It is said that every family has skeletons in the cupboard. If only old houses could speak, they would tell a lot of fascinating stories about bad and good times of their inhabitants. At first glance, an old house in the picture may seem to be a mere building consisting of walls, windows and doors, but its atmosphere and every its part would mean a lot for several generations that were born and grew up in it.
A paved path leading to the terrace steps looks so inviting that it is hard to resist the temptation and enter the building. Stepping on this winding trail, a guest would inevitably think of those people who had walked this path millions of times day by day in the past. It is possible that these were small children who ran skipping along and perhaps even fell after stumbling over one of the stones on the path. These could also be elderly people who went slowly because it was already difficult for them to walk.
Young people could walk this path in a hurry from and to work without even noticing beauty of the house. With all these thoughts in mind, a guest would find himself/herself on a desert terrace. Knocking on the door, the stranger would imagine children playing games on this terrace and an elderly man sitting in a rocky chair. However, now there are no lights in the window and the terrace is desert. Nobody would open, and it seems that now only memories and family secrets live in this house.
Not able to enter the house, a stranger would stay outside and walk in the garden. It is autumn, and the bare trees share the mood and loneliness of the house. However, there are no leaves on the lawn, and it means that somebody has collected them. Someone who is now invisible has gathered the autumn leaves and neatly cut the lawn. The presence of invisible but caring owners surround the house with atmosphere of mystery.
The red tiling on the roof of the house and a gabled tower make the building look like a castle from a fairy tale. There is a small chimney on the roof, and obviously small children growing up in this house were waiting for Santa Claus to come through it every Christmas Eve. Children grew up and do not believe in miracles anymore, but a small chimney remains as a commemoration of those old good times.
The large windows of the house are similar to somebody’s curious eyes and connect the inhabitants of the building with the surrounding world. It is obvious that there are even more windows in this house than it is necessary for lighting the rooms in a proper way.
Most rooms of the house have two or even more windows which demonstrate the openness of the inhabitants and make the building look even more inviting. It is possible that previously the house was more hospitable than on this autumn morning and guests crowded on its small terrace and in its brightly-lit rooms. However, now the house looks desert and sleeps, hiding all its secrets behind thick curtains on the windows.
Looking at the exterior of the house in the picture, strangers can only make guesses concerning the lives of its inhabitants and the true meaning of the elements of the building. A winding path, bare trees in the garden and large windows would seem only the elements of the construction to a stranger, but would tell much more to people who have spent at least a part of their lives in this house.