The Last Time Machine. Forum The Entrance Hall, Ballroom.

Unbeleivably big given the discrete profile of the Villa, it is an exact but oversized copy of The Music Room in The Brighton Pavilion.

There's a link on my profile that works.

There's no sound until...

The doors fly open. He barges in. "Where the f**k is everybody! I left specific instructions to start the party before I got here. Hellooooo! COOOOEEEEY!

Bloody Hell! Noone, not one soul. (Storms off muttering down a corriodor to a lift. Opens a compartment, a steel straw pops out. He blows into it. Screen above compartment, "Breath analysis correct. Admit One". Lift door opens. He goes down and down and down. Starts to sweat. Lift stops. Doors open. (exit to control room)

I walk in, taking a look around (low whistle at the majestic surroundings).

"A ballroom," I mutter to myself, "Wonder if there will be dancing?"

(reenters from lift) (To L.P.) Oh well, I suppose you'll do for a start. Where the hell are the musicians? And the women? I need a party starting now or we're all fucked. I'm sure I heard someone upstairs. (Exits up staircase)

(Watches the host walk up the stairs, looks around the empty ballroom, shrugs shoulders, and begins to dance a music-less, solitary mambo.)

I walk into the ballroom, and Im expecting to hear music. Instead, I hear my own footsteps.
I see a guy dancing by himself, and I instantly have Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself" in my head, and I laugh to myself.
I take a seat on the freshly waxed floor, and Im inspired to write. So, I look in the bag, but my notebook is missing.

I walk up to the guy dancxing the mambo, and I ask him...

"Where's my black notebook? It seems Ive misplaced it"

(enters) pulling Narnie along behind. The drunken fog seems to have lifted, and Chloe is aware of some lingering trepidation from another time. 1927?

"The notebook was in the car, Hipster." Chloe looks around.

"Where's this party we're supposed to have?" She watches Hawkins dancing to no music in the Ballroom, and the Hipster looking at Hawkins.

"If I know TEMP he'll expect his party to have started already. Hurry, Narnie, go dance with Hawkins!" Gives Narnie a push in the right direction and looks around for the guitar player. (The Action and Dialogue must be happening off site.)

"Fabian!" She yells out.
"There has to be a party now." she whispers to herself thinking of the Orchid Room in 1927.

Narnie goes to the far wall and finds the speaker connection. She rummages through her handbag, finds her MP3 player and plugs it into the socket.

"Angel, Chloe! Find that Mamu and lets get some tequila in here."

The music begins to play...

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She takes LP by the hand and leads him to a chair... 'he looks confused, poor bloke.'

Mamu appears with a tray on which are tequila, lemon and salt. Chloe whispers further instructions to him and he scuttles off again.

Narnie sets up the shots.

"Down in one, girls....."

F**k f**k f**k!!! I need my book! MAMU!!!

I frown, but I see that there's alcohol presented. Looking at Chloe and Narnie, I raise my shot and give a smile and a wink.

Cheers new found friends. To new tales and loves lost and found, and to great music. Down the hatch!!

I slam the tequila, and I give a shudder. Damn tasty.....

Chloe throws back a taquila shot and feels the heat rise from the pit of her stomach up her neck to her cheeks from the beat of Narnie's mp3 player mixed with tequila. From far back in time she feels herself dancing - a pagan ritual around a fire. Her body is primitive and free to do what it will. She throws her hair back in a challenge to Narnie who stands there. Chloe stops dancing.

"You don't any of you know what we're dealing with. I won't be made a fool of any more than I already have been. This mansion has burned down in my memory thousands of times. This dance, I danced thousands of times before it even had a name..."

She walks out. (exits) and heads for the shade under the tree. She's had one too many taquila shots on top of Brass Monkeys and she was living in somewhere in the far distant past. Her mind begins to clear (again) as soon as she's away from the mansion.

I look around from my newfound seated position.

"Why is it that, wherever I go, everyone wishes for me to sit somewhere?"

(Calls out to the everyone) "Have any of you read Roald Dahl's 'The Witches'? Just so you know, I don't care much to become a mouse--it's not my...nature. I'd highly suggest against such actions."

Well, I guess that's warning enough.

Turning to the empty chair next to me, I ask "You don't think that was too oblique of a statement, do you?"

LP breaks the silence in her head. She watches Chloe dissapear from view. Her thoughts are confused and she feels wrongly accused. She looks to the others to see if they are judging her in the same way.

"What the f**k did I do?" she says. She goes and sits down in the chair next to LP.

"LP. C'mon fella. You've gotta snap out of this. You want some water?" Her eyes begin to sting with tears. She has been wrongly accused. 'Life is s**t sometimes' she thinks to herself. She drags LP up to his feet and pulls him over to Angel.

"Angel, shall we try and find some food? I dont know whats up with LP but I think we need to stick together... unless you feel like Chloe? I dont know whats happened to all the others...." Suddenly her legs buckled beneath her....


His hands are on her throat. His face no more than an inch from hers. "You betrayed me" he says. "No. I would never betray you." "You betrayed me." he repeated as he tightens his grip. "No" she begs "I would never betray you. I could not. I would not betray the man who is my life - my love. You must know that." He reaches down with his other hand and pulls a knife from his boot. Without hesitation he plunges it into her left breast. He holds her body down with his own as she stiffens with the shock and pain. As she takes her last breath, he moves down to kiss her lips for the last time.

Narnie falls to the floor.

