Page 23 of The Girl in the Dark

“I shall not; Samuel is responsible for that duty,” Jiang replied. “I must only ensure he stays out of mischief. There are some distressing rumors that he has been quite naughty of late.”

“All right, you can go inside,” the first one said. “But make it fast.”

Samuel all but howled in delight as he rushed into the tent. Before I knew it, he’d jumped into my lap and wrapped his arms around me in a warm hug. I planted a kiss on his hairy forehead while I embraced him, rocking him to and fro in my arms as if he were an infant.

Jiang walked in with a genuine, if enigmatic, smile. “Are you well today, Bindi?”

I grinned, giving Samuel another soft kiss on his forehead and patting his back gently. “I’m much better now after the warm greeting I received from your little co-star.”

Jiang saw my empty plate. “At least your troubles have not impaired your appetite.”

“Well, I haven’t forgotten what Liberty always says: eat when you can because you never know when your next meal is coming.”

“She is correct. Samuel, the plate, please.”

Samuel let go of me and jumped back on the ground before lifting the plate in one fluid motion. He began walking towards the entrance when Jiang paused and raised one of her lengthy fingernails. “One moment...” Samuel protested with an annoyed yelp, to which Jiang responded, “I’ll not be long, Samuel.” Turning to me, she said, “If you will permit, I shall inspect your costume to be certain there are no defects.”

I rose to my feet and Jiang leaned in closely to examine it. In a whisper barely above a breath, she asked, “You have the gloves?”

“In the wardrobe,” I whispered back. “I’ll put them on after you leave. Any sympathetic parties to our cause?”

“Only a few,” Jiang replied as she continued to ostensibly examine my costume. “The same is true for Bernice, Vernice and Lady Liberty. I cannot say we have sufficient numbers yet, but possibly having the right people in the right place at the right moment can change everything.”

I nervously eyed the stagehands. “What’s the plan?”

“At the end of the show, we shall come to collect you from this tent. What follows lies in the hands of higher powers than ours.” She re-inspected the front of me and said in a louder tone, “All looks fine. Can you think of anything else you may require?”

I pretended I was seriously considering her question before shaking my head. “Not a thing, Jiang...”

Jiang’s smile broadened. “Then may this night be the best of the tour.” She walked past her monkey and gestured to him. Without hesitation, the obedient simian ran up to the tent flap and used his free hand to open it for his mistress. With an air of dignity worthy of an empress, she passed both of the stagehands with a casual, “Gentlemen,” which she said over her shoulder. Then Samuel waved goodbye to me before scampering off to join Jiang.

It was time to collect the gloves, so I went over to the wardrobe and opened it. Instead of the usual rack of garments, I was presented with a great, dark space. Stranger still was an audible whirring that sounded somewhat familiar. I glanced at the tent entrance to see if either guard were aware of the noise coming from within, but they gave no sign.

When I looked back inside the wardrobe, a beam of light illuminated the rear of it. Then I saw Amelia, who had somehow gotten out of my trunk which made no sense at all, but there it was. I stepped inside the wardrobe and walked over to her right before the wardrobe doors shut behind me.

Amelia calmly waved to me as though to tell me not to be afraid as I knelt beside her. “What’s going on?” I asked, reaching for her. She gestured toward the light source. In the faint illumination, I recognized a film projector.

I turned around to the screen to see what was being shown. The film’s title slowly materialized: “The Final Ride of Brandeis.” A figure on horseback appeared, riding across the great wide prairie. Something about it was familiar, and I instantly remembered the flicker-book. A story card appeared next that read, ‘Unable To Choose Her Lover, Brandeis Chooses Her Horse, Saccharo’. The next image was a closeup of Brandeis. Seeing someone who looked so much like me riding the animal that terrified me above all others was disconcerting to say the least. Being the excellent rider she was, however, Brandeis commanded the terrain with poise and ease.

The next story card was more ominous: ‘Unbeknownst To Her, She Is Being Tracked’. The camera focused on a grove of trees wreathed in shadows due to the time of day being nightfall. The branches swayed in the evening breeze, and the trees themselves seemed to come alive. At first, in the flicker of movement, I caught a glimpse of something which then seemed to be nothing. But I slowly saw more as the picture widened. I nearly gasped when the distinct figure of Ned came into view, his hand resting on his pistol.

The camera returned to Brandeis, galloping past the grove of trees, beyond the distant outline of a town that featured a clock tower. Seeing that struck me like a thunderbolt! The scene was just outside Grand Forks! I returned my attention back to the fleeing horsewoman, right before Ned suddenly stepped in front of her with his gun drawn. The horse reared, coming to an abrupt halt. The next shot was of Ned looking right into the camera, and raising his pistol.

A new card said, ‘You Need To Go Back—Now!’ I frowned.

The camera cut back to Brandeis, who struggled to calm her horse. Her face showed defiance and anger. Then came the next card, ‘Never! Better To Die Free Than Live In Servitude Forever!’ Ned’s closeup showed him looking right at the camera with a sinister grin. Brandeis’s face revealed her fear and my heart went out to her, even as I had to remind myself this was nothing but a film, a farce. And yet, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like… the truth.

The next scene showed Brandeis urging her horse to pass the sharpshooter. The next frame revealed Ned soaring backwards into the air and I was certain she and her horse had just inflicted some serious harm on him. She galloped away at a furious pace but glanced over her shoulder at the fallen Ned. He slowly rose to his feet and aimed his pistol. A plume of smoke flew out from his gun before Brandeis toppled off the saddle. I had to cover my mouth, fearing I might gasp aloud at the shock.

The camera returned to Brandeis, coming from above and showing her eyes half-open as she slowly raised her head. The horse was next, racing away as fast as his legs could carry him and vanishing beyond the horizon.

The next shot was in Brandeis’s perspective when Laurent and Rex rushed over to her. Laurent was speaking, and the story card said, ‘I Am So Sorry But You Know This Is What Happens’. Rex began speaking in the next shot, and the following card said, ‘This Is The Only Way; There Is No Other. Wish that it could be’. Both men got closer to the camera. Then the shot abruptly switched over to Brandeis, screaming in horror while raising her hands.

The film ended there and began slapping the table as it continued to spin in the projector. I was horrified as I looked down at Amelia. She held up the pair of gloves I came to retrieve.

“What does it mean?” I asked her.

Of course, she couldn’t respond so she just looked back at me with those haunted and haunting eyes.

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