Pillar of Chairs
The Narrator paused to let his words sink in, and then he continued, only to find that the characters had moved yet again. Danny and the Old Man were playing out some kind of role on a pillar constructed of the chairs they were sitting on, and bits and pieces of twisted rebar that was teetering back and forth, threatening to collapse at any moment. While Nosos was surrounded by Tinnese and Symphony, who hovered over him, as if preparing for the kill. The Crow was in the far corner, his right hand extended, and his mouth frozen open- in an apparent attempt to make some kind of proclamation. ‘Now this is interesting,’ the Narrator thought. ‘I think I’ll let them play this one out.’ Turning a knob marked ‘volume,’ clockwise, he then punched a button marked ‘real time,’ and watched as the interaction between the characters unfolded.
“And now, Ladies and Gentleman, I, the Almighty Crow am proud to announce our main attraction for the evening, the Eloquent Poetic Speech of Lady Fair and the Old Man. Playing the part of Lady Fair is Danny, the foolishly loyal android. Playing the part of the Old Man, my dimwitted friends, is the Old Man. He paused as they both gave an exaggerated bow to the invisible audience. “Playing the part of the four sisters, though they be only two, honestly audience, I wish they’d really get into character and split themselves into two, is Tinnese and Symphony. And finally, folks, and certainly the least important in this Drama, playing the part of Nosos man of Disease, is Nosos Man of Disease. Without further ado, ladies and gentleworms, I present to you, for your listening pleasure, “The Eloquent Poetic Speech of Lady Fair and the Old Man.”
The lights dimmed and the Crow’s voice echoed of the factory’s four walls. “In a realm not unlike our own, our not so heroic heroes find themselves in the Land of Lady Fair, ruler of the dead and the undead. Finding their path blocked by the menacing four sisters and Lady Fair, They were about to turn back, when the Old Man, being the ever suicidal fool, decides to give their request one more shot. This is how he finds himself face to face with Lady Fair on a towering stone pillar, while Nosos is surrounded by the four sisters, who are waiting for the kill.
Again without further ado, my dimwitted audience…let us tune in:
The Old Man bowed as darkness settled around them, and a bright stage light shone above. With another slight bow, as if addressing a nearly invisible audience, he spoke with a sadness that rolled from his guilt- laden tongue that soaked the air with a remorseful regret.
My darling child, the love of my life
I mourn the day, I snatched from you
That what was not mine to take
Your mother, my wife long dead
Rolls in the grave at the mere thought
Of your innocent blood spilt, still unrevenged
She looked at him, her emotions betraying the silence that had bound her together for so long, and thus she replied
Father, Father, I forgive you, as I had done many a year ago
Yet this quest of revenge for my sake, do not seek
The price that I had paid
The price that you had paid
Are they not recorded in the past
Are they not recorded in the age stained historic pages
Of the Crow and Soul
Go back from whence you came, let sleeping dogs lie
Old Man sighed, My darling daughter, I would if I could
But our way is blocked. The only way, is this way
I take it, as time has passed, you have donned another name
And yet your passionate forgiveness remains the same.
This quest I undertake is not my own, nor is it of one revenge
Certain events have taken place, leaving my traveling companion far from
The home that he seeks. That is the quest we undertake.
Lady Fair replies: Father of mine, you speak with half-truths
Yes, you do seek to get The Man of Disease, back to his time
But your heart is also set on revenge against the Crow
Father please, for me: Let it go.
I know you, though. I know you all too well. You will not let it be
And so with saddened heart, I give you my name, given to me
By the One Who Saves. He told me all about you. That I was to aid you
In the quest bequeathed to you, by the Wizard Brothers, his not so
Trusted servants. Lady Fair, blood sucker of rainbow bears, is my name,
Though to you, I’ll always be known as daughter.
. Let us leave now, this way of discussion. For time flies, when it’s of the
Essence. Look to Nosos, your companion as I discuss these things with
My sisters.
The lights came back on, as the teetering pillar of chairs and rebar collapsed with a loud crash. The Narrator jumped to his feet and clapped profusely, screaming ‘encore, encore.
