Sheltered under a many-pillared porch is a huge door set into a great bas reliefof goddesses and gods, humans and nature spirits; over the door stands a figure of Father Time, with his hourglass and scythe.                                  The floor of this vestibule is a Roman mosaic picturing the creation of the     universe.  On the walls hang Venetian tapestries.  North is a door.                                                                                             The assembly room is full of tables and chairs and fireplaces, and Renaissance  paintings showing the delights of love.  North and south are two doors.                                                                                         Stairs spiral up; a doorway leads east.                                                                                                                                                                                                         Stairs spiral up; a doorway leads west.                                                                                                                                                                                                         This vast refectory is decorated in the style of a medieval banqueting hall.    Tapestries of huntsmen and dogs look down on an enormous walnut table set for a banquet.  Doorways lie in all four directions.                                  This square staircase leads up; an exit leads north.                                                                                                                                                                                            A stairway goes up, with a door north.                                                                                                                                                                                                          Stairs spiral up and stairs spiral down; a doorway leads east.                                                                                                                                                                                  Stairs spiral up; doorways lead east and west.                                                                                                                                                                                                  Stairs here go up; a door leads west.                                                                                                                                                                                                           This storage area for the theater has a door north and a door east.                                                                                                                                                                             Stored on the shelves of this projection room are cans and cans of classic films--everything from Edison's 'Frankenstein' to DeVere's 'Begingame.'  A door leadswest. A cassette player here contains a tape.                                   On the walls of this entrance to the theater is painted Chaucer's journey to    Canterbury--with film stars as the pilgrims.  The theater lies north; doors lie east and south.                                                                 Tapestries of a medieval unicorn hunt hang in the billiard room.  Doors are     east, west, and south.  The billiard table itself is a work of art, with gilded carvings of nymphs and satyrs.                                                  The motif here is Minoan, with bright frescoes of lively, elegant people and    plunging bulls.  The table and chairs have simple lines, as does the fireplace. Doors lie on all four sides.                                                    The northern part of the morning room is Minoan, with bright frescoes of lively,elegant people and plunging bulls.  The table and chairs here have simple lines,as does the fireplace.  Doors lie north, south, and east.                       This storage closet has a door leading west and another south.                                                                                                                                                                                  Shelves line this inner closet.  A door leads north.                                                                                                                                                                                            Cabinets and tables and cupboards line this pantry.  Exits lie east and west.                                                                                                                                                                   Cupboards of china and glass and silver line this pantry.  A door lies west;    another leads north.                                                                                                                                            Sinks and counters line the walls of this pantry, ready for washing fragile     china and silver.  Cupboards hold table linens.  Entrances lie north and south.                                                                                 The kitchen looks much like kitchens everywhere:  with tables and stoves, sinks,refrigerators, and a microwave.  Its exits are north, west, and south.                                                                                          Here once hung sides of venison and beef; now there are only a few packages of  ancient meat.  A door leads east.                                                                                                                               Here the servants sat and relaxed in the evening.  A doorway leads east.                                                                                                                                                                        Here the servants gathered around the big table for their meals.  Doorways lead south and west.                                                                                                                                                 The patio overlooks a profusion of bushes and trees and flowers.  A door leads  south; another leads west.                                                                                                                                      Here is the heart of the tropics, with plants in profusion.  A fountain murmurs in the center, and the air is balmy with the scent of growing things.  Doors    lead north and south from this Eden.                                            The painted audience on the walls is this theater's only audience.  On the      ceiling, cherubs hail the early gods and goddesses of the screen.  The aisle is east; north is the stage; a door leads south.                                   The aisle of this empty theater runs north to a door and south to a door; to thewest are theater seats.                                                                                                                                         This spiral staircase leads up; a door leads south.                                                                                                                                                                                             