Evening Primrose
Chapter Four: “Take Me to the World”
Finished March 08, 2007
Posted: October 13, 2010
Author’s Note: What a good week it’s shaping up to be! Yesterday, Rick Riordan and Sarah Beth Durst both came out with new books, Friday, we can FINALLY own the long-awaited How to Train Your Dragon, and best of all, I don’t work today, which means that you get to read the finale to Evening Primrose! (Yes, I know, it’s the most important on that list...er...^^; Well, at least, it should be. I’m not reading my eagerly-awaited books in order to get this up for y’all. Actually, speaking of books, I have a relatively young book review blog. If you want to see what I’m reading/enjoying and talk about books, visit abackwardsstory (dot) blogspot (dot) com. The newest entry is a look at the new Beauty and the Beast art book, and I’d like to review the novel Room once all of this has been posted online. Once I finish the latest by Riordan and Durst, they should be up on the site as well. I try really hard to avoid spoilers (hard when looking at final books in a series such as Mockingjay) and I don’t post about books that I dislike. Check out my blog if you’re as in love with books as I am! ^_^)
Also, stick around after the story wraps up for the author notes I’ve been promising you all along!
Happy 13th of the month, everyone! (At least it’s not a Friday, no?) I must say, I like having that date as the launch of the finale...
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Evening Primrose
Chapter Four: Take Me to the World
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Tapered fingers trembled as they sought to re-knot the tie that cloistered Darien’s throat. The tie slid to the floor, becoming a silky red puddle at his feet. He bent down to pick the offensive item up in order to start anew when it was lifted by delicate fingers, their pale skin stretching taut to reveal thin blue veins.
He winced at the sight and forced his gaze to meet the cerulean eyes of the waif in front of him. His Adam’s Apple bobbed as she came closer, loosely wrapping the tie around his neck and knotting it nimbly, allowing him room to breathe. Her warm breath wafted across his face and he wanted nothing more than to draw her closer and pour life into her fading body. Standing so close to Serena, he could see that even the skin on her face had become translucent, giving her the appearance of a frail porcelain doll.
“Where did you learn to do this?” His voice was soft and husky, causing Serena to glance at him before quickly averting her eyes and returning to the task at hand.
“I often help the men with their tasks, Mr. Chiba. It is one of my duties here.”
He held back a sigh, wishing he could remove the impartial tone from her voice without drawing attention to them. Lowering his voice, he murmured, “Meet me backstage at intermission. We need to talk.”
She gave an imperceptible nod, straightened his tie, and moved away from him, causing Darien to immediately miss her warmth. He watched idly as Serena made her way to Rubeus, allowing no signs of discontent to cross his face. Inwardly, he saw red, but he forced the color to flee by clenching his fists and allowing his nails to embed themselves into his flesh.
Moments later, Darien’s script was thrust into his hand as he was pushed onto the makeshift stage. He gulped nervously. A dry run was scarier than anything else because it was easier to mess up. Opening the script, he sighed in relief, pleased that the handwriting was legible. His pleasure soon faded as he proceeded with the show, coils of horror building as he realized that the script was Rubeus’ perverse way of reminding Darien of his place. The tale about two people having an affair behind the store manager’s back hit a little too close to home.
Seeing Serena come towards him from stage-left, he gulped and closed his eyes. Her eyes were dull and lifeless; her lips rosy from repeatedly being bitten due to nerves. He clasped her hands and squeezed lightly, offering her strength and comfort even as he glanced down at the script sprawled across the table. Even knowing they spoke lines in a script, Darien hoped his eyes conveyed his true feelings to Serena. He didn’t want to speak the written words designed to leave a wound on her heart, even if they weren’t his own.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, voice flat and void of emotion.
“I came to see you, Tessa. We arranged it yesterday, remember?”
Serena shook her head slowly, causing her brown wig to slide into her eyes. “No, Max. I love Rubin. Stop bothering me.”
Darien rolled his eyes. Picking a name so similar to his own...could Rubeus be any vainer and obvious? His lip curled as he looked down at the script again. He had to wonder if Rubeus had planned this in part to kiss Serena and claim what he deemed to be his. It seemed to be Rubeus’ way of showing Darien that in the end, he could never have her. The most he allowed Darien’s character to do was lift her hands to his lips and lay a single butterfly kiss on her knuckles. He did so willingly, his gaze never wavering from her own. His breath hitched.
