Stave III: Pastime
Aeon
"Vlad was face to face with own tortured childhood," Uncle Clockwork said turning the page in the book, "seeing the abuse he faced from his father brought back a torrent of memories to him. All unpleasant," The Head Observant scoffed coldly causing uncle Clockwork to raise an eyebrow. "I thought this would be your favorite part, the past is written in stone and can't be changed," The one eyed ghost said that Clockwork didn't understand but my uncle just smiled at him.
"Why don't Vlad's parents love him," I asked curiously. He explained that Vlad was an illegitimate child born out of a night of passion. His mother was socialite Tanya De Rais who went through men like a box chocolates and his father multimillionaire Drake Masters was known as a womanizer and when he heard that she was with child wanted to dump her but Drake's family forbid it. They forced Drake to keep Tanya and her child but treated neither with love and respect. "How sad," I noted as my uncle nodded.
"Humans do it all the time, don't let sympathy blind you," the Head Observant sneered, "even spirits do it" he sighed as Clockwork studied him closely and asked him if was still mad that Aphrodite didn't marry him all those ages ago. "Zeus promised me that she would be my bride," he sulked as Clockwork placed a hand on his shoulders, "I don't need your pity Chronos, fate will make her wish she hadn't spurned me," he said phasing to the top floor as my uncle sighed heavily.
Vlad
"Spirit, if your purpose was to remind me that I had a miserable childhood. You did your job," I told the Pittsburgh Steeler keeping my eye on the youth that lay unconscious on the ground. My head was spinning trying to figure out what sin I committed that caused my father to act the way he did. I heard the ghost say that these are merely instant replays and I made the calls not him. "I was just a child," I reminded him as I went to the door and walked inside the cold mansion.
"It is often children who are hurt most by their parents' actions," Bettis said following me in. I looked at the youth on the floor placing a hand on his shoulder. The poor boy, why didn't you love me father I did nothing to you and only wanted your love. You treated me like trash. "Your mother died shortly after this Vlad?" Jerome asked but I kept silent. She died the next day. After that my father beat me mercilessly until I was ten when I ran away. "Come on Vlad let's see another Christmas," the ghost said snapping his fingers as the walls began to crumble and dissolve as if they made of play-doh. The mansion changed and was now a dairy farm. "Look familiar Vlad," my abductor said as I gasped amazement.
"It does, I worked here as a lad," it was the Dairy King's castle/farm. I watched as a tall figure walked outside to feed the cows. He was a strapping lad with black hair with a small streak of gray in the middle. His blue eyes twinkled with happiness for the first time in his life, "it's me," I pointed out excited racing over to watch me perform my chores but a voice called back saying that his help was needed elsewhere. "Fudge doodles, it's the Dairy King himself," I gasped seeing my employer alive again.
He was more a father than a king but what a king he was. He loved his subjects (even if they were only the families who lived nearby) and they loved him. "Come on Vladdie, it's time to clear out room for the Christmas party don't'cha know," he said as I raced inside in the barn to watch him get ready for the event.
Clockwork
"Vlad watched them for awhile until the ghost snapped his fingers at the barn magically filled with people," I noted as I heard sobbing coming from upstairs, "excuse me for a second," I said taking the child's watch with me and phased upstairs. There I found the Head Observant lying on my bed crying, "I thought you said you were through with Aphrodite?" I asked him as he gave a sarcastic laugh saying Zeus betrayed him. "Zeus does that to everyone," I tell him as he looks at me. "I thought you knew that oh great one."
"You have a point," my companion said as I reminded him that he is above the love goddess. I told him how he is the eldest son of the one of the oldest deities in existence. He shouldn't even consider marrying fourth generation beings like Aphrodite. "You have a point Chronos," he said as I told him I would get a fresh cup of Ectotea for him. He thanked me before asking where Aeon was, "that child is dangerous the last time you left him alone he started World War I," the Head Observant said but assured that I had under control, "You think that will stop him, he is of the Tempori," he had a point even without his watch he could still destroy the timeline.
