'Through the Green Door.'
We can offer you little guidance, but Aunty has obtained a clue as to the location of the key to the Green Door.
"It refers to The Hobbit, no real surprise there, in a world of fiction. Remember the part in the book where Bilbo opens the door of Smaug's lair in the mountain and finds the dragon sleeping on his hoard of treasure? But our clue says:
In your quest, the key is the treasure, and its unknowing guardian sleeps forever.
We had hoped to have the pleasure of your company for several days while you completed your induction and training programme, but we must now drastically reduce the time for preparation."
I became apprehensive. "When you say, 'drastically cut', by how much exactly?"
Earnest glanced at Albert as if seeking support.
"Very drastically, Peregrine. The time slot for you to attempt the challenge is rapidly diminishing and will close in just over an hour."
"One Hour!" I exclaimed.
"And not reopen for another eighteen years," added Albert.
"Will you call your attempt off, Peregrine? We quite understand if you do, only being half prepared and all that."
They both looked at me expectantly. Albert had his handkerchief in his hand and was squeezing it extremely hard.
But he had nothing to worry about
"I will go ahead. I wouldn't miss this for anything."
The brothers leapt to their feet.
"Spoken like a true traveller!" said Albert excitedly.
"Good show, Peregrine, good show," said Earnest, and we had a group hug.
I disentangled myself with difficulty and asked, "Do I go now? Will you please tell Montana that I have no time to say goodbye and will be in touch the moment I get back?"
"There is still a little time for us left to continue our conversation," said Ernest, "and we will, of course, give Montana your message, but I would first like to say how honoured we are that you have accepted The Green Door Challenge."
"I will be glad to try Earnest. Sorry, Mr. Menschen. But you should not hold out too much hope. I am just an ordinary boy from a council estate and not good enough to be taking on important challenges like this. You could have chosen somebody better than me."
I was feeling tearful without knowing the reason.
"I think we have done very nicely, Peregrine; indeed, you are exactly the person we need."
"But you didn't choose me, Mr. Menschen. I came to the emporium by chance."
"Really? Perhaps I should explain further."
"I wish you would."
"Did your father ever talk about his father, your grandfather?"
"Not much. They had a falling out when Dad refused to go into the family business. He said that he wanted to go to art school with his friends instead. He was good at art, though, talented, everybody said so. He was a lot better than me, of course, but there was no money in being an artist, and he had to work part-time at the council as a sign painter, so we were always a bit short of cash. I was a bit of a disappointment to him, not being very artistic. I preferred reading about the history of ancient times, their myths, and philosophy, and I would have liked to have been a teacher. I wanted to make it up to my dad for my failure in being unable to draw or paint, so I decided to enrol in a History of Art course. It is mostly theory and doesn't require skill as an artist. He was happy about that. We would be operating in the same world when I got a job, and he thought I might be of use to him in his career. Contacts, and such like."
"You put your father's feelings ahead of yours, did you, even though, at the same age, he put his interests ahead of his father?"
"I never thought about it like that. I just thought it was my duty to Dad."
"And you wonder why we chose you," murmured Mr. Menschen, "but never mind that for now. Do you know what your grandfather's business was?"
"Furniture, I think. I'm not sure. We never saw much of him."
"Furniture? Like this shop?"
"I suppose so, but not inter-dimensional portals, of course."
"What gives you that idea?"
"Well, it's not possible, is it?"
Mr. Menschen remained silent, but my mind was working overtime.
"What is your full name, Peregrine?"
"Peregrine Tripp."
"And your father's first name?"
'Peregrine.' It's a family tradition for the eldest, but since his bust-up with Grandad, he has called himself Herbert. That's his middle name.
"Quite so. So, your grandfather's name is Peregrine, too?"
"Yes."
"Do you know what your name means?"
"No, I've always been a bit embarrassed. It sounds too posh for the estate."
"It's Latin for traveller or pilgrim. Tripp, your surname, has different interpretations, but in English, it means traveller. You are a born traveller, Peregrine, as was your grandfather. In short, you are one of us by birth, Peregrine, and exactly the right person to take on the 'Green Door Challenge.' What do you say to that?"
"I say yes, Mr. Menschen. This is the best day of my life. Win or lose, at last, I have something to be proud of. 'Born traveller,' you said. I can hardly believe it. When do we start?"
"Good man," said Earnest, "but we are out of time. Listen closely, Peregrine, and remember these facts. There will be no time for questions. The Green Door stands at the unseen border that separates our dimension from the fantastic dimension. You must never forget that the enemy is looking for the key, and they know your identity.
" I was about to reply when the sound of a cuckoo clock filled the room.
"Oh dear," said Albert, turning off his watch alarm, "time is nearly up."
"Let's go!" said Earnest.
The three of us raced up the stairs.
"I must tell Aunty first. "She can't miss this, "said Albert.
Aunty looked flustered and smoothed down her pinny as she joined us.
"Ever onward, Peregrine!" shouted Albert, and we quickly made our way to the shop counter. Earnest pulled the blind down and locked the front door to the shop while Albert was on his knees behind the counter. He ran his hand along the skirting board and pressed the button that opened the secret chamber.
With the sound of whirring gears, the wall began to rise and clicked into place when it reached the top. We all went into the chamber together, and the very first thing I saw was the famous green door, looking solid and immovable. The three of them looked at me expectantly, and I moved forward with my eyes fixed on the iron handle.
"You haven't got a proper coat on, Peregrine, and you might catch your death of cold out there," said Earnest, and he flung his coat around my shoulders.
"Take this rucksack as well. There is food inside and a few other things from the boys," said Aunty.
The coat was far too big, but I appreciated the gesture. I wanted to keep my hands free and put the rucksack over my shoulder. I placed my hand on the handle, and I swear I heard the door sign. Tightening my grip on the iron bar, I tried to turn it, but to my huge disappointment, it didn't budge.
"Try turning it the other way, "said Albert.
That would lock it even harder, but I did not want to offend him, so I twisted the handle in the opposite direction. To my shock, it turned without effort and began spinning around so fast I couldn't stop it. The door swung open of its own accord. I was unable to keep my balance and tumbled straight through into the darkness.