It wasn’t in the script, and yet...and yet...his head lowered against his will and his eyes fluttered shut as he felt the heat of her breath across his lips. To hell with decorum, he thought, leaning forward and fusing their lips together. He pulled back slowly and ignored the gasps from the audience, already missing her warmth. Later, he would claim that he had misread the script. The brief glimpse of heaven he’d experienced had been worth it.
Serena dropped their hands and backed away, her lips full and flushed. “I told you that this can go no further, Max. If you continue to ignore my wishes, I shall have no choice but to inform Rubin of your deceit and ship you off to the Dark Men!” Her finger trembled as she pointed at him and her chest heaved up and down.
Fear made its way into Darien’s heart. With her words, Rubeus himself appeared onstage, demanding to know what was going on before sending Darien’s character away and delivering the play’s moral to the audience: ‘Step out of line and you’re a goner.’
Backstage, Darien mopped at his damp forehead with the back of his shirtsleeve, taking care not to look at Serena. He hadn’t been able to talk to her during intermission due to Rubeus pulling him away for a ‘pep talk’ and now he was glad they hadn’t met. He finally realized that he and Serena were under intense scrutiny. They’d have to be much more careful from here on in.
He grimaced as Rubeus came up behind him and grasped his shoulder, propelling him away from prying ears. “Darien, my boy! Did you have fun out there?”
Darien wet his lips nervously. “Well, uh, I’m not an actor, so I was more nervous than anything else.”
“You hid it well, though it’s rare for actors to do improv when there’s a script right in front of them.”
Here it was. Darien maintained a nonchalant expression. “Did I? If I misread anything, I do apologize, Rubeus. As a fellow writer, I know how important it is to stay true to an author’s written words. As I said, I was really nervous and reading rather fast, since I didn’t have the script ahead of time.”
Rubeus pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. “As long as it doesn’t happen again next week, I’ll forgive you for your transgression this time.”
“Next week?” The words were hollow against his tongue.
“If the show is well-received, there is usually an encore performance.”
“But we didn’t even know our lines and—”
“That is precisely why we created room for an encore, Mr. Chiba. The actors are always much tidier the second time around.”
“Oh.”
“Now, go clean up so you can serve that cake of yours.” He pushed the younger man toward a nearby coat rack. “Oh, and Darien?”
“Yes?”
“Kissing Serena was never in the script. Don’t do it again. I will tolerate no further ‘slips’ next week.” He pivoted on his heel and left before Darien had the chance to respond.
_.-"-._ _.-"-._ _.-"-._
The next night, Darien woke up with a splitting headache. He hadn’t slept well after the turmoil of the night before. All he knew was that things were coming to a head and he had to do something before it was too late. Creeping out from his bed of rugs, Darien stretched his long legs and cricked his back, rolling his head from side to side as he stood and yawned. He headed toward the escalator wearily, only to stumble as he collided with a warm body.
He stilled in alarm, aware that he was now sprawled across the ground with his limbs tangled around whomever he had bumped into. Praying it wasn’t the Night Watchman, he peered up and let out his breath in relief. Nestled on top of him with her lips an inch from his own was Serena. Her eyes slowly opened as she stared down at Darien.
“Evening,” she breathed, her eyes darting to his lips.
Darien’s lips curled into a smile. “Evening. I wouldn’t mind waking up to an encounter like this on a weekly basis.” He lazily wrapped his arms around her torso, causing her cheeks to bloom with color.
“I’m glad I found you.”
“Were you looking for me?”
“Mm-hmm. We didn’t get to talk last night.”
He tilted his face upwards, brushing her lips with his own. “Talking is overrated anyway.”
She giggled and pulled back. “We need to move. The Watchman will be by in a few minutes.”
He sat up reluctantly, his arms still slung around her waist. “But I’m comfortable here.”
“I’m sure you are.” A crooked smile crossed his face.
