The night
The chill breeze refreshes me
Freedom in flight
Beneath the balloon lawns march in seamless progression
“How much longer to the estate”
“We crossed the border 6 hours ago we’re almost to the outskirts of the
central complex, take it easy” (Jesse resumes reading her magazine)
A small estate then
The point looms, an unlighted pad before a maw in the earth
Who’s place is this?
The only one among us who knows pads ahead
His dapper white frame clad in black
Jesse’s shadow stalks him, Her eyes glitter like a predator
We come not to take but to destroy
The door shatters and we enter
A white corridor stretches before us
We march down, there are none who guard here
Finally the edge of what we know, the limits of our reality
Step
And in stepping through that portal
A change
Behind me Jesse’s breath echoes
Our torches illuminate a vast chamber
Straying off the path the beams highlight nightmarish constructs
Dantes visions were nothing
Chains of steel are interwoven with pink silk veils
Racks edged with white lace frills
Mosaics adorn the walls, Tendrils are shown pursuing lone victims in
terrible mazes
Whoever owns this place is sick beyond my imagining.
A flutter of motion at the edge of my vision and I freeze
Not wishing to attract whatever may be out there
The others move on
Their beams fading in the distance
I begin to move
I don’t want to be here, alone, not in this place
For some reason though it’s design feels familiar
Have I been here or some place like here before?
With a place like this
Who is it’s owner?
(The 3 torches fade as they move into the void of the chamber)
The light gleams from the end of this place
A fire gleams with a chair in front
Tomes line the walls
Knowledge
But what
The torches reveal
“Etiquette of the lady”
“The pleasure of pain”
Jesse motions for us split up
She & meowth go left
The way of the fallen
I move on through several doors then I realize
This place is like a web
Corridors radiate out from the center
The center holds the truth
I find it and look in
Mirror?
Me?
Candles burn
Pictures of my visage adorn the walls, the floor, and the door. Some covered
in blood
Where am I?
My head spins, I feel sick
I have to get out of here
I run down the dark corridor
The lights come on
The end of the corridor begins opening
Have to escape
I dart into one of the rooms
Footsteps coming this way
To the door
Another way out I find just in time
Who is it that comes?
The door is thrown open
HER!
The hound that plagues my waking hours
She who hunts me in my dreams
Jessebelle
“Hopkins, I’m tired, so prepare mah chamber then remove yourself”
A dismissive gesture so typical of her
I freeze, as if an act of will could help me escape
Fortune favors me, she leaves through the other door.
Water begins running
I wait then step back
“Mah Darling James, how proper of you, I go searching around the world and
here you are”
The lilting laughter, not again
I try to run my hand is caught in an iron grasp reaching out from the
shadows
Above it that fireball of hair.
I won’t be caught
Not now
Not ever
Her laughter changes subtly
A fan whistles out of the shadow hitting my head
The veil of the shadows parts to reveal a crimson R above a white miniskirt
“You Idiot, can’t even tell who I am”
“Your hair though”
“I know, but it’s essential” (Her countenance droops, sadness clouding her
features)
“To be what I want to be I must be that which I never wish to be”
“Her” (The head nods in response)
She moves out into the lair of the beast
A scream
Splashes begin
Part of me wants to watch
But there are boundaries to what a gentleman should be privy to.
Not that I am a gentleman (smirk)
I wait with my back turned.
The splashes cease
I walk in, One of them is tied up in a bathrobe
The other stands triumphantly toweling off her hair
The R on her uniform drying
“We have a long night ahead”
My head spins
Or is it the room
Mirrors glint as the ceiling turns above
Jessebelle’s ‘guest’ room
I still can’t sleep
In opposite corners of the room my uniforms face off
Alternating
Tomorrow I shall be wed
We destroy by becoming
Jesse learnt fast, with my help she became the other
She still reverts, the beast still struggles
I should be happy
Jessebelle’s reputation will be destroyed, my family will accept me once
more.
I should be free!
But why do I feel so sad?
Is it because I’m striking at jessebelle for who she is.
