Barter Town

[Kings Anointed]

He watched when Ira like a brute was pointing his "god's cannon" of a gun at the poor Echo. He'd spoke, "Down boy that's not very polite threatening a woman who's already in her position with offering her permanent relief from her lively hood. At least your way of relieving her Ira." Gabriel chose his words carefully knowing Echo must have been terrified but probably thinking, "Well I'm not really losing much if he pulls the trigger."

Gabe discerned something was going on between Francisco and Jazz that something was known of her and concerning Ira also. This perplexed Gabriel and he also sensed it caused Jazz a tremendous deal of anxiety. "Here" He offered her a hanker chief to her to wipe her face. He didn't care for the way Fransisco handled her as if she were property which she clearly wasn't yet touching her as though he owned her. Indeed it appeared he had leverage over her but she didn't let on so much that he did. She did appear to be some form of soldier given her uniform but, Gabriel focused more on her than the dingy clothes. He didn't care her affiliation, uniform, or way of life instead, he cared for her as one of God's precious creations. One of them who is lost in an an inner sea of turmoil as well as external. All of which every creature walking with two legs struggled with each day. Her rigid body language lent to the idea that she was at a breaking point, pressure was indeed taking it's toll on her. Yes Gabe could indeed read her from his side of the table and his heart ached for her like no one before in his life.

He longed to know her intimately, not carnally but, that of knowing her person, heart, and soul. "I don't care about your past as much as everyone else. I'm more of the mind set that, "It's not your past that defines what you but your future choices that cements who you are to become." God in his divine foresight destined you to meet up with us, call it fate or coincidence if you like but there is no denying it." He spoke these words of encouragement ending in a smile to Jazz with his eyes focused on hers intently. Bringing the cup of wine to his lips and drinking till it was completely gone and placing the cup upside down on the table.

[Dreamer]

His Large rifle fell into her lap with the barrel resting into her stomach. She froze fear flashing into her eyes. Her wide eyes showed too much white. Wait what? What did I do? Why is his gun in my belly? It made a soft click. Shit shit shit shitshitshittttt.......“Safety is off…” He said softly as he leaned forward. She could hear a soft whirling noise. “Magnetic coil is spooling up.” He said calmly as his finger rested on the trigger. She shut her eyes hard and swallowed. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7.....she counted. Let me reach ten please let me just make it to 10..........1, 2, 3,...3,4. It was a trick her mother taught her to get over stage fright. Her mother always said 'Little One ten is a magical number count to it and it will bring you inner peace.' She caught herself hyperventilating and stopped she held her breath for four counts and started over 1,2,3,4,5.....She heard a sharp slicing noise, but it didn't exist only the numbers did. “Round has been carved and chambered.” His voice was monotone, and utterly emotionless, but his face had contorted to the caricature of a stone gargoyle as it loomed over a busy city intersection. 8,9,10. She took a deep even breath. Opened her eyes. She was still alive after all.

“If I pull this trigger, the table under your well fed ass will shatter, you will then feel razor blades in your chest, throat and mouth. You will try to cry out, but nothing will happen. It is because this round is fired at speeds nearing that of how fast light travels. Do you know how fast that is? No…you are a simple outsider believing light is magic. It is fast enough for the round to make Gabriel’s and that wench’s ears bleed because of the sudden change in air pressure as the vacuum it creates causes the air to collapse in on it self and making a noise very similar to thunder. Behind you, in the small of your back will be a hole the size of a small ball. Your innards will be liquefied and sucked out behind the round leaving a small thin trail of red that will stretch out in a thin line behind the bar. You will then go limp and fall over, and for the last ten seconds of your life you will stair into my eye as I look down on your and growl as you pass into what ever form of the after life exists.” “I understand.“ She breathed. All she could do was breath and make no sudden movements.

“Yes, all of this will happen in under ten seconds if I pull the trigger. I will pull the trigger, if you do not get out of my fucking face with your bullshit. Ya feel me dawg.” Ira in a calm well enunciated voice speaking to the woman as if she were a child, and at the very end he did a very convincing impression of Francisco’s voice. “I feel ya.” She looked behind her and making sure she had the room she slowly arched her back turning her hips down. That stretch carefully and cautious turned in a sensual glide to lay down on the table with her fingers tracing a path up her body to rest up and over her head. Her auburn hair was spread out under her soft curls framing her face. She looked up at him through half closed eyes to attempted to hide the fear behind a cloud of lust to show submission. “Forgive me, I was mistaken M’Lord” She paused for a moment for effect and studied a man she had thought weak, but now thought better. She slowly arched her back back up, hips down. Her chest lifted into the air first and her head followed behind her chest hair swirling and dancing as she sat back up to look Ira in the eye. “He will tie you down to anatomize your very soul: he will wring tears of blood from your humiliation;“ She titled her head to the side to look at Francisco. “and then he will heal the wound with flatteries that no woman can resist.”