This entrance has benches and a closet for coats.  In the stone floor is a      figure-8 loop of infinity, with a many-rayed star in its center.  A door leads  east, and another leads north.                                                  This bathroom has a huge, old copper bathtub and a surprising collection of     glazed tiles.  A door leads west.                                                                                                                               This narrow room was sometimes used as a serving area.  It has doors on all foursides.                                                                                                                                                          Here are stored the props and miscellanea for amateur theatrics:  armor and     spears, and couches and artificial trees.                                                                                                                       In this cosy sitting room is a fireplace and a window overlooking the garden.   The staircase is south; a door leads west.                                                                                                                      This bathroom is small but elegant.  The exit is east.                                                                                                                                                                                          A staircase leads up and down here, with a door leading north.                                                                                                                                                                                  This small bedroom looks like the room of a Russian prince, with furs and carvedfurniture.  Saints and devils look down from the carved panel over the mantel.  Doors lead east and south.                                                      Here the corridor bends south and east.                                                                                                                                                                                                         Stairs spiral up and down here; a door leads north.                                                                                                                                                                                             Etruscans dine on the walls of this east end of a lobby; the ceiling is studded with gold stars.  Doors lie north, east, and south.                                                                                                             This balcony overlooks the overgrown garden.  A door leads south.                                                                                                                                                                               This sitting room, with its large fireplace, is filled with the furnishings of  old Mongolia.  Doors lead in all directions.                                                                                                                    This balcony overlooks the refectory; above is a richly-carved ceiling.  Doors  lead west, north, and east.                                                                                                                                     Gold fixtures and gold carving and gold ceilings and floors make this bathroom  blindingly bright.  The walls are painted panels from a 13th-century monastery. Doors lead west and south.                                                      In this small corridor, doors lead north, south, and west.                                                                                                                                                                                      This spiral staircase leads up and down; a door leads north.                                                                                                                                                                                    This sitting room is decorated in the style of antebellum America.  Along the   walls and above the fireplace are Currier and Ives prints.  South is a stairway.A door leads east.                                                              This stairway leads up and down; north lies a hallway.                                                                                                                                                                                          The west alcove of the library is filled with books and tables and chairs and   Greek statuary:  from the Cycladic semi-Cubist idols to the drama of Hellenisticsculpture.  An exit lies east.                                                  This library has everything from Marco Polo's travels to Peter Pan. Around the  fireplace are huge, comfortable chairs.  The ceiling swirls with the drapery of a pantheon of writers. East and west lie alcoves; north is a door.              The library's east alcove holds even more books; on a shelf around the top of   the shelves is a collection of Ming porcelain.  West lies an exit.                                                                                              Spiral stairs going up and down; a door leads east.                                                                                                                                                                                             On the walls of this west end of a lobby are painted scenes from Etruscan       dinners; the ceiling is a-blaze with golden stars.  Doors lie north, south, and west.                                                                           Stairs spiral up and down; a door leads west.                                                                                                                                                                                                   This is the south end of a long corridor; west, a wall of windows overlooks the overgrown grounds.  On the east wall, the nine Muses dance.  Doors lie east and south.                                                                          This bedroom is a masterpiece of architectural trompe d'oeil, with faux panels  and molding painted as faux stone of every type.  Even the real fireplace       doesn't look real; neither do the doors north, east, and west.                  This small closet is an oasis of sanity in a faux world.  A door lies south.                                                                                                                                                                    This is the south end of a long corridor.  The east wall is windows; on the westwall Roman beauties swirl in graceful dance.  Doors lie west and south.                                                                                         A corridor leads north and south from here; the west wall of windows overlooks  the grounds.  On the east wall, the nine Muses dance.  Doors lie east and south.                                                                                The walls of this bedroom is a Roman fresco of a garden rich with life:  among  the trees and flowers are birds and insects and small animals.  Doors lie east, west, and south.                                                                