[Inspect, Pain]
Opal and Ilina were watching cartoons and having cereal in the library when I got up.
“Did you girls have a good time at the party?
“Yes, Rose.”
“Did you sleep alright last night?”
“Yes, Rose”
“Do you want to have beetles for breakfast”
“Ye No, Rose”
“Just checking, Ilina we need to leave in forty five minutes to meet your dad at town hall right?”
“Yes, Rose”
***
I knocked on Ruby’s door. I need to apologize and make sure she’s alright. She was sitting on her bed.
“Yes, come in.”
“Good morning Ruby, do you have a minute to talk? I know you need to get to the tea house soon.”
“Actually I took the day off, Gigi is filling in for me. Last night at the party she offered and with Opal having the day off from her lessons, I just thought I should spend the day with her.”
“That’s great and nice of Gigi to offer as well. I want to apologize for what happened to Opal, I’ll keep a closer eye on her at the store from now on I promise.”
“Rose, that wasn’t your fault and I didn’t even thank you yet for the incredibly brave thing you did. Sparky told me that you dove into that drawing knowing full well that there might not be a way out again. But you refused to leave Ruby alone in there, and I am immensely grateful to you for that. This was all my fault.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Ruby, you weren’t even there. Sparky and I just let her draw without supervision. We wanted to give her privacy, while she worked on the task, Sparky assigned. We’ll be checking that she’s doing that in the future.”
“No you don’t understand Rose, Opal’s tried many times to talk to me about the fire and Mom and Dad and our baby brother Joey. Every time, I shut her down. Telling myself that it’s too painful for Opal to deal with. When in reality it was just too painful for me to deal with.”
“Oh, honey”
I went over, sat down on the bed with her and hugged her.
“I understand that pain, I lost my Dad at a very young age. It leaves its mark on you, I still feel the weight of it. You had to deal with triple the pain I did and then on top of it you were separated from your sister and lost your home. If Opal wants to talk about it and you’re not ready to tackle it on your own, come get me. The three of us can talk it out. I’m a big fan of talking through issues or pain, I think getting those feelings out lets you deal with them, otherwise they just keep growing. If you keep them bottled up, I have a feeling that makes them expand, like a balloon and like a balloon you’ll pop, finally releasing those emotions.”
“Rose I don’t know why you have always been so kind to us but I’m so glad you are. The next time Opal wants to talk, I won’t run away. I’ll try to be as brave as you are. But if I can’t, I’ll come to you right away. Twice now, I tried to run from you. The first time, I would have killed Opal. The second time I’d have made her a fugitive. I’m done running from Opal, my past and myself.”
“If I’m kind to you it’s because I’m selfish. I always wanted to have a sister and now getting to watch you two lets me see what I missed out on, what I can never have. I just want you both to have a happy life.”
“Rose, you already have sisters, if you’ll take us. When Opal was stuck in the painting she said ‘I wasn’t scared, I knew Rose would save me’. When my sister was on the edge of death, you saved us. When we were on the run, you saved us. When my dream of a tea house was broken, you saved me. Opal and I are your sisters. We love you.”
“I love you both so much. So go have a fun day with Opal. I have to go deal with McCracken. I really should have turned him into a bug, but he was so sweet rehearsing with Opal, I just didn’t have the heart to.”
***
McCracken, Martha and Henry were seated at the dining room table having breakfast.
“Ah, Rose, please be seated. I’ll have your breakfast ready in just a moment.”
A few seconds later a steaming mug of jasmine tea. A plate of pancakes with fresh strawberries topped with whipped cream was placed before me.
“That Rose is one of my favorite breakfasts, nay one of my favorite meals as I’ve often eaten it for supper. I hope you enjoy it.”
“Spill McCracken, I’m not walking into the town hall blind. What’s your angle here?”
“We need investors and someone with the Burgomaster's ear. He obviously loves you. You cleared a ghost from the library, you saved his daughter from kidnappers. You’d be joining Martha, Henry and I along with Paula who has already invested ten percent of her wealth, one million dollars on the advice of Eldara who fully supports our plan.”
“What exactly is that plan?”
“It’s a three prong plan really.”
“Care to elaborate, what’s prong number one.”
“Build a replica of Shakespeare Globe theater.”
“Wow, I didn’t see that coming, and what would we see at this theater? We’re an amateur group at best and all have jobs and busy lives. We didn’t even have time to rehearse. The crowd was incredibly kind, but they’d never pay for that kind of entertainment. How would you make any money?”
