Stones are moved, shifting the ruble, collapsing on her weight as she
stains, taking deep breath between the tears, a tiny light shines
through.
The voice - "Are you still in there ?"
Aedera - In a near scream, "Please !"
Breathing and composing, stones shifting, she continues.
________________
Aedera - "Firsts and seconds, they sit around the fire after dusk ...
the ladies of fate, freed so briefly of their thirds of three."
The fire glows in the room under her face as she speaks dripping tears to steam, the saddest tale for her to tell.
____
Naamah - A small bird on her stick, "So the men are dead ! Ran
off to war and died in a blast. Hm ! I read in peace."
Crone - Twirling a stick with a fish, "Oh yes ... run they did. Hee hee ! Run they did."
Lilith - A marshmallow, "Well not all the men ..." She sideways glances Naamah.
Mother - A lizard, "What do you know about it ? You only date birds !"
...
Lilith - "You know I've always wondered. Who's the man that made you the mother ?"
Crone - "Oh !" Leans back on her rock "He was handsome !"
Mother - "I really think she should be here for this story ..."
Crone - "Well she's Not ! So I get to tell it."
Crone begins voiced over as the maiden walks down the street in the twenties wearing a flapper dress, 20ish years old, attracting much attention.
Crone - "It was another of her little getaways ..." she cackles.
Mother - "And the whole world goes to shit every time she does ..."
Cars swerve and restaurants explode in old Chicago as she walks by. Gangsters jump out and shoot each other down in her path as she steps over them and into the speakeasy, pulling a cigarette.
She smiles looking up as the bartender lights it and opens the door behind the bar and closes it behind her.
Naamah - "No one ever did credit her ability to run numbers."
The maiden sits at the head of a table of dangerous looking men holding cards, the biggest pile in front of her as she lays down her hand. "Cry, bitches."
Crone - "It's true it's True ! Always a prodigy." Tosses her hair laughing and dancing to their clapping, "Just look how she turns out !"
The men are stare confused when she rakes the money into a large bag and slings it over her shoulder, picking up lastly a set of car keys from the table in front of one of the silent unlucky, stunned as she kisses the scar on his cheek.
Maiden - Before leaving the backroom, door open, "And boys, if you really want to keep killing each other, try a Thompson."
The door closes.
________
Venus leans back on the railing overlooking the gun factory in the 20's on near the platform office in a 20's, checking over her shoulder while a man examines blueprints, smoking a cigar with shock.
________
Mother - "You see ? Total walking shit storm."
Crone - "Hee hee ! My turn next !"
________
Crone - "And she saw him standing there ! Right in the middle of the road !"
Maiden - Many more bags of money (dollar signs) bouncing around in the back seat while she tears dangerously down the night time road in the rain, swerving near the cliff, "! Woooo ! ... Huh ... ?"
A time slowed focus to his face looking directly at her in the headlights, a long suit coat under an overcoat, all fitted to his square frame, strong jaw beneath a broad hat.
Maiden - Car slow-time barrelling toward him, "Oh ..." Then as normal time returns, "Oh fuck !"
She swerves to miss him off the cliff, car tumbling as she rolls around inside, money flying out of the bags in the back seat. "Fuck ! Shit ! Dammit !" as she rolls and bounces.
Then off a high cliff, in the air, "Oh fuck ..."
A long silence before an explosion sounds, lighting the woods.
"! Damn it !"
____
At the bottom of the cliff the man in the road sees her standing with her arms crossed staring at the burning car, half burned money is everywhere, her dress shredded and burned.
Man - "Hey ... miss ? Are you alright ... ?"
Maiden - "Oh ! Ummm." Falls to the ground, horribly faking. "Umm ... ouch. I'm not."
Man - Approaching slowly, "How did you survive that ?"
Maiden - "Oh that ? ... No idea." Laying back and feigning great 'pain', "Hey, I don't suppose you'd like to carry me back up that hill ..." She lazily gestures to the nearly impassable cliff.
Man - "I'm not sure I should move you ..."
Maiden - "Oh no. You should definitely move me."
____
In his car, she's curled in the passenger seat staring at him, his coat tied tightly around her. "Why were standing in the road ?"
Man - "My car just stopped. It was strange ... and ... also that it started right back up again just now." He looks over at her as she closes her eyes to sleep.
Maiden - "Eyes on the road, sunshine. You never know what'll come up next."
____________
With a painful jolt of rubble, Aedera watches as one by one they're pulled free by the reaching arms, until the last, leaving the light shining through.
Aedera - Closing her eyes, whispers, "Thank you."