This is an ordinary closet; a door leads north.                                                                                                                                                                                                 A corridor leads north and south from here.  The east wall is full of windows;  on the west wall Roman beauties swirl in graceful dance.  Doors lie west and    south.                                                                          This is the north end of a long corridor; the west windows overlook the grounds.On the east wall, the nine Muses dance.  Doors lie in all directions.                                                                                           The walls of this bedroom were painted by a Japanese master into a mystic land  of mountains and trees, dragons and sparrows.  Doors lie east, west, and north.                                                                                 It is a closet of great ordinariness.  A door leads south.                                                                                                                                                                                      Here is the north end of a long corridor.  The east wall is windows; on the westwall Roman beauties swirl in graceful dance.  Doors lie in all directions.                                                                                      Stairs up and down, with a door leading north.                                                                                                                                                                                                  Stairs up and down, with doors north and east.                                                                                                                                                                                                  This spiral staircase goes up and down, with an exit east.                                                                                                                                                                                      Spiral stairs lead up and down; a door leads west.                                                                                                                                                                                              Stairs up and stairs down, with doorways north and west.                                                                                                                                                                                        This bathroom is Art Deco gaudy and silver leaf.  Among its excesses are solid  sterling fixtures and a bathtub deep enough to swim in.  Doors lead east and    north.                                                                          Islamic mosaics make this north-south corridor a blaze of delight.  A door lies east.                                                                                                                                                           The dark panels in this bedroom are carved as if the wood were linen folds; a   massive Jacobean four-poster across from the fireplace is swathed in ebroidered hangings.  Doors lie east and west; windows look north.                         A nice closet, with wooden hangers.                                                                                                                                                                                                             With its black and white tiled floor and tiled firelace, this bedroom is right  out of a Rembrandt or a Vermeer.  A door leads south.                                                                                                           Nymphs and satyrs riot in a moonlit grove on the walls of this bedroom; two     nymphs, draped languidly over the mantel of the fireplace, are propositioned by satyrs on either side.  Doors lie east and south.                               In the privacy of this closet a nymph and satyr kiss in acrylics opposite the   door west.                                                                                                                                                      Soft, silk Oriental carpets glow underfoot in this east-west corridor.  A door  lies north.                                                                                                                                                     In this corridor stands a huge bronze jar chased with dragons.  The corridor    leads east, west and south.                                                                                                                                     Venetian citizens prove their piety in this bedroom's paintings, kneeling beforethe baby Christ, kneeling before the Crucifixion, kneeling before the Piet….    Windows face a fireplace; doors lead east and west.                             The gold wine jug in this corridor must be four feet high and was hammered in   Greece to please a Celtic princess.  Doorways lead east, west, and south.                                                                                       The shields on the walls of this bedroom are ancient Greek, Roman, medieval,    Polynesian, African, Chinese, and Mongolian.  A fire in the fireplace must make them gleam.  Doors lead west and south.                                         A nice, peaceful closet with a door east.                                                                                                                                                                                                       Salt-glazed crockery lines the walls of this small entrance with doors north andsouth.                                                                                                                                                          This bedroom is all pine and painted furniture, with a fireplace and a painted  canvas on the floor.  A door leads south.                                                                                                                       Mullioned windows, deep fireplace, embroidered hangings--all add up to a room   with an Elizabethan slant.  Doors lead north, south, and east.                                                                                                  Islamic mosaics make this north-south corridor a blaze of delight.  A door lies west.                                                                                                                                                           Frank Lloyd Wright had no idea his furniture would find its way here, in this   sitting room.  Doors lie north, south, and east.                                                                                                                The Greek black-figure grain jars in this corridor are big enough to hide in.   A corridor stretches south; doors lie north, east, and west.                                                                                                    Someone with a sense of humor painted the walls of this bathroom with columns   and lush scenery, so you seem to be inside a Maxfield Parrish fantasy.  Doors   lead east and south.                                                            