“We don’t want to make any money, we want this to be a non-profit foundation. We want you, Lily, Eldara, Martha and Paula to be the board of directors for the foundation. We’d put on plays eight or nine months a year with a new play on the fourteenth and twenty eighth of those months.”
“Like I said before, we all have jobs and busy lives, we don’t have that kind of time to devote to putting on plays McCracken.”
“Rose, we’re not talking about the book club or any adults except for a few professional actors. We want to make this a children's teaching theater. That’s prong number two. Professional actors teaching kids how to act, direct, make scenery, costumes and makeup.”
“Dare I ask what is prong number three.”
“Alongside the theater, building an Actors Retirement Home and bring over two or three more actors, who have no ties on Earth, tell them that it’s a one way trip with no way to return to Earth.”
“Why no return?”
“We were trying to think of the biggest concerns over this idea. The biggest issue would be a constant back and forth of people. If the leaders of Earth found out about this place they’d surely want some kind of piece of it, especially any magic they could use to remain in power. Just look at that hornets nest that Paula stirred up in Boston. They know that Paula wasn’t a hologram; that's the story they are feeding the public. They know because they followed Lottie and Salome to the hospital, where Lottie performed medical tests in the lab. Holograms can’t interact with matter, they’re just images made up of light. They also know that magic is either people turning invisible or teleporting away out of sight. What they don’t know and we never want them to find out, hence the one way traffic is that you would be basically Superman without the kryptonite issue.”
“I have no idea what Superman or kryptonite are? People?”
“Superman was a man but could fly, he had heat rays for eyes, he could see through solid objects, bullets bounced off him, close to invincible but a little weird green rock kryptonite could hurt him but not the humans around him. You could write "I'm superman but I’m immune to kryptonite and completely take over the Earth.”
“I see, so one way for safety, but what about you three don’t you want to go home again?”
“No, I’m seriously done with the Earth and the Earth with its eight billion people won’t miss us, it won't miss six actors. Even if it did notice it would assume that the United States government kidnapped us to get information on Paula. Likewise the US government would assume we’d been taken by one of their enemies. Martha, Henry, do you have any plans on going back? Tell Rose your plans and reasons.”
“Martha dear, you speak for the both of us, we have limited time.”
“Certainly Henry. Rose, we don’t have much time left, we don’t want to spend it on a bus traveling around Europe. When McCracken told us his plan which he first conceived while rehearsing with Opal. Henry and I were on board immediately, we have no one to go back to and we might get to do a little good with the time we have left to us. Do you have questions for us dear?”
“Does Talbert know you’re staying?”
“Yes we told her last night. She wished us well and told me she comes over every few weeks for book club, so we’d still get to see each other. The biggest danger I see is if a portal muffin falls into a government’s hands and they could scientifically reverse engineer it. The wars on earth would be horrific and if they found out about Emain Ablach they’d likely invade.”
“I doubt that Tolkien or Oberon would allow that to happen, I think it more likely that they’d destroy the Earth before any invasion, or if possible just the country planning to invade. King Oberon can be cruel but I’m sure the Professor would try to minimize the loss of life as much as possible. Titania would surely wish to remove the Earth entirely if she felt in the least threatened by it.”
“Tolkien? Is it one of JRR Tolkien’s children?” Henry asked.
“No, it's Professor JRR Tolkien himself. Oberon and Titania made a deal with Death to bring the Professor here when he died. He’s the greatest Bibliomancer in the world and lives in Quintessence”
“So do we really go somewhere when we die? I always assumed dead means dead.” McCracken said.
“The story I was told was that when a human dies Death comes for them and escorts them to a score keeper. Where you get your final score and then you get eternal rest. Kind of like Karma except no rebirth cycle, just a score. The fey don’t die at all unless someone beheads them. So I’m sure Oberon and Titania expect to remain here with Tolkien until the end of the universe. Even immortals have to go sometimes. That’s why if really threatened the King and Queen would do whatever they felt necessary to neutralize a threat. What’s the third prong and it better be short because we need to leave in a few minutes.”
“Third prong, is a teachers apartment house next to the theater, with a large central classroom so that classes could go on in the months that the theater would be unusable due to weather.”
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“Ok, lets get to town hall.
***
I went to the library and collected Ilina, then along with the actors we jumped to town hall. The Burgomaster’s assistant ushered us right in to see Arthur.
“Hello daddy.”
She went over and gave her father a hug.
“Did you have a nice time?”
“Yes we had a wonderful time, we watched the play again and had cereal, how come we never have cereal. I really like it. When can I go back daddy?”