She wriggled away from him, only to freeze as she heard a click in the distance. “He’s on his way, Darien.” She nervously entwined his fingers with her own and squeezed. “We really need to move.”
Darien scanned the area as he strained to hear how close the Watchman was. A frown marred his face. “No time.”
“But—”
He stood up and pulled her with him. “We’ll do what I did a few days ago.”
“What—”
“Go climb under the covers of that bed.”
She glanced at him in surprise, but hurried to do what she was told. Her mouth dropped as she felt him scramble in behind her. “Dar—”
“Shh.” He brought a hand to her mouth and met her eyes. “Take your shirt off and pull the covers up over your chest.”
“W—”
“Hurry! We don’t have time!” He shed his own shirt and maneuvered himself so that he was hovering over Serena, partially blocking her from view.
Hunched under the covers, she murmured, “We’re going to get caught.”
“Only if you keep talking.” He kept his eyes trained on her face, knowing that if he looked past her chin, the sight of her bare, creamy shoulders rising above the covers would undo him.
Already in an awkward position, Darien hoped the Watchman wouldn’t come close enough to see the miniscule shake in his arms as he strained to hold his own weight.
Hearing the stride of footsteps as a jaunty whistle echoed through the quiet store, Darien clenched his jaw and stared down at Serena, hoping she could see the reassurance in his eyes. Under any other circumstances, he would be elated to have Serena pinned beneath him on a bed. Her skin radiated with heat beneath his palm and he wanted nothing more than to teach her about the birds and the bees.
His shoulders tensed as the whistling abruptly died off and the sound of footsteps came to a stop.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
The footsteps shuffled closer. Darien felt his heart thud against his ribcage. Any closer and—
“Jerry’ll love this. I’ve never seen anythin’ like it!”
Sensing that the man had maneuvered himself even closer to the bed, Darien mentally berated himself. If anything, he should have positioned himself so that his body protected Serena from the man’s roving gaze.
“Macy’s really does push the boundaries of decorum, don’t it? If they keep up these here risqué displays, I’ll be thinkin’ twice ‘bout turning in my retirement and handing the store on over to Jerry.” The Watchman gave a low whistle. “Speakin’ o’Jerry, I need to go find ‘im and bring ‘im on over here to see this.”
After a moment of silence, his footsteps receded and Darien sighed in relief. He stared grimly at the young woman pinned beneath him. “You realize we have to stay like this now?”
She gazed up at him through hooded eyes, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Why?”
“He’s on his way to get the other guard.”
“Hasn’t he ever seen two mannequins at once before?”
“Not positioned in quite the same way that we are.”
“What’s so special about it? Well, besides the fact that you made us take our shirts off.” She paused and looked up at him. “Why did we do that, anyway? Surely it wasn’t necessary.”
He bent and placed a butterfly kiss on her forehead. “You really are innocent, aren’t you?”
Her lips twisted into a pout. “No, just chilly.”
He threw back his head and laughed.
Serena smiled and pulled his head down, capturing his lips with her own. Darien’s eyes widened at her boldness, but soon closed out of reverence to the moment.
Pulling back to catch his breath, he murmured, “What was that for?”
She planted a light kiss against his chin. “Mm, you were being too loud. I had to shut you up somehow.”
He loved the way it felt when her lips vibrated against his skin as she spoke. It both tickled and sent a shiver of awareness through his veins before settling in the pit of his stomach. “I think I could get used to this kind of treatment.”
“Oh yeah?” She brushed her lips over his again.
“See? Right there. Told ‘ya I wasn’t makin’ it up.”
Darien’s eyes widened and he felt Serena tremble against his lips. She unconsciously dug her nails into his cheeks.
“Seems you left a few details out.” A low whistle pierced the uncomfortable silence.
“I didn’t think they’d been kissin’.” Feet shuffled closer.
“Too distracted by a pretty lady?”
“I guess. I thought she was more covered than that.”
Darien’s jaw ticked and he worked to keep an oath from slipping its way off his tongue and through his lips. He tried to reassure Serena with a look, but she had closed her eyes, causing her eyelashes to fan against her upper cheekbones. Mulling it over, he decided it was a smart move on her part and closed his eyes as well, lest they give him away were the men to come too close.