I walk into a party in progress. What? Mamu is on the phone to the paramedics and Narnie seems to be injured on the floor, a drunk girl is crying on the lawn, and the party seems pretty much shot to hell. I am beginning to wonder if the biker bar might not have been a better choice. Damn, at least they can hold their liquor. I take a bottle of brandy off Mamu's cart and pour me a drink. He just lays a big hand on my shoulder like he's glad to see me. I point to the stage sound system and he shrugs. I look around for my piano playing vagabond host.

"Narnie!"

I drop to my knees, placing my ear close to her mouth---yes, she's still breathing. I take her arm, placing two fingers against her wrist to check her pulse. It's a bit fast but not too much. My first guess would be that she simply fainted but with the fog of calamity I've witnessed since walking into the airport bar, I wouldn't put anything aside to imagination.

Cradling her neck, I gently lift her head and speak to her "Narnie, can you hear me? Please wake up! Are you hurt? Narnie? Wake up!"

I look around the room at those standing about. "Narnie may have fainted but I'm not sure." My gaze drops to the empty shot glass. She better not have been drugged or so help me....

Bringing my eyes back to Narnie, I call out some quick orders, "One of you get my coat off the chair, bundle it up, and place it beneath her head. Someone else grab a cushion from somewhere and place it under her feet to to ensure blood's flowing to her vitals. Whoever's left should find our host and inform him that if she doesn't come to within the next minute, we'll need an ambulance."

During my monologue, I hear something, or I think I may have heard something---a soft murmur. I peer closely at Narnie's face. Her eyes move slightly beneath closed eyelids. I whipser calmly into her ear, "Narnie, you are all right. You've fainted, is all. If you could do me the favor of waking up...you see, I need you to talk to me and save me from worrying that I have fallen too far down the rabbit hole."

Im taking another shot, and I pause for a moment.

I see Chloe stomp off in amoment of what? Jealousy? Confusion? I dont want to stop her. I like to see personal drama unfold under my vision, makes for a better horror tale.
Which is the real reason why I'M here. I want to be inspired. Give me something truly scary. Not something that's petty and silly. A rant of a drunk girl. Big deal, happens all the time. Wait till I get drunk, really drunk and start apologizing, and taking my clothes off all the same time.

I see Narnie getting medical attention, and I hope she's ok. That should make for a nice little ditty. Medical equipment being pulled out....I hope it's all sterile. Would hate to see her get infected with something due to the incompetence of the medics.

Hey, Guitar Man!! Have a shot with me....then lets get the hell outta the ballroom.

(enters from staircase dressed in electric green zoot suit and sombrero with dangling corks)

Ah ha! Musician. Women. That means party time. What's wrong with this one? (clatters l.p, paramedics and equipment out of the way, bends over Narnie) Nothing that the good old kiss of life won't fix. (licks his lips smackingly and plants a big tasty tonguey)

(to f.g.) Any music you like dear fellow. Fire away. (scratching his chin) Still something missing though? Oh That's right. Couple of hundred people.

(crosses to lift, pushes a button. indicator light blinks up as the lift rises. doors open. he is knocked to the floor as dozens of people dressed for a wonderful party tumble out of the tiny lift, chattering and laughing and ready for a bash. an entire big band in suits is included. they make their way to the stage and wait for f.g. to lead them.
In an instant the room is filled with laughter and celebration. TEMP puts his hands on his hips, looks up and smiles as the chandelier starts to slowly rotate and give off a strange shimmering light of concentric circles drawing energy up from the cavorting guests below.)

(Looks down at Narnie who hasn't woken up yet.) Well that didn't work but don't worry I've got a whole goddamn hospital full of that stuff upstairs. Probably just needs a rest. (Bends over picks her up, throws her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Exiting up the staircase) I'll pop her in one of the bedrooms. Yes, won't be long, I'll just pop her quickly in one of the bedrooms before she wakes up.......

(exits up staircase)

Pause.

Chloe feels a slap across her face. It begins to sting like tomato ketchup on an open wound.

Words whisper in her ear. Are they her own? A shadow crosses the walls around her. Though the lights do not flicker. Is the floor wobbling or is it her knees?

"Snap out of it. This is not the time for you to fragment... someone is dying."

Puts her hand to her face where it hurts as if she's been slapped, and she looks around to see where she is. She's splintered into a dozen lives and fights to pull herself together, wondering why she's standing outside the mansion door. Then she remembers dancing and raving...A primitive contest between herself and...

"Oh, my God. Narnie!" (enters the ballroom) People are dancing and music is playing where she had stood alone with Narnie, the Hipster, Hawkins...but Chloe had been other people in other times...Shakes her head trying to clear it...She's nearly overcome with a fear for all of them. She's seen this happening before, in the past and the future, and Narnie stabbed, prone on the floor...the blood flowing freely from her chest...

"Narnie!" she screams over the music and several people shrug at her. "What have I done!" She sees the memory of herself dancing around a campfire, Narnie and the Hipster, Hawkins...Mamu, and drinking tequila happily...then...what? She's still having trouble keeping herself from fragmenting into other times, other places.

"Where is Narnie!" she panics. "Someone had to have put LSD in our drinks," she thinks and hears these words in a man's voice as if from God himself...She falls to the floor and prays something in a language she doesn't even know, to a God she's never heard of. Someone helps her up. Wulfstan? TEMP? - No, never TEMP...

"The piano player took her away." the man beside her tells her. "She was unconscious." He smiles at her; a smile out of place. Chloe is only concerned with what is happening to herself and to Narnie. Time flashes in colors around her. Then a pit of blackness tries to swallow her backward in time again.

"NO! Leave us alone!" she screams upward toward the ceiling and through the floor she can see where Narnie lies unconscious on a bed.

"What is happening!" she screams, but no one around her seems to hear it at all. "Hipster! Hawkins! What's happening!"