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Traveling back in Time to Versailles

Part I

By Anna cruzPublished 2 years ago 7 min read
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Traveling back in Time to Versailles
Photo by Jusdevoyage on Unsplash

On a beautiful day, the sightseeing tourists were walking around the gardens of Versailles. As Maggie struggled to keep up with the other tourists as she took photos of the beautiful flowers along the way, the oleanders, the lavender, and the poppies. The rich colors of the flowers with the sun played off Maggie’s dark hair. Maggie’s best friend Olivia was telling Maggie to keep up with the group. After all, she wouldn’t want to get lost in the great maze of the Versailles gardens in France. They had come a long way from Akron Ohio to visit on this once-in-a-lifetime trip to France.

Maggie seemed to be in a fog as Olivia spoke. She was listening to Olivia’s voice but it seemed so distant. As she walked the grounds of Versailles, Maggie got the distinct feeling as she had been there before even though this was her first trip to France. Maggie couldn’t shake this feeling of deja vu, no matter how far she walked. Maggie casually sipped her cup of water as she strolled through the gardens enjoying the peonies. As she lagged behind the group taking photos of every flower in the garden. She couldn’t help feeling the serenity as she listened to the tour guide explain about the 16 groves of Versailles. The tour guide explained that the philosophy of the gardens is balance and symmetry to create a vision of heaven on earth. As Andre de Notre envisioned the gardens as he started to create them in 1661 and took 21 years to complete. The Versailles Palace was built in 1634 by King Louis XIV known as the “sun King”. Maggie seemed to be out of sorts as the tourist guide’s voice became more distant.

Olivia kept up with the guide and was walking well ahead of Maggie. The group was walking over a small footbridge over a manmade creek, you could hear the rushing water crashing against the rocks. Maggie was distracted taking more photographs as she tried to keep pace with the group she fell behind again. A thick dense fog set in over the footbridge and Maggie couldn’t see her group anymore. Maggie was alarmed not being able to see her group anymore because of the dense fog. She followed the voices she heard in french. As she walked towards the voices she noticed that the voices were exclusively french, and there were no other languages being spoken, she found that strange. Because the tourist group was composed of International visitors from around the globe. The fog was so thick and nothing could be seen forward so she followed the voices. As Maggie walked the fog started to subside as she walked over the footbridge. As she walked out of the fog, Maggie quickly realized that the french voices became clearer as she walked out of the fog. Maggie saw people dressed in 17th-century clothing. Maggie thought to herself is this a dramatization of 17th-century French life, the tour guide made no mention of this.

As Maggie felt out of place wearing a tee-shirt and blue jeans as she walked through the crowds. People stared at her and spoke in French as she walked among them. Maggie felt like an outcast she got this strange feeling as she walked among the people. As she made her way among the people two guards approached her speaking in French. Maggie couldn’t understand what they were saying so they quickly took her away to a dungeon-type room. Maggie was afraid and didn’t know what was happening. Maggie spoke to the guards in English in hopes of finding someone who spoke English. Maggie remained in the dungeon for two days and what seemed to be an eternity for her until the guards came to get her. Maggie demanded to know where they were taking her. She had an uneasy feeling about all that was happening.

The guards took her to a beautifully decorated room with a pulpit in the center of the room. The room was filled with people. The guards directed Maggie to stand in the center of the room at the pulpit. Maggie realized she was in a courtroom, but how could she defend herself if she didn’t speak French. The proceeding started in French, as they spoke. Maggie pleaded in English to speak to someone who spoke English. Maggie saw that the people were still dressed in 17th-century clothing and started to feel that something was terribly wrong. A short stocky man with a powdered wig approached her and said he spoke English with a heavy French accent. Maggie was happy to find someone that spoke English so she asked the man what year was it? The man laughed and said it was 1669. Maggie had suspected but still was shocked at the answer. Maggie had traveled through time and didn’t know how she did it.

Maggie told the man that she was from the year 2022 and she traveled through time somehow to 1669 and she didn’t know how she got there. The French man reluctantly repeated her story and people in the court started to laugh. Maggie continued to tell her story and she even pointed to her clothing as evidence that she was from a different time. And then Maggie pulled out her camera. The people were astonished to see the camera. Maggie asked the French man to tell the court if she could demonstrate how the camera worked. The French man translated what Maggie said and was allowed to demonstrate the camera to the court. She pointed the camera towards the judge and snapped a picture. The judge recoiled in fear. She then asked to approach the judge to show him the image of himself in the camera. The judge was shocked to see himself in the photo. He immediately declared the instrument to be the work of the devil and witchcraft. The judge claimed that the camera caught the souls of the people and that it was witchcraft. The people started to speak all at the same time, some arguing and nodding their heads in disbelief. The Judge was a Cardinal as well and he saw everything strange to him through a religious lens. Some of the people in the Court believed her claims but were too afraid to go against the Cardinal. As Maggie denied she was a witch, she explained that she should be released to attempt to return to her time. She begged the court to release her. The judge accused her of witchcraft and passed a sentence on Maggie. He ordered that Maggie be taken to the square to be burned as a witch at dawn. Maggie nearly fainted at hearing the Judge’s verdict. Maggie was dragged out of the court room screaming she wasn’t a witch. Some of the people in the Courtroom believed Maggie or at least they really believed she thought she was from the future.

Maggie awaited her fate in the dungeon and she prayed for a miracle to save her. Maggie couldn’t believe the nightmare she was living and she knew she had until sunrise.

Sunrise arrived, and Maggie was walked out to the square and tied to a post surrounded by wood and hay. As the sentence was read, Maggie began to pray Our father's prayer. The executioner was about to light the wood when an arrow hit the executioner in the heart. A masked man fought with the guard next to the executioner. The masked man engaged in a sword fight with the guard and quickly killed him. The masked man approached the post and cut Maggie’s hands lose he then told her to get on the horse.

It all happened so quickly that Maggie was disoriented, she noticed three other masked men sword fighting with the guards in the square. One of the masked men was by the gate and killed the guards. As the masked men killed off all of the guards at the square. They got on their horses and rode to Paris. Maggie was grateful that she wasn’t burned at the stake but her future was uncertain. She was afraid because she didn’t know who had saved her and for what. They had escaped Versailles and rode to Paris. When they arrived in Paris, Maggie was told that she was taken to see King Louis XIV. He wanted to meet this woman from the future and her fate depended upon if he believed her or not, she was told. The four masked men introduced themselves as D'Artagnan, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis. Maggie couldn’t believe she was saved by the Musketeers. After all, she had read about them as a work of fiction by Alexander Dumas in 1844. They actually existed and Maggie was glad and indebted to them for saving her life. The King immediately wanted to speak to you to determine if you are really from the future or if you are mad. Depending upon if he believes you your fate awaits. Treville head of the Musketeers brings Maggie towards the King. Maggie doesn’t know what to do so she bows to the King and doesn’t make eye contact until she’s spoken to.

The King awaits to hear from Maggie when the Cardinal enters the room…

Adventure
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About the Creator

Anna cruz

I like writing short stories and poetry. I like to blog about thrifting and many other subjects. I hope you enjoy my writing. Read my blog at www.savingshouse.blogspot.com and visit my website at www.vintageoldtreasures.com

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