It was an odd sensation to be in such an intimate position, yet unable to move a muscle. His lips yearned to crush themselves against Serena’s and be brought to life once more. Her soft flesh was like silk against his callused palms and he longed to see if the rest of her felt the same.
“Well, mannequins don’t just up and move on their own, after all.”
Darien’s fingers tightened against Serena’s shoulders.
“Yeah. I s’pose I was too involved in my own fantasies to pay too much attention to reality.”
“She’s a looker, ain’t she? Too bad she ain’t real.”
“She’s the most life-like mannequin I’ve ever seen.”
“They’re all too damn life-like here. Nothing but the best for Macy’s. If ya ask me, it’s kind’o creepy. Always feels like ye’re bein’ watched.”
“True, true. And this one!”
Feet padded closer to the bed.
“Why, it’s almost as tho’ he’s gone and gotten hisself, a tan, no?”
Darien bit back a grimace and inwardly swore. If he had known he’d be thrown into this position, he would have powdered his torso before leaving the Carpet Department. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lip, begging for room to grow. Of course, even knowing this would occur, he still would have come out tonight. He wouldn’t have missed this experience with Serena for the world.
“Eh, prob’ly just a darker paint job to contrast wit’ how pale the gal is.”
“Smart lad.”
A loud clap was heard and Darien envisioned the older guard slapping his hand against the new recruit’s shoulder.
“We should get movin’ on to the other departments. Any longer here and I’m not gonna be able to wait ‘til I get on home to th’ missus.”
Both men laughed and after a moment, Darien heard the sound of feet shuffling against the carpet, picking up in volume as they stepped onto the linoleum. He listened until they faded away to silence, then slowly opened his eyes.
“Well,” he murmured, “that was...an interesting experience.”
“One I’d never wish to have repeated.”
He smiled lightly and moved his hand to her face, stroking her cheek with the tip of his finger and reveling in its velvety smoothness. “You don’t enjoy being here with me?”
“I always enjoy being with you, Darien.” She gazed at him through innocent eyes and tilted her cheek so that it fit into the curve of his palm. “We fit together like puzzle pieces, don’t we?”
He smiled in amusement and bent to place a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Believe it or not, we can fit together even better than we do now.”
She tilted her head curiously. “How?”
He nestled his face against the curve of her throat, placing a kiss against her neck and feeling her pulse jump against his lips. Enjoying the sensation, he murmured, “Maybe I’ll tell you when we get out of here.” He idly wondered if the vibration of his lips against her skin had the ability to turn her on as much as hers had done to him before the Night Watchman arrived.
She sighed and moved closer to him. “Darien, I don’t want to get caught. If Lady Nehelenia finds out, she’ll separate us for sure.”
He felt her eyelashes flutter against his palm and assumed she had once more closed her eyes—this time out of pleasure as opposed to fear.
“Mm, I think Rubeus is getting suspicious. His play seemed like a warning, didn’t it?”
“A bit...”
“He wants you. He will never give you to me willingly.”
“I don’t want to be with anyone but you, Darien. Living here has become tolerable, but only because you’re here beside me. I don’t want to lose you. I feel as though I never lived before you came along.”
She pulled back to brush her lips against his. “You brought me to life. I live solely for you.”
Darien bit back a groan. “And I you,” he managed to grit out as he crushed her lips with his own, delving into her mouth with his tongue and trying to show her what he felt, knowing that no words were adequate enough to portray the depth of his emotions.
Pulling back reluctantly, he brushed the pad of his thumb across her soft lips. “Serena...”
Her eyes fluttered open, a dreamy haze in their cerulean depths. She smiled against his skin and kissed it gently. “Yes?”
Absently massaging her lip as his thumb paced back and forth, he met her eyes and murmured, “I don’t want to hide anymore.”
“Pardon?”
“I want to walk by your side, hand in hand, and let everyone know you’re mine. I want us to meet on the street underneath the glow of the moon rather than in an aisle under a muted security light. I want to see what you look like as the sun kisses your hair and paints your skin until it’s golden and gleaming.”
She gazed at him in rapture and breathed, “It sounds absolutely lovely.”
