PROLOGUE
Jimmy accounts for his days running out and about his home fortress. Each day he interacts with the residents of the building in which he lives. A polite young eleven-year-old who’s closest companion is the door man Basie. Basie also acts like his sole parent in most cases, as mom and dad are often never around and consumed with their work. Thus, leaving Jim alone at the Thomas Craig.
Built in 1901 this old mansion belonging to the wealthy Massey Craig was built for his family to continue legacy on in the lake shore town of Audrey in Connors Island. The wealth of this family helped build the economy and make what Audrey is today a pristine tourist attraction across America. Over a hundred years later the Mansion now is a 35 floor, 70-unit loft condo for the elite. Each floor consists of two-family dwellings. Each floor has a different tale. Each hidden behind the doors to their loft.
Day in and day out, Jimmy interacts with the different residents and longs to get to know them more. All the while planning an actual family feast for the upcoming Thanksgiving that is upon them. He wishes to have dinner with his friendly neighbors and comes up with a crafty way of inviting all his “friends” to a rooftop feast. With the help of Basie, Jimmy concocts a plan of action in the attic playhouse he is often found in. While Jimmy is all playful and excited, it’s the lives of others he touches that will make a difference when it comes to this potential gathering.
This Thanksgiving only the lonely gather to feel warmth they haven’t felt in a long time!
The Foyer
Roy Orbison spins on the record player machine in the lobby of the Thomas Craig. Thus, setting the scene for this fine fall day in November. “Only the Lonely” captures the beginning of the day of a select group of residents chosen by young Jimmy. ‘Maybe tomorrow a new romance, no more sorrow but that’s the chance you gotta take when your lonely heart breaks….’ Jimmy sits on the floor carboard colored paper, pencils and stencils creating his thanksgiving invitations. Each invite is simply labelled the loft number as the boy doesn’t really know his friends’ names but wants to invite them to get to know them.
The Numbers laid out are 44, 58, 67, 4 24, & 21. As the song begins to wind down in the lobby the tenants each begin their day in their respective lofts.
A week earlier Jim got the idea to create such an elaborate idea. Bombs going off on his TV, the boy was captivated by a war-torn tale; but during a commercial about the holidays he sees something that peaks his interest besides the bombs, grenadiers and planes of the movie. The soda pop commercial designed this idea where the tenants all got together to build an apartment-to-apartment mail system hence inviting everyone to a feast. Though it wasn’t Christmas, Thanksgiving was just around the corner and Jimmy didn’t want to eat alone or alone with Basie.
He runs to the elevator an old lift consisting of a chain of open compartments which moves slowly in a loop up and down. Like the kitchen pantry shoot, this old relic was a hidden treasure only young Jim could utilize. As it only went to the Attic where he spent most of his days and directly to Basie’s desk area in the lobby. Down to see Basie he went, pencils and all!
The Lobby was grand, well for its time in the twenty first century. Jim can recall the brilliance from pictures of the building as it once was. Dusty old red brick with an expanded foyer which at one point even had horse drawn carriages enter. The history of the Thomas Craig is that of a war-torn tale of its own. As this fine building once was the Family Craig Mansion! Notably Massey Craig was part of the European brigade that came over in the early nineteen hundreds and built this mansion with his own two hands and many others as well. The first family of Audrey, and the wealthiest as well. Nothing was more important than family and they’d never leave their home once settled. Throughout the years the family ran thin and the passing on of the building became one of the state. The mansion was gutted somewhat and converted into refined living spaces.
Now the old brick stayed true to form and the character not diminished in the slightest. The old-style front with many windows leadings to no where still placated the front. However, inside some of those windows saw no shine. Thirty-Five floors converted from castle like bones into a home for some seventy folk of the common day. Though this folk, were a rich folk too! No plain jane simpletons could live at the Thomas Craig. No no, all the tenants here were hand picked by the state. Richness would continue to haunt the walls until the destruction of the building one day, says Basie.
“The building will be no more, my boy when the soul of the foundation is dead! What is the soul Mr. Basie? Well Jim its you and I and all that accompany this place. Vibrance of life, wealth and luster bring jovial spirits to play everyday. See them there and here. Over there and yonder some days. Everyone here makes Thomas Craig come to life!!”
Home where the heart is, Jimmy thinks as he writes that out on front of the invitation. Often Jimmy was the only child around the complex, so he could sit and play wherever really. Looking up towards the residents of the Thomas Craig as they often would meet in the foyer; Jimmy would sit, color, create or write next to Basie’s desk. What is considered to be the main floor is technically the sixth as the old castle also had dwellings underground. Due to modernization and permits the building had to be slightly modified. The entrance is up a hill, while behind the hill the dwellings go stories below with windows and escape routes in case of emergencies.
Two large wooden staircases wrapped around the main, both leading to the next few levels. Elevators are properly fitted behind the stair features for coming, going and moving of course. The massive castle doorway still remains in tact as the entrance to the Thomas Craig. Stained glass occupies the top of each door straight to the ceiling. The ceiling went up about ten stories, this captures the aesthetic of the Mansion Castle back when and acts as a main selling point of the home. Five steel beams grip the formation of the ceiling, flags of America, Aubrey and Connors Island as well as the Craig emblem hang from a top. Two massive wooden pillars lead way for where the horse drawn carriages would have entered years ago. Now they act as entrances to the north and south gardens, each completely different. Knowing much about the Island of Connor, one would know that temperatures vary on this land and extreme changes are nothing out of the normal.
It was always sunny with piercing blue skies whenever that front entrance opened for Jimmy to see!