"Unbelievable." After seeing off the fastidious landlady, Alex stood in the middle of the spacious living room, somewhat dazed: "A house as beautiful as this, and it belongs to me now."
"You're just renting it." Glen was checking the door bolts. Hearing the exclamation of Alex, he doused the boy with a bucket of cold water: "Technically, it still belongs to the owner; you're only being granted temporary usage rights."
Alex pouted, deciding to ignore the man's pragmatism. Alex walked around the living room, curiously observing the lamps mounted on the walls.
It was a modern gas lighting system that only the wealthy possessed. The frosted glass shades were intricately carved with patterns, and the lamp bodies, made of polished brass, felt cool to the touch. By inserting a coin into the slot, a valve would open, the faint hiss of gas would sound, and the lamp would flare brilliantly, dispelling all the damp darkness Alex was accustomed to.
