Persephone's Manor ~ chapter three

~ chapter three ~ part one ~

~ The Edsel flips through the air, gold, jewels, bones and sex-toys flying.

Nocturne - (voiced over) "You know ... sometimes things happen really fast."

~ The army approaches over the horizon.

~ Mishil's sword-flails drop to the ground in preparation.

Nocturne - (VO) "So you just improvise one moment to the next !"

~ The Edsel hits the ground, tumbling.

~ Mariposa snaps a broom over her knee and brandishes the pointy bits.

~ Soldiers file between as the tanks form a line.

Nocturne - (VO) "... and that's all I've got to say."

~ Her face and hard stuttered breathing ...

Persephone's Manor 

~ chapter three ~


Nocturne - "Get 'em Yorick."  She throws him high over field.

('Around the World in a Day' at 2:36)

Fade his flight to view over Pangaea, Kashikoi era.

Life among the people.  The peaceful caravan walking the Earth tribe along side.  Then on to casual evacuations.  The walkers lift legs into flight, city ships land to load beasts and wanderers.

Another asteroid strikes.

Time and evolution while the continent splits floating, crashing waves to exaggerate as sailing ships against the sea in many directions, coastal remnants eroding away.

To the cold eras, sabre toothed cars stalking, one looks over his prey herd in the valley below.  Turns with a scent carried.

Pre-human children are born, age, and make more through evolution, in simple cuts of life through the times, following a bloodline.

Fled craft and new returning here and there, watching.  Observers at windows of homes.  A knifing sound, the observer falls.  Arsinoe (Mishil) reaches in smiling to play with a baby a moment before gone.

Until the near present day, a baby born, Robert Carson (Farmer Bob) in tears watching, his wife smiles back as he takes the child in his arms looking down at her before her eyes close, darkness.

...

Stage-lights bang on, showing models of the solar system suspended by an intricate mechanism.  The writer pulls the hard stage lever and it starts to spin, Timepiece (current version) watching in wonderment.

Into her mechanical eyes, swapping modes, taking it in.

Lightning.  To her face as she rides, present time, through the rain. 

~ Cost and Diversions ~

(song over)

Morning dawn, she disembarks at the gas station (the same as Saffron previous) grabs an armload of snacks, stops near the check out and looks at him.  Ignites a blade and whips it toward the poly-glass door, splashing it with fluid plasma.

He looks up and raises a brow from his magazine watching it melt away slowly, shakes his head and looks back to it.

Checkout - "Whatever man."

She looks at the magazine ... the police computer drops on the counter.

Timepiece - "Are you a nerd ?"

Checkout - "Holy shit !"  Laughing, "You really just yanked that right the fuck out of there didn't you.  No.  More like that food is three years old, this place is a front, and I've got some friends who like you a lot I think.  Heard about you on the news."

Timepiece - "I didn't do that."

...

Checkout - "Uh-huh.

...

Timepiece - Annoyed, "I did not !"

...

Checkout - "Still owe me a door though."

...

Timepiece - "Just take me to your criminal nerds."
________

Walking near the river, stone water-wall walkways, a bridge ahead, carnival on the other side.  Casual movement, the crowds batched around, her eyes are quick and observant, head not turning.

She notices and ignores two lovers in the passing alley, a tap on her shoulder.  She turns fast, hand ready.  A woman with a top hat and magician's tuxedo, covered in aged dust.  "Token please."

Juliet - "I ..."

Woman - "Have ..."

...

Juliet - "I don't ..."

Woman - "Have ..."

...

Juliet - Annoyed ... "Anything excepting this knife."

Woman - Sad face.  "Oh no !  Let's see what we have for you in here then ..."

Woman - Bows removing her hat, and reaches too deep in, punching through pointing a .44 powder revolver in a puff of dust.  "You're in luck.  Broom girl little miss what's-her-name just up and disappeared now.  So right this way."

Juliet - "I ... don't want to sweep your floors for you."

Woman - (still bowed) "And I ... didn't want to take over (mocking) 'Lord Charon's' duties.  But apparently he's on an extended re-honeymoon with his Lady Styx, the dead overflow back to the Earth, and the broom girl's just up and quit too.  So that's you."  She gestures with the gun (still through the hat).  "So welcome to the underworld.  March, hare.  Wait."

... she looks her over suspiciously ...

Woman - "Aren't you rich ?  You look rich.  Why didn't they bury you with tokens ?  Are you like a rich thief ?  Did your daddy steal from the poor like a taxation priest ?  They executed you didn't they.  Filthy tithing bastard."

Juliet - "No !  I ... don't know !  I should have been buried with the fullest of offering !"

Woman - "Oops."

Juliet - Looks at her, "Who ..."

Woman - "Turnstile.  The replacement.  Apparently.  No title here except maybe the field promoted queen of your particular limbo ... if that counts."

Juliet - "... and have you s..."

Turnstile - "Seen Romeo ?  Yes.  He had tokens."

...

Turnstile - Stands abruptly from her bow, "Fuck !"  She closes her eyes remembering.  "You're Juliet.  He gave me two.  One for him and one for you.  That is exactly what he said."

She turns walking away pulling back the revolver through her hat repaired and puts it back on.

Turnstile - To herself, "God we need a fucking broom girl."

She throws out her arm, a broom from her sleeve, she sweeps a spot poorly then annoyed and storms off, throwing it into the river.