Magic Streets: Prague Bound Book One

By Marco Marek

Photography has never been so dangerous for Jack. Excited to visit Prague, he's ready to action. But, photos isn't the only challenge that Jack will face. Blissfully unaware of the magic contained within the city of Prague, he stumbles upon a magic street. He didn't know he will be involved with a monster hunt with a tarot reader. Will Jack be able to face it or will the city be lost forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marco Marek
• Release date: Feb 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463583517

Marco Marek

Marco Marek was born in Italy. He always had a fervid imagination and a passion for fantasy stories, medieval magicians, ancient history, and unexplained mysteries. While he was visiting a castle in Eastern Europe, he had the idea of writing Hyperearth.Apart from writing, Marco is also a painter and he likes digital artwork on Photoshop. The cover of Hyperearth is his creation. He loves traveling when he has some free time.

Book preview

Magic Streets

Prague Bound – Book One

Marco Marek

Copyright 2018© Marco Marek

Cover by © Jacqueline Sweet

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author with the subject line Magic Streets at [e-mail]

All characters are fictional and exist only in the author's imagination. Any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental.

To my mother

Thanks for your endless support

and for your love

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 1

Jack Harson contemplated the Hotel Constellation from the sidewalk. Formerly a luxurious hotel, it had evolved into a palace with rooms to rent. In addition to rented rooms, there were dwellings for residents to purchase.

From the photos, the appearance was not the most pleasant. The hotel seemed abandoned, or perhaps it was the Gothic style that made it gloomier. After a period of glory the building had some years of decline. Saving money created some interesting situations.

Jack had to stay a week in Prague, and taking a rented apartment was cheaper than staying in a hotel. The proximity was perfect as it was located on Náměstí Míru, in the Prague 2 area.

Jack rang the bell at the door. Vltava Orient, the lady who rented the rooms, screamed, Who is it? Jack hurriedly introduced himself, and Mrs. Orient directed him to see her on the seventh floor.

Before entering, he took two steps back and peered at the building. He counted eight floors to the top of the building, which was ornately decorated with four turrets, one on each side of an emerald green roof.

The building had a mysterious air. As soon as Jack entered, he noticed an intense pandemonium in the lobby. Children were running along the stairs, the doors of the rooms swung wide open with people coming and going, and Jack was left wondering what had happened.

Thinking that it may have been busy only on the first floor, Jack climbed the stairs, but found that all of the floors were in the same condition. Mrs. Orient was leaning on her door, naturally open and talking to another lady, both dressed in a bizarre manner as if they had appeared in the film Moulin Rouge, while three children chased each other down the corridor making a hellish noise.

As soon as she saw him, the lady welcomed him.

Ah, you are the one who rented the apartment! Jack stood still for a moment. It must have been easy to recognize him as he appeared to be the only normal human being in this madhouse. Nice to meet you, I'm Jack Harson.

The woman entered the apartment with a gesture as if to follow her, but she did not close the door. He was puzzled by her gesture, wondering how she could sleep with all that noise. Mrs. Orient pointed to a door on the right. He sensed that it was his apartment. On the left, there was a room with an elegant desk and Bukhara rugs on the floor.

If you need me, I'm here, said the woman, handing over the keys to the door.

Thank you. Jack replied. Mrs. Orient was a person of few words, but he was not in the mood to talk much either.

The apartment was decent and included a Victorian-style bedroom and a dining room with kitchen. He put down his suitcase and the bag with the photographer's equipment and sat down for a moment. After resting for a short time, he took one of the cameras, his favorite Canon 5D, and left to explore his surroundings.

As soon as the door was closed, he was intercepted by Mrs. Orient who, with her finger, invited him to come closer.

Stranger, if you find Merkulova Street, watch out for your thoughts! she said, beating her long red nail on a tarot card. Jack was puzzled. What did she mean? Besides renting rooms, was she also a fortune-teller? However, he thanked her, bowing his head.

A balloon touched his face once he started up the stairs, and instinctively he protected the camera from any possible damage as he went quickly towards the exit.

In the street, he put his hand over his forehead as if to wipe away the sweat. Jack had the task of finding the most unusual and curious places in the city on behalf of a magazine. He had already found one, the former Constellation Hotel. After shooting a few shots, Jack decided to walk around the village. There were so many beautiful buildings, including a seventeenth century craft brewery and a house with a decorated façade, which consisted of light drawings. Raising the camera lens, he soon glimpsed Merkulova Street.

It's the place that Mrs. Orient told me! A sign featuring the name of the street hung on a wall next to the road, and he decided it would make the perfect picture for the magazine.

Merkulova Street was different from all the other roads. All of the architecture was Gothic, and the street had no trees. The street was so lifeless and dreary that Jack's mood instantly began to become more subdued, and he struggled to find the connection between this street and the warning of the clairvoyant. While he walked a little with his head down staring at the ground made of stone pebbles, he thought he would like to photograph the Zlatá Ulička, the Golden Lane.

The Golden Lane was a small street located between the White Tower and the Daliborka Tower, made up of colorful fairy-like houses that arose in the castle's arched fortifications from the end of the sixteenth century and were inhabited until the Second World War. The current appearance of the Golden Lane dates back to 1955.

Between 1916 and 1917, Franz Kafka worked in house number 22. The Golden Lane is still a part of the guided tour of the Prague Castle.

Besides the alchemists who lived in the houses from the sixteenth century until 1950, other buildings included dwellings for the red shooters who guarded the castle door, the goldsmith's workshop, the inn, the herbalist's house, the house of the famous clairvoyant and fortune-teller Matylda Prušová, and the house of Mr. Kazda, the amateur film historian who hid copies of Czech films of the time from the Nazis.

Thinking of the history of the street was so fascinating that he hadn’t realized he had continued onto another street, in another part of the city. In disbelief, he rubbed his eyes, but when Jack opened his eyes the view was the same. In front of him was a majestic castle! It must have been a re-enactment or historical weekend, because the people on the street were dressed in vintage clothes.

How did I get here? thought Jack. Looking around, he spotted a beautiful girl sitting just outside her blue door, knitting and watching Jack carefully and smiling mischievously. He was enraptured by her sky-blue eyes and found himself unable to speak. She