“I want to take you away, Serena. I want to show you the world. I want you to see all of the wonders that you missed out on as a child.”
“I would love nothing more than to run away with you, but—”
“So why can’t we?”
“Because—”
“No. We’ll escape, Sere. They can’t watch us all the time. We can sneak out during the day and—”
“They lace our meals, Darien. We’re knocked out at the end of each night. You know that.”
“So refuse to eat. Tell them—”
“If someone says no, they send for the Dark Men.”
“The Dark Men this, the Dark Men that. I’m tired of being controlled through threats.” He gazed pleadingly at Serena. “Can they really be that bad?”
She drew in a shaky breath. “I’ve seen them. I told you—”
“Are you sure you haven’t just embellished what you saw to match what others have told you? I mean, seriously. How can anyone mistake a flesh-and-blood human being for a mannequin? They must be heavier, for one thing. For another, their skin would—”
“No, they drain their victims. By the time they’re done, the person is an empty shell. There’s not...there’s not a lot of them left. After they’ve been drained, the Dark Men embalm the body in wax. In the morning, the wax is dry and the store has another new mannequin.” She drew in a shaky breath.
“It sounds painful.”
“I imagine it must be. I still remember...” She closed her eyes and quickly shook her head. “I don’t want that to happen to you, Darien. Besides, you belong here. You came here to escape from the world, not to return to it.”
“I belong with you, Serena. You don’t belong here, so neither do I.”
“But, Darien—”
“No.” He gave her an abrupt kiss, his lips making a soft smacking sound against her own. “Run away with me, Serena. We can stay here until the Night Watchman comes back and ask for his help.”
“He’d never believe us.”
“Even if he doesn’t, he can arrest us for trespassing and kick us out of the store that way. We can claim we fell asleep. They won’t be too hard on us.”
“What about the others? I’m sure they’re looking for us by now.”
“Tomorrow, then. We’ll meet in the Toy Department at midnight. I’ll slip away to go to the bathroom or something. That’s about the time you usually prepare Nehelenia’s meal, is it not?”
“Y-Yes.”
“So you’ll be alone.” He brushed his lips against her bare shoulder. “Meet me there, okay?”
She drew his mouth back to her own and gave him a lingering kiss. “I’ll meet you.”
A smile broke across his face and he gave her a loud, smacking kiss. “Tomorrow, we’ll start anew. But for now...we must pretend once more.”
He nodded reluctantly and pulled himself away from her. It was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. He pulled his shirt from beneath the covers and drew it over his head. His eyes darkened as he watched her do the same. He managed to restrain himself from pulling her back to him with the thought that there would be many nights to come where they could appreciate one another’s presence without the constant niggling sensation of fear and stealth at their backs.
Standing, he slowly held out a hand to Serena, helping her from the bed. She turned down the covers in silence. Hand in hand, they walked to the escalators.
“Until next time, love.” He kissed her briefly, and then headed to the down escalator while she headed to the up one. He watched until she disappeared from sight before slowly descending the steps. He was so wrapped up in thoughts of Serena and planning their escape that the possibility someone could be watching them at that moment never even occurred to him.
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Nervous tension filled the air. People chattered anxiously, glancing around from the corners of their eyes.
Darien could swear he had even seen a twisted smile or two. He felt skittish as he went through the motions of Bridge, knowing he was envisioning the venomous looks out of worry for the night to come.
The fact that Serena hadn’t waited on Nehelenia before leaving to fix her meal only served to make him more nervous. Glancing down into his lap, he looked once more at his watch. Five minutes to go. Just enough time to finish the game.
Moments later, he set down his final cards and excused himself to go to the bathroom, telling everyone to start the next round without him. He told himself he was just imagining the prickling sensation of eyes analyzing his every move as he strolled in the direction of the restroom. Once out of sight, he veered off-course and hurried for the escalator. Stepping off, he quickly turned the corner and bumped into Rubeus.
“Darien, my lad! What are you doing up here? Aren’t you supposed to be downstairs playing Bridge?”
“I needed a snack break.”
“Ah. Well, let me accompany you. I was just on my way to the Food Department myself.” His eyes glinted and a feral smile seemed to spread across his face.