"Aeon," I called out as I phased down to the living room and found him watching a portal. I smiled at first thinking my fears were for naught until I saw what he was looking at. It was Cuba in the 1960s. "what are you doing?" I asked him but he paid me no heed, "are you trying to start Armageddon?" I shouted closing the portal before he could do anything. I picked up my book and went back to the story.
Vlad
"It's silly if you think about it," Bettis said laughing as I raised an eyebrow, "This man who thinks he's a king spends about 150 dollars for what- to make people laugh." I reminded him that it wasn't about the money but the fact that he could make us happy or sad make us love working for him or treat us like...My mind raced back to Jack, maybe I shouldn't have been hard on him. "You look like you have something on your mind," Jerome said but shrugged it off as if it were nothing. "If you say so," the Steeler said as my eyes fell upon a beautiful woman walking into the room.
"Vince Lombardi eating pumpkin pie, it's Desiree," I gasped seeing the love of my life again. She was the most beautiful creature I had seen. Just being near her was intoxicating. "My beautiful Desiree," I saw the dance speed up until it was over. Jerome said we had two more stops to make on this trip, "What do you…no, spirit I beg you," I pleaded knowing what he had planned. The famous halfback snapped his fingers and I sound found myself in the park on a cold winter day.
"What is the nonsense you are babbling on about," a familiar voice asked as I gazed at an older me sitting with Desiree. She said that I had stopped loving her and a new love has taken her place, "what do you mean there is no one I love more than you," Desiree said that it wasn't a person I was in love with but a thing.
"You love money, you worship at the altar of mammon and love him more than me," the young me stared at her as she got up, "I know you wish to have money more than me. So you have wished it so shall it be Vladimir. Go to your true love and may you you be happy in the path you've chosen," she said walking away.
My heart broke at those words. I wanted to yell at my younger self ordering him to go after her. I turned to my guide and asked why he delights in torturing me. "You were the one who made those plays Vlad don't blame me," he said waving his hands making the Claymation environment collapse and change form. We were now outside a small house. "Look in here Vlad," Bettis said as I looked and saw Desiree and another man talking. I couldn't hear but something deep within told me they were talking about me. I ordered the spirit to take me home. "Don…," he began to say as I shoved him in the bus and closed to door and drove into the darkness.
Head Observant
I sipped my tea as I heard Chronos continue the story for his cousin. I thought about the words Zeus told me when I found out that Aphrodite rejected me, 'The sons of Ananke cannot be bound to anything but their mother.' Those words hurt me than any insult Clockwork could ever throw at me. Aphrodite was the most beautiful creature I had seen and longed for nothing more than to be her husband. I checked all the ancient tomes to see if there was prohibition against an Observant taking a wife and found none.
I traveled to Mount Olympus to court the fair maiden. I courted her for decades and everything was perfect until Zeus found out. The king of the gods was enraged to find out that I was courting her. I was able to get him to agree with it if I would do a favor for him. He asked to me to retrieve the stone of predestination from my mother. According to legend the stone had predicted that the bloodline of Uranus, Zeus' grandfather, was destined to be overthrown by their sons' for all time. Zeus wanted to destroy it to ensure his reign would go unchallenged.
I sneaked into the temple of our mother and took the stone but it had one last prophecy to predict. It showed me that Zeus was not planning to keep his end of the bargain. I refused to believe it and raced back to the mountain with the stone only to find that Zeus had given her to Hephaestus. I was heartbroken and asked the king of Olympus why- his answer was that law had proscribed that sons of Ananke should never bind themselves to love as it does not obey fate. I was heartbroken and from that day vowed to get revenge of Zeus for this. "I have not forgotten almi…," I began to say until I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Chronos?"I turned around and saw the time master smiling. He told me to forget about Zeus and focus on the present. The old ghost motioned to come back down and listen to the rest of the story.
