It began as a low hum as the news spread of The Clock of the Time Dragon's arrival at the outskirts of Shiz. All of the students had heard of it, how terrible it was, how if wickedness were to become concentrated into one object, The Time Dragon Clock would be that object. But no one at Shiz could attest to having actually seen the contraption, nor did the devious students who ventured to the edge of campus to see the thing know what to expect.
Elphaba was among those who crept from their dormitories to the clearing in the forest where the Clock currently resided. Elphaba often questioned the nature of what was good and what was wicked, and she often disagreed with those who took it upon themselves to decide which was which. The Clock of the Time Dragon had been declared Wicked by many, and Elphaba was curious as to why they had deemed it so.
Galinda was also among those in search of the Clock. Her friends had persuaded her. The fact that the Clock was so taboo, so off-limits, made the idea of the Clock very alluring, and Galinda had to admit after having The Clock of the Time Dragon explained to her (by classmates less than qualified to describe it), she was a bit curious. Had she known what the Clock was really like, had someone other than Shenshen—who only knew about the Clock from stories of a friend of a friend's—Galinda might not have stolen away from her dormitory that night.
"Did you have any trouble sneaking past the green bean?" Milla enquired when Galinda met her and Shenshen beneath a stairwell in Crage Hall.
"No," Galinda replied, "curiously, she wasn't there."
Galinda did not relay to her friends why she found her peculiarly-colored roommate's absence from the room curious. She did not disclose that in the 3 or 4 months she and Elphaba had shared a room, she had grown strangely fond of Elphaba and her odd habits. Galinda had grown used to the schedule Elphaba kept: she rose at 6 in the morning, departed for classes at 7, and was always at her desk with her legs folded beneath her at an awkward angle at 6 in the evening when Galinda turned in from a day of studies and socializing.
But on that particular evening Elphaba hadn't been in her usual jackknifed position at her desk. Galinda had gone about her own routine of changing out of her day clothes, combing out her hair, and attempting to study, but found it difficult to do so without Elphaba's presence. Despite the fact that the two rarely spoke, Galinda found something comforting in molding her own evening routine around Elphaba's; when Elphaba finished her reading and took to the bathroom to bathe it was time for Galinda to change into her nightgown. When Elphaba emerged from the bathroom it was time for Galinda to seat herself at her vanity and comb out her hair, and when Elphaba slipped beneath the covers of her bed it was time for Galinda to do so as well.
"Curious," Shenshen said, "yes, that is one word to describe her."
"Might we refrain from making snide remarks about my roommate?"
"Dear Galinda, you are just too good." Milla cooed as she petted Galinda's shoulder.
"Oh, no I'm not." Galinda blushed.
"Honestly, I don't know how you stand it."
Galinda merely shrugged her shoulders, and the trio set off away from Crage Hall.
*
Throngs of spectators, primarily students, surrounded the stage of the Time Dragon Clock. Galinda was grateful for having taken the time to curl her hair and freshen her makeup before setting out, considering the amount of students she knew and recognized.
Galinda and her friends made their way through the crowd to as close to the odd half-wagon-half-puppet-theater as they could, staring eagerly and expectantly at the empty stage.
With the raising of the curtain, the theater suddenly came to life and the crowd quieted. A pair of miniature twin beds slid, one from each end of the stage, to the center where they stopped a few inches shy of one another, one of the beds with frills and pink linens, the other covered with a drab gray blanket.
Two wooden figurines appeared, one adorned in a pink tutu with yellow yarn for hair, the other with skin the color of grass, clothed in a simple navy blue cloth. The likeness was apparent, and those who had spotted Galinda in the crowd couldn't help but steal glances at her. Heat rose to Galinda's cheeks—not that she minded the attention—although how the puppeteers knew what color bedding she and Elphaba used was slightly unnerving.
The puppet in pink pranced around the other puppet in circles, reaching up and tousling its yellow hair with its tiny wooden hand. The yellow-haired puppet neared its companion and bent at the waist, thrusting its ample pinkish bosom in the face of the black-haired puppet seated on the bed. The crowd laughed.