Darien swallowed and nodded, mutely following the man and mulling over how to slip away. Every second wasted was one less when it came time to escape.
Shifting his eyes as they entered the department, he heard a scuffle near the bakery and turned his head. Four men staggered under the weight of their burden. One man backed into the wall and lost his balance, allowing something golden to fall to the floor. Seeing the object hang in the air, he realized that it was hair. He could only think of one person with hair the color of liquid sunshine.
“Serena...”
Rubeus tilted his head as he followed Darien’s gaze. “Ah, yes. Unfortunately, we had to let her go. We weren’t able to cull her wayward actions after all.”
“What are you—Wait. Rubeus, the Butcher Shop—They—”
“They are the Dark Men, yes.”
Darien’s eyes widened. “We need to stop them, need to—”
“You need to go back downstairs where you belong, Darien.”
“You would leave her there alone?”
Rubeus’ eyes narrowed into slits. “Lower your voice at once. The Watchman will hear you.”
Darien leaned closer to Rubeus and spat out, “I. Don’t. Care.”
Eyes snapping with fury, Rubeus growled, “Go downstairs at once or the Dark Men will come for you as well. There will be two feasts tonight instead of one.”
Face molten with fury, Darien stared at Rubeus before stalking back to the escalator.
Every second wasted is a second less to save her.
Rather than going downstairs, he headed for the up escalator, knowing that the Watchman was currently on the top floor. His heart pounded in his throat as the blood rushed to his ears.
Save her, save her, save her...
His feet beat in time to the rhythm of his heart as he took the stairs two at a time, gasping as he stepped out onto the top floor. A bobbing light came toward him. Pulling his journal from his pocket, he scrawled his story quickly. Dropping it on top of a display of stationary, he hurried to meet the man heading toward him, intent on saving Serena before it was too late...
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Evening Primrose
Epilogue: No Longer Alone
Finished: March 8, 2007
Posted: October 13, 2010
Author’s Note: Attached the epilogue to this the same way I did with the prologue...
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Evening Primrose
Epilogue: No Longer Alone
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A branch brushed against the window. Tap, tap. Scratch, scratch. Silence filled the living room; the only thing that could be heard were Darien’s words being brought to life as Minako read the last of what he’d written in his notebook.
~~I’m sorry my writing has become so sloppy. My hand hurries to finish our story in case the final chapter is upon us. If you’re reading this, it means they have won. Look for us. A young woman with blue eyes and long gold hair that streams down from two buns, a young man with blue eyes and ebony hair...possibly an older man with gray hair. Look. If you find us, hunt them down. Snuff them out. Tell the world our story...~~
Tap, tap. Scratch, scratch.
Awareness returned in droves. Minako’s head snapped up as she turned toward the window, watching the tree’s skeletal branch beckon to her with its bony fingers. She shivered and huddled closer to her husband, his warmth no longer enough to free her from the cold sense of dread trickling through her blood.
Her husband closed the notebook abruptly, creating a snapping sound that echoed through the otherwise silent room. “Well, that was some story, wasn’t it?” He tucked it between the couch cushions and out of sight. “Whoever wrote that must have a great imagination, huh?”
She looked up at him with wide eyes. “You don’t think it’s true?”
“Of course not. People can’t actually live in a department store. They’d get caught. Besides, mannequins aren’t made of flesh and bone, right? It isn’t possible for skin to have the same texture as wax.”
“I suppose...” She leaned against his shoulder. “I’ve been scared all day for nothing, haven’t I?”
He gently tweaked her nose. “Why don’t you put this story out of your head for the night, huh? Tomorrow we’ll go return the notebook and I’ll buy you a pretty new dress to get your mind off of this, okay?”
She nodded drowsily, allowing her eyes to flutter shut. “Mmm, I did see a pretty dress in the window of Macy’s today. It would go perfectly with my favorite hair bow.” She yawned and curled closer to her husband. “They were taking down the display, though. When I left the store, there was a wedding tableau in its place. The groom was wearing a black suit that complemented his ebony hair perfectly. The father who gave away the bride looked so real. His face was weathered with age and there were streaks of silver running through his gray hair. I remember thinking he was the most unique-looking mannequin I’d ever seen. Very lifelike. The bride wore the most beautiful gown. I wish they had a dress like that when we got married. I was so envious. She looked like me, too.”
