She stared into the gaping hole, hesitant to step below, even knowing that Aldus had taken precautions to keep them out of this sacred space. A moment after the doors opened, bright halogen lights clicked on in succession. Focused heat projected as they hummed to life, tiny reflectors aiming the photonic energy across the single-person-wide hallway leading down. She marveled at what awaited.
Even the steps themselves had been carved, delicate depictions of casting patterns unworn by any traffic other than his own. It was as if Aldus knew that one day others would come to study them as he had, that they would crave the understanding that he had built over a lifetime. He was, after all, an artist, but this was more primitive. She imagined in that moment that cavemen drew on walls for similar reasons - Language had yet to catch up to the ideas they needed to express. Even though Aldus possessed the requisite skill with a pen, there was nuance to be captured that could not be confined by words.
She lowered herself in, bracing herself precariously with the open doors. She didn’t know whether it was better to leave them open close them behind her, but, fearing the loss of light, left them standing at attention.
Seventeen steps descended into the freezing crypt. In the absence of railings, her frail knees begged her to stabilize herself with the walls. Her fingers, protected by the knit gloves, were still hesitant to touch the grooved surfaces.
Mercifully, she and her weary limbs reached the bottom. Before her a wall no less than 8 feet wide, spanning floor to ceiling, divided the passageway in two. “Wall” was technically correct, but the slab of marble was unlike anything she had seen before. As she stood before it, her breath formed fuzzy crystals on what appeared to be solid gold tracing every relief of the centerpiece. She knew it to be impossible, but somehow the precious metal looked to have been flowed into the vertical, foundational stone. The muted yellow lines swerved, separated, reattached, created islands, retreated into caves, and at times seemed poised and eager to fight with their neighbors.
As she stared in wonder at the… the… The word was within her, but she needed to consume more for it to complete. To solidify.
At that moment, a sound from behind her caused her stomach to drop and the chill in the air to turn murderous. The doors were closing. She turned as quickly as possible just in time to see a menacing, feral pair of white specks and a sharp, overly curved smile force the steel gates shut.