Here a whirlpool bath in a brick-tiled floor allows the bather to gaze on the   garden below.  Doors lead south and west.                                                                                                                       This staircase spirals up and down.  A door leads west.                                                                                                                                                                                         With windows on two sides, this exercise room has wonderful views to entertain  anyone working to get fit.  Doors lie east and south.                                                                                                           With marble floors warmed from below and a marble whirlpool bath, this plant-   filled room is the height of luxury.  Doors lead west and south.                                                                                                Stairs wind up and down; a door leads west.                                                                                                                                                                                                     The magnificent window at this western end of the lounge overlooks the house's  overgrown grounds.  A door leads north, and another leads south.                                                                                                This is the eastern end of a huge, comfortable lounge with big, soft sofas and  chairs arranged before an enormous fireplace. Doors lead north, east, and south.                                                                                Books line one wall of this reading room; a Monet triptych shimmers on another. Chairs before the fireplace would make a good place for reading.  Doors lead    east, north, and south.                                                         This northern end of a north-south corridor is lined with African idols of dark,rich wood.  Doorways lead north and west.                                                                                                                       An ancient Greek might be puzzled by the plumbing in this bathroom but not by   the marble and fresco decor.  Doors lead north and east.                                                                                                        At this south end of a north-south corridor a crowd of African carvings stands  in impassive silence.  Doors lead south and west.                                                                                                               Stairs curve up and down in this square staircase; doors lead north and east.                                                                                                                                                                   Ah, wilderness!  A dozen paintings by Church, Bierstadt, and the Hudson River   School glow on the walls of this bedroom.  Doors lie east and west.                                                                                             Ah, a closet!  With a door leading--as Thoreau would approve--west.                                                                                                                                                                             This cosy little conversation area has embroidered chairs drawn in front of the tiled fireplace.  Steps lead south.                                                                                                                             This sitting room has the panelled walls, tiled floor, and carved furniture of  early Dutch luxury.  Steps lead north; stairs lie south.                                                                                                        Stairs lead down here; a room lies north.                                                                                                                                                                                                       This slate roof will have to be fixed.  You overlook the garden to the north;   windows lie east; blank walls lie west and south.                                                                                                               Stairs spiral down from here; a door lies east.                                                                                                                                                                                                 This sun room overlooks the garden; windows lie east and west.  The ornate      carving in the ceiling is repeated in the ornate mantel over the fireplace. A   doorway leads south.                                                            This north end of a medieval study has three walls of books broken by doors     leading north, east, and west.                                                                                                                                  Stairs spiral down from here; a door leads west.                                                                                                                                                                                                This mossy slate roof will need to be inspected.  You have wonderful view of thegarden to the north; blank walls lie east and south, and windows lie west.                                                                                      This conversation area, with its Windsor settee drawn up before the fireplace,  is a monument to the American hooked rug.  Steps lead south.                                                                                                    American primitives cover the walls of this pine-floored room in which a        surprising number of antique toys have gathered.  Stairs lead north; a staircaselies south.                                                                     Stairs lead down from here; a room lies north.                                                                                                                                                                                                  A hallelujah chorus of stained glass windows flame on either side of this study,dappled in multicolored light.  One could read by the fire, watched by saints   and patriarchs.  North are the books; doors lie south.                          These stairs spiral up and down.  A door leads east.                                                                                                                                                                                            This lobby would delight a Mandarin ruler.  Doors lie in all four directions.                                                                                                                                                                   This staircase spirals up and down; an exit lies west.                                                                                                                                                                                          This Moorish bedroom is a symphony of arches, with a door leading east.                                                                                                                                                                         