Slowly she slid off the table with the grace of a baby deer all knobby kneed and no balance. As she shifted to slid off the table, the gun caressed her upper thigh and trailed slowly down towards her knees caressing her soft skin that glowed pale in the dim light. As the gun slid down her body she turned to look at Francisco, her eyes locked on his face. She walked a little away from the table throwing a charming grin over her shoulder at Francisco and tossed an extra hip swing especially for him. She whistled loudly once towards the balcony and twice to behind the bar. "Damien, Cooper Bring me MY DOLL!”

After a moment two dirty children ran around the room blowing out candles again but less than before. A woman walked out to stand upon the platform used as a sad stage. Her skin had been paled out to look like something fragile and breakable. She had what seemed to be a wind up gear on her back. She was covered by a thin lace shroud. She stood on the platform and slumped over and then stayed very still. From the balcony a flute and drum beat gave an eerie black carnival sound to background the sway of Echo’s hips as she approached the sorry excuse for a stage. Da, please send me wings to soar on to sing to please the gods. My voice will be as an arrow to a hunter and gentlemen are my prey……A soft sound of a violin joins the strange and creepy chorus. A man walks out from behind the bar he is slim and tall with long red hair. His skin is almost as pale as Echo’s own, but his eyes show blue from behind long lashes. He looked like he could be Echo’s brother or cousin. The similar facial structure and the coloring was unmistakable. He was dressed like a proper gentleman and as he approached the stage his hard soled shoes were purposefully audible. 1.2.3.3.4.4.5.5.6.…..now Echo reached up with almost jerky movements and reached for the woman’s shroud. She gave it a gentle tug and the lace floated down revealing a pleasant face short black hair and ice green cat-like eyes to pool into a delicate puddle at Echo’s feet. Echo looked up at the ‘doll’ and her lips parted. 1,2,3,4.….

"Herr Drosselmeyer's Doll
There she is on the stage
Spinning as she sprawls
Thank God the curtains fall
Her spring is sprung
And dances done
Spinning as she sprawls
Thank God the curtains fall" He voice echoed off the walls as she sang almost sadly.

"In the morning, he twists the key quite hard
And ticking, she's brought to boil
"Relevée, my sweet, on point, en garde!"
Her innards twang as they uncoil

Herr Doktor's fingertips trace by
On craquelature from every fall
The daylight made to race right by
With paint and paste and stitch and awl

"Patient, patient, bumblebee,
Soon your audience admire
A shapely arabesque or three
I'll wind you up, you'll never tire."

Starry tutu, sullen moon
A frozen carmine mouth
Twinkles as she jerks and swoons
The lady is ushered out" Echo's voice trails off and the man dressed as a gentlman usher her out towards the audience.

The man that resembled Echo stopped playing and stepped on the stage. His deep resounding voice spoke and lingered in the ears of the patrons like a remembered scent on the wind.

"Gentlemen, this fallen angel" He motions to the 'doll', "is the illegitimate daughter of art and science. A modern marvel of engineering, clockworks elevated to the very natural process which even now is in your blood, racing, your eyes flashing at such irreproachable beauty. Here is Gaia, here is Eve, here is Lilith, and I stand before you as her father. Sprung fully-formed from my brow, dewy and sweet; she can be yours and yours again, for her flesh is the incorruptible pale to be excused from the wages of sin."
He winds her up and the gears really do grind and turn. She begins to dance as he moves away, Echo approaches the stage again, as the man watches picking back up his violin. The dancer's movements resemble a mechanical toy. Echo goes on the stage and mimics the 'dolls' dance but where the 'doll' is jerky, Echo is graceful. Her lips part again and she sings:

And as the sack cloth, sodden, slumps
Beneath these chipped and china limbs
The sour flesh pines, grunts and thumps
"Step right up, boys, tuppence for a spin!"