He stepped into the kitchen, bare feet on cold tiled floor. With methodical precision he removed the teakettle from the stove, dumped the stale water, refilling the kettle with fresh water from the tap. Setting the kettle back upon the quickly heating gas stove-top, he called into the next room, "Arthur! Where do you keep your tea bags, it always seems to slip my mind..."
"Upper right cabinet above the sink. I'll take Earl Grey.", called back Arthur's voice, disembodied, floating through the flat, away from its owner secure in his easy chair.
In the kitchen Thom set two tea bags into mugs on the counter, then padded back to the living room to wait for the kettle's keening whistle. "Arthur, would you move somewhere else? Let's say a different flat in a different town."
"Good heavens, no. I simply couldn't. How could I leave home? I can't even walk out that door on an average day to get a dozen eggs, let alone the abject terror and anxiety that would be compounded by moving even further away. A whole other town? I simply couldn't."
Thom pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep, exaggerated breath. Sometimes having a conversation with Arthur was a trial in itself. "Okay, how 'bout we start small: when was the last time you went out that door?"
In his armchair Arthur hummed at the thought. "I'd have to say its been at least two and a half years at this point. Mind you the only reason I left that particular day was that there was a different mail courier. Not knowing the routine I had set with William, he set my mail out by the street in the box instead of the door. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving the mail out there when it might rain later, or mail thieves might come by! So I made a dash for it. I was lucky, nothing happened and the mail was retrieved without incident."
FSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!!! the tea-kettle cried from the other room. Thom relieved the boiling water from the heat and poured two cups, then took the cups back into the living room. "Can we do a bit of a thought experiment then? Just for a moment? In this hypothetical scenario there would be a way to transfer you to a completely different flat, perhaps on the otherside of the city, or perhaps countries away, without having to go outside. A form of teleportation maybe. Would you give it a shot then?"
Arthur took a sip of his tea, finding it to still be scalding. He replaced the cup on the table and considered the question. "I...I guess I would in that case, sure. The risk seems fairly low, but why do you ask?"
"Its just that lately I've been thinking. When you first move somewhere that place is almost completely new to you. So you meet people, discover the many different organizations the town has to offer, and you take walks, exploring every nook and cranny there is to see. But then over time, and this is what I"ve really been caught on, over a series of weeks or months or years, do you gradually suck all the mystery out of that place through experience? Eventually every sidewalk and trail have been walked down, each organization has been joined and numerous friends and acquaintances are met and fade away". He paused, sipping tea and thinking, "I guess what I'm trying to say is once the mystery is gone out of the place, is it time to move on?"
Thom had given Arthur much more than Arthur had expected with his answer, so for a moment they both sat in silence with their hot beverages in hand. "I think you may have a point there. Once you've exhausted all the mysteries, avenues, and possibilities in a place the answer then is to move on. I think that answer is true, but I also think it is two-fold."
"How so?", Thom asked obligingly
"Take me for instance. I've lived here in this flat for over 15 years now.", Arthur gestured to the surrounding rooms. "When you first moved here your domain to explore extended not only through your whole house, but also the entire town and the surrounding area outside of that. My domain on the other hand has always just been this flat, granted my neuroses were less severe when I first moved in. Over 15 years of course I've exhausted all the mysteries there can be in a place this big. But I stayed here nonetheless."
"Well, yes, though didn't you just stay because of your agoraphobia?"
"Partially yes. The other factor is that over time the wheel comes back around. The loop restarts itself. Even when you've seen everything there is to see, eventually new things appear, or you see things in a new light. For instance I've had these mugs for most of the past decade and it wasn't until yesterday I noticed that there are a series of owls flying between the jumping fish. Never once did I notice the owls, and now they're plain as day. Or on a bigger scale, I didn't know you until you moved in two doors down. Now we have tea a few times a week and that's different and wonderful."
"So then the only two answers are jump off the wheel and find a new one or stay and wait for it to turn around again?"
Arthur laughed, "That about sums it up, but no I don't think its just the two, there's always another answer to a question floating out there somewhere. And I believe all the loops - all the places and possibilities rather - are connected somehow."
"I think I'm okay with it all when you put it like that.", Thom said, scratching his head thoughtfully.
"Good, will you get us another cuppa then?"
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