Minako’s eyes opened slowly. “She had...startling blue eyes. And her hair...” She sat up and clutched at her husband’s hand. “Her hair looked like spun gold. She had the most unusual hairstyle I’ve ever seen. It was cascading down her back from a pair of twin balls resting atop her head.”
She turned to look at her husband fearfully as realization dawned. “Three new mannequins in the window at Macy’s...”
Tap, tap. Scratch, scratch.
Neither of them noticed that the window had slowly begun to swing open of its own accord. They were too busy staring at one another in horror...
_.-"-._ _.-"-._ _.-"-._
Author’s Note:
So, um, hi? *ducks the flames*
Okay, we’ve come to the end. What did you think? Anything like you were expecting?
I have so many people to thank. A lot of the old SMRFF list members critiqued this piece, including Chibi Anon, Sailor Elysia, and Stormlight. Others such as Dancing Dreams, Goddess Althena and Nephthysmoon also gave me some great suggestions. If your name isn’t here, I’m so sorry. It’s been so long since I gave you this that I forgot. I apologize and still love you!
Now, the answer you’ve all been waiting for: How did I come up with this idea? This is where the disclaimer I’ve been promising you comes in, folks. Evening Primrose is not my own original idea. It is based on a short story by John Collier. I’m not sure how similar it is to the short story because I never read it; I wrote this when I was living in Japan and had no access to a library with his work. I also couldn’t find the story via the internet (e-books weren’t as popular a couple of years ago).
I know about the story because my favorite Broadway composer, Stephen Sondheim (West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, etc.), wrote a little-known musical that adapted the story for the TV Series ABC Stage 67, which first aired on November 16, 1966. I never got to physically watch it (it may be on YouTube now, but wasn’t when I was writing), but that will change later this month. On October 26, 2010, Evening Primrose is finally coming to DVD. If you enjoy musicals—or this story—I hope you’ll watch it. Each of the four chapters uses the title of one of the four songs from the mini-musical (not counting P/E, where I randomly made the titles up). You can find the music online, I’m sure. It’s also available to purchase in a few formats. I believe you can still buy the ABC Stage 67 version with the original artists (Anthony Perkins and Charmain Carr), but don’t quote me on that. I bought it when it was a limited edition release. If it’s not still in print, it may be soon when the DVD releases. It’s definitely available on Stephen Sondheim: The Story So Far, but that’s a bit pricier and more for Sondheim collectors. Plus, their voices will be preserved on the upcoming DVD. There are other versions available for purchase as well. The 2001 Studio cast that comes with a recording of another of his musicals, The Frogs, features Neil Patrick Harris (yes, Doogie Howser. Broadway Vets knew he could sing long before Doctor Horrible came along) and Theresa McCarthy. The Mandy Patinkin CD Dress Casual features him and Bernadette Peters, and there’s an out-of-print CD, Sondheim at the Movies, that features Gary Beach and Liz Callaway. So there are a lot of different ways to hear the incredible music that makes up Evening Primrose.
Because I couldn’t physically watched the original television program, I looked at the CD liner notes to see what was supposed to be going on. I also found a transcript of a radio broadcast from Nov. 5th, 1947 that was adapted by John Dunkel. The version varies slightly from the Sondheim version of the story, so I used the elements I liked best from both versions and added my own twists, creating a new version of Evening Primrose with our beloved couple. I’ve heard a couple of people say it reminds them of an old Twilight Zone episode. That could be true. I don’t know, I’ve never seen the series. It’s likely that the episode also borrowed from Collier’s short story, but I don’t know that for a fact.
Anyway, there is my inspiration. If you liked this series or are a fan of musicals, I highly recommend checking out Evening Primrose on CD or DVD. I should see if my local library has Collier’s story in stock sometime now that I’m back in the USA...
Happy October, everyone! Thanks for sticking with me. I’ve enjoyed talking with all of you each week!
Like it? Hate it? I’m the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email ladybaine at gmail dot com today!
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