When Writers Go Bad: Chapter Fifteen
"For God's sake, turn it off!"
"Please, show some compassion!"
Bunnies that roamed the halls had cotton stuffed in their ears. Literary characters were banging their heads against the wall. Ellen was even more crazy than usual, and Shadow and Lita snapped at anyone or anything. Which leads the reader to believe the unthinkable has happened:
That's right. For the last twenty four hours, show tunes had been blasting through the entire castle.
It had happened around five A.M. the night that Shadow had taken Sir Percy to see Globy. Suddenly, the music started, full blast, and had not stopped once since then. If you went down into the castle's cellar, that's where it got strongest, and Shadow had finally deemed that it was coming from Globy himself. Shadow13 hadn't minded for a while. However, after "The Creation of Man," had played seventeen times straight, it was far more than she could handle. So, alter egos in toe, she marched down the stairs, wrenched the door open, and demanded that Globy stop this at once.
But Globy wouldn't stop.
So, she'd asked a little more tenderly.
Nothing.
She made a few promises she had no intention of keeping.
The music still played.
She begged, she pleaded, she sobbed, she was on her hands and knees.
And still, Globy kept right on going.
She'd then demanded why Globy was doing this. The answer was a simple one; surprising, and yet frightening, and it had Shadow puzzled all afternoon:
Because Master said to do it.
"What are you talking about?" Shadow13 demanded. "I'm your master, and I never asked you to do something like this!" After a while, Globy stopped responding to the orders and pleas, and just kept right on playing musical hit after musical hit.
Shadow13 had locked herself in her computer room, head tucked between pillows to try and drown the noise out as "Macavity," played. No one else had that much luck. The only distraction was the Blakeneys; the music had made them both irritable, and they were constantly arguing. Shadow was trying to accomplish some chores when she noticed the crowd watching the two verbally duke it out.
"What's going on?" she asked, walking up to them. Erik silenced her, and Christine offered a bit of an explanation.
"They're fighting."
"What, again?" she'd exclaimed, exasperated. Now Raoul shushed her as they tried to listen through the deafening roar of the music.
"…..How dare you accuse me of being unfaithful when you're the one who tried to kiss another woman!" screamed Marguerite, making herself only just barely audible, fists clenched at her sides. "A married woman!" she added as an after thought.
"I was under an influence," protested Percy.
"And so was I! Yet I'm not the one accusing you of infidelities!"
"Yes, but the person I tried to kiss was decidedly more attractive than your choice!" He then pointed to Cosette, who blushed. Chauvelin, however, sat up, snarling.
"Hey!"
Valjean and Javert wheeled on them, fingers to their lips, and gave a loud "Shh!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You mean you don't remember?"
"Of course I don't remember, that was weeks ago, and I was intoxicated with fluff dust!"
Glaring, Sir Percy pointed to his French adversary, and said shortly "Chauvelin."
The silent look of shock an horror on Marguerite's face was truly priceless. The remark that followed was even better; Her face scrunched up and she gave a very long "Ewwww….."
Chauvelin was insulted again; "Hey! I'll have you know some people think me attractive."
"Yes, they're the ones who are clinically insane," replied Erik bitingly.
"You're one to talk, mask-boy!"
"Gentlemen, please!" Shadow quickly interceded as the two began to growl at each other. "Let's remain civil here! Sir Percy, Lady Blakeney, stop this at once!"
Lita had now stormed into the room, screaming. "I can't take it anymore! Somebody shut it off! Shadow, you do it, you're good with electronics."
"Thanks for the compliment," she replied, somewhat sarcastically, "but you know there's nothing I can do; Globy's not electronic. Still, it's rather funny, isn't it?"
"What's funny?" she snapped, slamming down into a chair and glaring daggers.
"He's never done this before, and no one can get him to stop, not even Emily. He just says that his master told him to, when she denies it stoically."
Lita leaned foreword. "What are you thinking?"
"I don't know…." Replied Shadow, walking slowly from the room, lost in thought. "I just don't know."
…
Globy had shut himself off. Intrigued, Shadow went back down to the cellar and interrogated him. When asked why he'd done it, he'd said that his master had told him to.
Well, it made sense after all. I mean, Shadow13 had gone down there and demanded that he shut up. But why the delayed reaction? When pressed, Globy clammed up again, and whimpered.
"Come on, Globy, you can tell me," pushed Shadow sweetly. "I'm your friend, remember?"
"Globy can't make Master mad…….Bad for Globy….if tell."
Shadow leaned in very closely now. "Why is it bad for you, Globy?"
He didn't answer.
"Who told you to play that music?"
Still nothing.
"Who told you to turn it off?"
Globy had begged Shadow to go away, which he'd never done before, and wouldn't talk to anyone for almost a week afterwards.
To Be Continued….