"We'll see dear, you go out and talk to Jack while I speak to Rose and her friends.”
She came over and hugged me.
“Thanks Rose I had a really good time, Opal can always come to my house but it’s not as much fun as the tower. Bye.”
“Bye sweetie.”
“Now Nathan, you said you have a proposal for me.”
“Yes Arthur, we’d like to build a large round outdoor theater, and an apartment house in the vicinity of Madd Maggies. The theater would be a children's theater where we put on two plays a month for eight or nine months each year. The other three or four months we’d still be instructing the kids and holding small plays in an auditorium in the apartment house. We’d like the town to donate the land. We’ll pay the necessary construction costs. There’d be no cost to send the kids for lessons and no cost for town folk to attend the plays. We may sell refreshments to make money for the teachers' basic needs like food and any maintenance costs on either of the buildings.”
“Rose, what do you think of this plan?”
“Honestly I just heard of it this morning, but the way it’s being presented it costs the town nothing except whatever taxes are paid on that land presently. Plays will be a new educational opportunity for the town’s young people again at no cost and we get at least sixteen new plays per year for every citizen to enjoy whether they have kids or not.”
“Well after last night's play I’d really enjoy seeing more of them. That’s town land, so we’re not currently collecting any tax. What if we just sell you the land for fifty gold and I ask the town council to waive taxes for twenty years as long as the basics remain free, the instruction and admissions. That way you wouldn’t be answering to the council for anything. In twenty years time if you’re a valued part of the community the council will be forced to extend the tax exemption. Even if you had to pay taxes for what you describe the town would only charge one or two hundred gold a year. But I’d rather see no taxes and no admission fee.”
“That’s incredibly generous Arthur, when will we hear back about the council vote.”
“Just wait.’ Arthur yells. “Jack I’m calling for a Council meeting at noon, please let all the councilors know.”
“Yes sir, right away sir.”
Arthur looks back to us. “So will you three be among the instructors?”
“Yes we certainly hope to be and possibly a few more actors depending on the response from the community and how many children actually enroll.” McCracken replied.
“I have something that I’d like to propose, that I just thought of, shoot me down if it’s a bad idea. Instead of limiting it to children, why not open it up to all people. Retired people living on their own might really enjoy being part of a production. The odd workman who’s read about it, maybe dreamt about it. Mothers with kids instead of just dropping the kids off, could stay and act or any of the other jobs that need doing. A real community theater. Is that dumb?”
Martha said. “Not in the least, dear, I always resisted retiring because I didn’t want to retreat from the world. If we got some retirees, mothers, fathers. I think that’d be wonderful. That’s why we want you on the board voting on decisions that the foundation will need deciding. The only issue I can see is if we receive too many applicants, we can get around that by setting up a lottery. Say we take every child and every retiree then if we can handle more we have a lottery of interested parents first, then if we can still handle more a lottery of the general public. The lottery would be drawn by Arthur to insure a fair system that the public can have faith in.”
Arthur stood up, let's go over to the Council Chambers, the councilors should be here shortly.
McCracken got up, made the same speech, changed the children to children, elderly and parents as space allows. All of which can be modified by the theater foundation board.
Then the council voted it was six for, one against. The one against thought the town should get sixty gold for the land not fifty. Then they voted on the twenty year tax exemption it was six for and the same councilman voted against. He wanted a ten year not twenty year exemption.
McCracken paid Arthur fifty gold for the land and asked. “Excuse me council members, do you have any recommendations for a construction firm that would give quick, high quality work and not terribly expensive?”
The councilman who kept voting against the theater stood up and said. “My firm will do it for cost, the construction will start tomorrow and from the plans you’ve shown me I could have the theater up in one month and the apartment up one month later. I have two daughters that will want to enroll I’m sure. Just come to my office after you decide.”
***
“Arthur, why would that councilman vote twice against us with just minor quibbles then turn around and offer to work at cost? I don’t understand.”
“That is Orin Underhill, Nathan. He has never once voted for a resolution that the rest of the council is in favor of. He views himself as the opposition to big government, but his firm does excellent work and fast because he’ll send a crew of Gnome carpenters, plumbers, masons and roofers. They work eighteen hour days and will work till the job is done without a single day off and they do beautiful work.”
“Let’s go ask Eldara what she thinks, then Lily and Paula and if the board agrees we’ll hire him today and work can start tomorrow.”
