotel, K began to do more research on the life of the merchant in the photograph as well as looking through the book with the old buildings in detail. The next morning, K woke up early for a stroll on the beach. After the walk K stopped at an old cafe shop for some breakfast.
The owner of the cafe was hospitable even telling K stories about the neighborhood where the old house is located. K then told the owner about the book and the owner gave K a big surprise by pointing to the counter wall where stacks of the same book is for sale then stating the author of the book is the co-owner of the cafe. The owner made a call and the author of the book agreed to meet K that same night. That evening, K and the author chatted for hours about life and the book with ample amount of newly gained respect for each other. The author revealed a secret about the old house and the man in the portrait not known to the general public. Nearly hundred years ago the family simply vanished from public views with their house left completely intact like they never left at all. No one knew for sure where they went. Over the next several decades there were speculations about their whereabouts. Some believe they perished during the turbulent wartime periods while others believe they lived a hermit life on one of the many islands hundreds of nautical miles off the coast. Their indirect descendants, several times removed, who live overseas occasional come back to visit and engage in philanthropy. The biggest mystery of them all is what happened to the family’s vast wealth. The man in the portrait was purported to be the richest person in the region owning large sums of land, buildings, money and some of the rarest items from the ancient world.
The word in the elite small circles are that over the years there were countless secretive organizations looking for a treasure map created by the patriarch of the family so that the family’s descendants could find their treasures. After a few drinks, the author brought K to a small room to show K a picture album filled with photos showing the inside of the house and the family that once owned it. The author told K that the book was financed by a company that doesn’t seem to know anything about the book publishing world. The author suspect the book publisher is just a front for an organization or a group of organizations looking for the book to be published so they can lure the direct descendants of the family to lead them to the treasures. Out of the blue, a group of men rushed into the room and the author went from an amicable friend to a hostile enemy. The author asked K, who are you and why are you here……
The Legend of Ocekay novel series is based on a true, original story written by The Permanent Contrarian. The Legend of Ocekay novel series will be updated weekly on this site until the conclusion of the first part of the multi-part series. I live in America which means I have the rights to exercise reasonable free speech as permitted by the law. All posted content(s) on this website are my opinions only which means they should not be taken as advice of any kind. I am a non-celebrity, non-public figure posting anonymously for my own entertainment on a website that is not affiliated with any individual(s), organization(s) and/or any entity/entities.