The yellow-haired figure let out a small, "hmmph" in response to having received no reaction from other puppet, and sat down on the gray bed beside the green figurine. The puppet clearly in Galinda's likeness inched closer to the puppet representing Elphaba, and then without warning the pink puppet was atop the green, groping at the bottom of the green puppet's frock and thrusting a wooden hand between the green puppet's legs.
The green puppet attempted to right itself, but the assault continued as the pink puppet's face attacked the green puppet's neck and chest. The green puppet succumbed to the pink puppet's advances, and the two began to noisily rock against each other in a strange sort of embrace. They did this in various positions—mouth to mouth, breast to breast, mouth the breast, until they moved, the puppet in Galinda's likeness lying across the puppet of Elphaba's likeness such that their mouths met each other's groins.
The scene ended with the pink puppet sitting, legs spread on the gray bed while the green puppet thrust its hand up the pink puppet's skirt until the pink puppet began to convulse and shake, crying out and clinging to the green puppet.
The curtain fell, and the crowd was silent. A few students managed to steal a few glances at Galinda, who seemed to have stopped breathing. Her eyes were wide as saucers and her mouth hung slightly open.
"Let's go," mouthed Milla to Shenshen. They linked their arms with Galinda and pulled the stunned girl through the crowd. The three didn't speak as they made their way back to Crage Hall.
Elphaba was sitting on her bed when Galinda returned. The green girl studied her roommate solemnly.
"Are you okay?" Elphaba enquired. "You're slightly pale."
Galinda didn't speak. Her back hit the door and she slid to the ground as tears filled her eyes.
"Miss Galinda," Elphaba tried to soothe, but her words were lost on the blonde, who began to sob loudly into her hands.
"Miss Galinda, no one will take it seriously."
"You were there?" Galinda continued to sob. She lifted her face and stared blearily at Elphaba. "You saw it?"
"I—yes, I saw. But they're just puppets. Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it?" Galinda braced herself against the door and stood, "Don't worry about it?!" Her voice rose in pitch and in volume.
"You mean to tell me this doesn't upset you?"
"No, not particularly."
"Oh, Miss Elphaba, no matter how hard I try I'll never understand you!" Galinda flopped onto her bed and groaned.
The green girl returned her attention to her book and the pair did not speak.
"I don't understand. How did they know what our room looked like?"
"They may have ventured to guess that your bedding would match your wardrobe, and that mine is the default bedding of all the Shiz dormitories." Elphaba volunteered.
"And then they ventured to guess that I would—that we would—that we would do…that?!"
Galinda began to sob again, "Oh, the perversion! My entire life is over!"
Elphaba, though somewhat disturbed by the scene presented on the Clock's stage earlier that night, rolled her eyes.
"Really, Galinda, I don't know why you're taking it so seriously."
"What if people start to think things? Things about us that aren't true! No, we must set the record straight. We have to tell everyone that the perversion displayed on stage this evening is completely untrue. Will you stand by me and do this, Elphaba?"
"Acknowledging it bothers you will only generate more suspicion. People may wonder why, if it isn't true, we're trying so hard to cover it up. And if we have nothing to hide, it shouldn't bother us."
"Well I certainly have nothing to hide." Galinda asserted. "What would I be hiding, anyway? Things like that have never even crossed my mind!"
Elphaba merely nodded, and returned to her book.
Galinda felt faint. Her face was flushed and she was out of breath. Her eyes were raw from crying. She dragged her tired body off of the bed and crossed the room to her closet where she retrieved her silk nightgown.
As she pulled her blouse over her head she couldn't help but feel Elphaba's eyes on her back. Galinda tried to shake the feeling, but as she undid the clasp of her bra and let it fall to the floor she couldn't help but imagine that Elphaba staring at her breasts. Galinda crossed her arm across her chest and turned to look at her roommate, was not paying her any attention.
Galinda sighed heavily, and slid her gown over her head.
"Goodnight Miss Elphaba."
"Sleep well, Miss Galinda."
"I shall certainly try."