***
“He’s a nut case, he voted against the library expansion two years ago, then did the work at cost and finished the work three weeks early. Just go take a look at the carved beams in the new section. That intricate work wasn’t even in the plans, they just did that to show off their craftsmanship. He may be a nut case but he’s also a master builder. I vote yes.”
I went back to the new section and the beams had these elaborate carvings, so beautiful. I've been in the library many times now. I can’t believe I could miss something so striking. It’s hard to believe they’d put so much effort into a detail that many will never notice.
“Eldara, you should put a sign back there to look up, it’s a shame that most of your patrons will never see it.”
“I know Rose, so are you going to be on the board?”
“If I can help I will, that was incredibly generous of Paula to put up so much money to get it started.”
“Rose that money has always bothered her, she doesn’t feel she earned it.”
“She earned every penny, I’ll bet you Daisy would have given her way more if I’d consulted her. Daisy now has her freedom thanks to Paula. Well it was wonderful of her to donate.”
“Come on Rose, we need to get to the bakery and hear what Paula and Lily have to say before Underhill Construction closes for the day. If he’s this eccentric he may change his mind about doing it for cost tomorrow.”
“Alright I’m coming.”
***
When we got to the bakery, Paula and Lily took a break and we all went into the kitchen. McCracken explained everything we’d done today from our visit with Arthur to the offer by Underhill.
“I’ve never had to have any work done here at the bakery because of the magical field. But I’ve seen his work done around town and it always seems to be the best quality so I vote yes.” Lily said.
“If Eldara and Lily both vote yes, I’m a yes because I know nothing about any of this.”
McCracken asked. “Martha what do you say?”
“Yes, two months is extremely fast for construction and Eldara said they came in three weeks early in the library and added a beautiful design on the roof for free so Yes.”
“Rose, what about you?”
“Yes, just for the quality of those ceiling beams and Lily and Eldara’s endorsement.”
“That’s it ladies and gentlemen we have a start date. I’m going to head to his office right now to shake on the deal.”
I asked Martha and Henry if they wanted me to walk them back to the tower, but they wanted to walk around town and scope out their new home. Before leaving I said hi to Gigi and Salome but they were very busy so I jumped to Juliet’s World.
***
I did a quick Locate spell
Locate:Juliet
Juliet is in her Barn
What is she, some kind of rabbit?
I went to the barn door and knocked. No answer, I banged on the door, no answer. I opened the door and yelled
“Juliet, are you decent.”
“Of course I am, I have moral integrity, kindness, and goodwill toward my fellow man, all the trademarks of a decent person if I do say so myself.”
“Very funny, I was afraid I’d come in and find you naked again.”
“No I’m afraid not, Ivy went to a livestock sale. But if you want I can strip for you.”
“What ever happened to that nice girl, ‘Not before marriage Rose’ hmm?”
“I was never that nice Rose, you know I just didn’t like Damon.”
“Well, I have news but I want to hear your good news first.”
“Oh, that well , I convinced my father instead of handing over the farm to one of us he should make us compete. So I’m teamed with the tenant farmer in the northwest corner. Sebastian has the farmer in the southeast. Whoever has the highest profits for the season gets the farm.”
“So how are you doing? Are you ahead or behind?”
“We’re about even.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“No not at all”
“Why not”
“Because he hasn’t gone down there to ‘help’ yet. Once he goes down there and starts telling the experienced farmer what to do. The farmer will have to decide high profits this year by ignoring my brother's orders, winning my brother the farm. Then put up with my brother for the next thirty years as his landlord. He’s a proud, smart farmer, who’s flourished these past five years under my management of the farm. I never once gave him any ‘help’ or ‘orders’. What would you do if you were him?”
“Good I can always author Sebastian a small farm on the other side of the town, he won’t starve.”
“So you said you had news.”
“Yes, construction starts tomorrow on our new theater based on Shakespeare's Globe, right next to the new apartments for McCracken, Henry and Martha and a few more of their friends from Earth.”
“Wow Rose I didn’t hear about any of this last night.”
“Paula, Lily, McCracken, Eldara have been working on it in secret. Paula put up all the money for the building and the town gave us a twenty year tax exemption. There will be two plays a month during the nice weather. You and Ivy will have to come every month. Oh yeah we have a movie of last night’s play so our next book club we’ll get to all watch the whole thing beginning to end. Well that’s it I’m meeting Lu for a walk, we haven’t had time to do that in a while”
“A ‘walk’ huh me and Ivy go for a ‘walk’ everyday, sometimes twice.”
“Bye Juliet, I’m not blushing, see you at book club.”
***
I met Lu at the tower and we went for a ‘walk’ twice.