It would be kinder to kill her than leave her the way we will.
Alone & Penniless
In her own way she does care for me, indeed has tried to help me
A procession of my images marches in front of my eyes
I can’t face myself.
The mirror shatters
I can’t even stand one of me at the moment
The door creaks open, Meowth flanked by Wheezing & victreebell stand in the
light
“James, me and da boys er well it is the night before your wedding and well
we found a bar in this maze”
At least some people don’t ask for much, I smile and walk out with them
Punch may not answer but it quiets the questions.
Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we marry.
The morning dawns in a haze
The night forgotten
The doors are locked while Hopkins stands guard
‘security measures’
I still ache where she struck me this morning
The act of deception consummated in blood
Shadows move over my head
Eclipsing the sun
As the skies above swarm with helicopters
Locusts to the feast.
Gym Leaders, Masters, twerps, all have heeded the call
Giovanni steps out of his transport
At this distance he is so small, an insect
I sip my drink and continue to work on my screen
Outwardly I seek escape
Inward
Figures scroll before my touch
Interesting
Wheels within wheels
My hour has come
Hopkins flanked by guards enters.
The literal old ball and chain in his hand
No matter
White uniforms clear my path through the crowd
I am given no path out
The boss sees me, tries to move closer
His face is concerned
It is soon lost among many others
Ending S1
The white uniforms marshal me to my place on the dais
Through the crowd a streak of blood flows
The white reels away
Before my eyes a veiled vision of beauty enters
Gliding down the rows others look surprised
My composure is serene
The ceremony is mercifully quick
Then
The kiss.
She opens her eyes
In the reflection I see the fires of the worlds end
I embrace Shiva incarnate
Together at last
Ending B1
The White guards hold me as I am escorted to the dais
On it She already waits
Hardly proper
But then that is what we’re here for
The ceremony takes forever
I look down
She wears White gloves
White Gloves!
Out of the corner of my eye I see the plants move
Vile Things
Ahead The doppelganger is perfect
Too perfect
To the rear of the hall I see Jesse in her uniform being brought in
Imprisoned in chains
In front of me the smiling creature looks like a viper
“It is only proper that you kiss the bride, mah darling”
(whispered) “Or she dies”
Trapped
I do the only thing left to me
Spores mixed with tears cloud my vision once more
Ending T1
Betrayed
I feel used
I stand on the dais
The guards around look wary
The boss was surprised I was here
This wasn’t his plan
Her plan instead
But why
I look at the complex
The Spoiled Fruits of my legacy
Squandered by one
Do I let another gain it so easily?
The law’s letter binds all
If I let this occur I will lose.
One of them will get all that is mine
My parents deserve better
Their faces filled with hope look up at me.
The figure in white walks up the aisle
I act
The movement of escape
The plan
White figures collapse before a wall of smog
My way out is opened
I am willing to sacrifice Jessebelle to feed the snakes ambition
But not my family.
I run
Behind me a blinding flash glows
Seconds later the hammer blows of the shock wave wash over me
My escape looms before me
I weep not for that which is lost
Mere possessions, but I have saved my greatest treasure
Most that is, will be again.
Some things cannot be replaced.
Ending R1
I stand on the dais
The priest mutters through his words
A dream.
“HALT”
What
She escaped
“She’s not me” The figure points
“She’s the imposter, ah only have eyes for mah james” By my side the other
responds
Tone for tone
“James she isn’t the one you want”
“I am so”
Who are they, both claim to be jessebelle
Yet both try to convey they are Jesse
Who is who
Mirrors
The one by my side shifts out of the southern accent
Just to be followed by the other switching
They continue
One proposes a duel
The other accepts
An arbok is met by an arbok
“Fashion disaster”
The label flies between the two
They attack each other
Even Jessebelle’s parents and Giovanni seem confused.
What to do
I turn
Begin to walk away
One twists and tries to pursue me
Her
The denouncement
The ‘imposter’ is soon arrested
It won’t last though
The double Helix will defeat the double cross
But time is my ally
I fade once more
Back to the shadows from where I came
Back to the promethean shore
