Oh darling, come in, come in. Do forgive the dust, it’s been ages, simply ages. Always a delight to meet an appreciator of the arts. What else could have called you to the Starlight Odeon? Don’t try to deny it, I see the sparkle in your eyes.
Sweep your light over red carpet and gilded balustrade. Pause a moment and admire the playbills. Look, past the curling edges and faded color, to the smiles and scowls, the lavish costumes, the storied names… ‘The magnificent Xandra, mistress of the mind, mesmerizes and mystifies weeky.’ ‘Don’t miss the irresistible comedy sensation – Dames and Molls, starring Myna Markova and Augusta Sullivan, live!’ ‘Exclusive, exceptional, exquisite! Musical performance by Josephine DeMille, stripéd star of stage and screen. Two nights, only at the Starlight Odeon.’
Why, who could that ravishing tigress be…? That little smile curling your lips, the flash of recognition—are we a fan of my work? Or just a fan of my looks, perhaps. Oh my, a camera? You’re not
Today, the island took the first of our crew. I would say it is the fifteenth of September, in the year eighteen hundred and fifty-six, but I am no longer sure. Since we put in to land five days ago, not once has the fog which shrouds the shores lifted. In that time, no two parties sent into the interior of the island could agree on what they had found or where. One claimed it was a ring of land around a wide lagoon, another an impassable jungle thick with vines. Irritated by this, Captain Clarke this morning formed a party of the 'most sensible and scientifically-minded' men among the crew, the least given to flights of fancy or tall tale...
1 – The Portrait At the front of the hall hung a portrait painted in oils: a woman in a gown and corset, with dark lips and darker hair. Its eyes didn't follow the viewer so much as pierce through them. Though its mouth curled down into the slightest scowl, the light and shadow across its cheeks made it seem, if you caught it in the corner of your eyes, as though it was smiling. Paintings lined the hall, but it was the portrait that Jason's flashlight lingered on. He stuffed a fist into the pocket of his puffy jacket and hunched his shoulders to fend off a shiver. Did it count as creepy? It was working on him , but he'd have to convince t...
Oh darling, come in, come in. Do forgive the dust, it’s been ages, simply ages. Always a delight to meet an appreciator of the arts. What else could have called you to the Starlight Odeon? Don’t try to deny it, I see the sparkle in your eyes.
Sweep your light over red carpet and gilded balustrade. Pause a moment and admire the playbills. Look, past the curling edges and faded color, to the smiles and scowls, the lavish costumes, the storied names… ‘The magnificent Xandra, mistress of the mind, mesmerizes and mystifies weeky.’ ‘Don’t miss the irresistible comedy sensation – Dames and Molls, starring Myna Markova and Augusta Sullivan, live!’ ‘Exclusive, exceptional, exquisite! Musical performance by Josephine DeMille, stripéd star of stage and screen. Two nights, only at the Starlight Odeon.’
Why, who could that ravishing tigress be…? That little smile curling your lips, the flash of recognition—are we a fan of my work? Or just a fan of my looks, perhaps. Oh my, a camera? You’re not