Mosaics are reflected a hundred-fold in this bathroom with marble fixtures.  A  door leads south.                                                                                                                                               This room is the multi-colored, multi-patterned masterwork of a long-dead       Moorish artisan.  Doors lie east, north, and west.                                                                                                              This sitting room's blend of Moorish and Roman architecture and furniture is    oddly lovely.  Doors lead north, east, and west.                                                                                                                Mythological mosaics seem more of a decorating statement than you'd have thoughtnecessary in a bathroom.  A door leads south.                                                                                                                   Portrait panels of ancient Romans look out at you from the walls of this room.  Doors lead east, north, and west.                                                                                                                               The mosaics in this bedroom blend pagan and early Christian elements; people    represented in the panels and statues may have been pagan or may have been      Christian, but the difference seems unimportant.                                The great copper bathtub amid the plants in this bathroom overlooks the grounds of the house and meshes nicely with the African fabrics and decor.  Doors lead  east and south.                                                                 This sauna will provide you many hours of enjoyment--if you survive the night!  An exit leads south.                                                                                                                                            T'ang horses prance in this east-west corridor.  Doors lead north, east, and    west.                                                                                                                                                           The walls and ceiling of this small study came from a Cambodian temple; the     carved wood still breathes serenity.  Doorways lead north, south, and east.                                                                                     The fireplace somehow blends into this India-inspired sitting room with its     bright patterns and colors and deep, comfortable chairs.  Doors lead west,      north, and south.                                                               Stairs wind down from here; the domed ceiling is a painted map of the night sky.A door leads west.                                                                                                                                              Byzantine panels and mosaics decorate this huge bedroom, with its carved and    gilded ceiling; even the fireplace is deeply carved. Doors lead north and south.                                                                                This small room is the perfect setting for its tiny treasures:  Persian and     Russian miniatures glow like tiny jewels.  Doors lead north and south.                                                                                          This long, narrow, north-south dressing room is lined with closets on one wall  and with a frescoed procession of Greeks bearing gifts on the other.  Doors lie north and south.                                                                On the walls of this dressing room has been painted a tropical rain forest,     complete with lemurs, orchids, and jewelled birds.  Doors lead east and north.                                                                                  The walls of this alcove are patterned in keeping with the Anasazi pottery on   its shelves.  Doorways lie north, south, and west.                                                                                                              Goggle-eyed Sumerian figurines seem at home in this room, with its simple,      three-legged furnishings.  A door leads east.                                                                                                                   A Viking would be right at home in this room, with its ornately-carved wooden   furniture and fur rugs.  Rusted swords and shields hang above the mantle.       Doors lead north, west, and south.                                              This square staircase leads down.  A door leads north.                                                                                                                                                                                          These stairs spiral down.  A door leads south.                                                                                                                                                                                                  Graceful Egyptians proceed around the walls of this sitting room, furnished     simply but comfortably.  Windows overlook the garden; doors lead south.                                                                                         These stairs wind down.  A door leads south.                                                                                                                                                                                                    Daubed on the rough wall of this corridor are figures familiar to Australian    aborigines, dominated by a great spiral painted in red.  Exits lie north,       east, and south.                                                                The skins hanging on the walls of this sitting room were painted long ago with  scenes of war and buffalo hunts, of dreams and visions.  Doors lead north, east,and west.                                                                       Shelves on the walls of this corridor hold ivory and stone carved into lively   seals and whales and polar bears.  Doors lie north, south, and west.                                                                                            In this octagonal study tall windows break seven of the book-lined walls; the   room is cluttered with sculptures and clay pieces from many times and cultures. A door leads north.  On the table is a strange machine.                         This octagonal bedroom is a fantasy of glass and draperies and light, with      shelves of Venetian glass and a handblown chandelier flashing rainbows from the light of seven windows.  A door leads north.                                    This east end of the library is filled with books.  Around the fireplace are    huge, soft chairs. The ceiling swirls with the drapery of gods and goddesses anda pantheon of writers.  East and west are alcoves; north is a doorway.          This enormous swimming pool is as much for looking as it is for swimming:  the  walls are a-dazzle with Roman mosaics; and statues of Poseidon and his nereid   daughters rest in the alcoves.                                                  I am part of a program called THE HOUSE AT THE EDGE OF TIME, written by Pat      Pflieger, Nov. 1988 through Jan. 1990; copyright 1990 Pat Pflieger.  Caveat     borrower.