Post by R. on Nov 28, 2020 15:26:24 GMT -5
Carmelita Spats awoke in a small, cramped bedroom, to the sound of clanking machinery. She had no idea where she was; the last thing she remembered was falling asleep in a car driving down a steep mountain. She was free, she reminded herself. Free from her parents who had neglected her for her entire thirteen years, free from her school and its bullying teachers, and best of all free from her uncle and his pathetic scout group. She got out of the small bed she was lying in, and walked over to a chair over which was draped a strange dress made of slippery pink fabric. She figured that the only reason it would be there was that she was expected to put it on, so she did. The dress fitted her like a glove, but the fabric was clammy and stuck to her skin. Absently, she left the room and started walking down the long corridor in front of her. The corridor was dark and covered in pipes and wires, and the bits of wall left uncovered were decorated with paintings of eyes that gazed ominously out at her. She stood there, staring, until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a woman standing in front of her, wearing a dress not dissimilar to Carmelita’s own. Hers was purple, with a hood and a pattern that resembled the tentacles of an octopus, or some unknown creature of the sea.
‘So, you’re awake,’ she said. Carmelita was getting scared.
‘Where are we and why did you bring me here?’ she asked. She now recognised the woman as the one who had found her on the mountain and asked her, along with a strange man with one eyebrow, to join them.
‘Don’t worry; it’ll all be explained in time. I’m Esmé Squalor by the way. Carmelita, wasn’t it?’ By now Carmelita was just plain terrified.
‘How do you know my name? Where are my parents? What is going on?’
‘Calm down, calm down. Nothing bad is happening, I promise. I know your name because I am very good friends with your mother; I don’t imagine you know her. No doubt, that dreadful couple who adopted you told you that they were your mother and father. As for where we are, we’re on a submarine. This whole situation is complicated and some of it is secret, but I’ll at least try to explain. But first, I have something to show you.’ Esmé led Carmelita through what seemed to be a never-ending sequence of rooms and corridors until they finally turned a corner into a large, spacious galley. Row after row of children, some from her school, some from her scout group and some she had never seen before in her life, sat on long benches operating some kind of machinery.
‘This,’ Esmé said, ‘is the real reason I took you with me. Two associates of mine, who you saw on the mountain yesterday, kidnapped these children to work this submarine. I couldn’t stand the idea of seeing you come to harm, so I just had to step in.’ Carmelita looked at her in stunned and horrified silence.
‘B-but what about the other children?’ she asked.
Esmé turned around and smiled, her green eyes gleaming with knowing delight.
‘Everything in this world comes at a price, my child. If things are to happen for the greater good, some sacrifices must take place. You’re safe with me, and I will make sure all your friends are safe too, but as for the rest there is no way to tell.’ Carmelita looked round at the room, and up at Esmé, and forced a nervous grin. She was here now; might as well get used to it.