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The Hell's Bathroom neighborhood of Parrodipolis.
Thursday Night, around 6:30 p.m.
A crowd has formed around a theater there. In among the crowd are Catherine Gillespie & Jane Tarzania.
"Now why are we here again?" Jane askes as she shuffles along with the mass of people entering the building.
"Information!" Catherine said.
Once the two of them got inside & seated, Jane asked "Why are we here for Information. Also, why didn't we have to pay to get in & why are all the ushers dressed up like Monks?"
"Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that Me & Chad had been stopped by these Hari Krishna like missionaries who sounded like they practiced a religion based of Chad & Ronnie?"
Jane thought for a moment & then said "Vaguely."
"Well, we're here at their chapel."
Jane started looked around. the room they were in didn't look to be a mix between a movie theater & a church. Lining the side walls were a series of stain glass windows. Up where the stage where the screen should have been was a small pulpit & behind that was another stain glass mosaic.
"This used to be the Essex Theater. For decades it was home to some of the best off-off-off way off Broadway shows to come through town. Many people who went on to be somewhat well known started out at the Essex, none that I could name off the top of my head. But around the time the great depression happened, the placed closed down for a bit & then open again in the '50's as a Movie theater. Later on what was being played changed between their walls. When the building was sold in the 1970's it went from being the Essex Theater to the EsseXXX Theater & became one of the city's premiere theaters for films of an Adult nature. This of course didn't last long, due mostly to public outcry. The theater was shut down once again & became run down. It became a haven for the homeless. That is how it stood until it was bought once more a few months ago & reconstruction began on the old building. The Essex theater was now the home to the First Church of The Glorious Ones."
Jane looked at Catherine with a strange look on her face.
"What?" Catherine asked. "That's what they call the Church."
"It's not that. Where did you get all that information?"
"Internet."
"ok."
"I also looked up some info on the Church, too. The stain glass windows that line the wall are depict events for the Glorious Ones' lives, I didn't recognize anything thing. The window behind the pulpit is almost like the Church's logo or something. The semi-circle has symbols representative of each member of the holy trinity: At the bottom is the head of the sacred animal which you know as Little Cat, stretched out above Little Cat an arch like fashion is the instrument of the holy one known as The Mute or Chad's Accordion & at the top is red glass which according to their website is the ever flowing hair of the holy one known as The Oracle but you known him as Ronnie."
"I get them calling Chad The Mute but why is Ronnie The Oracle?"
"They said it's because he tells all & never shuts up."
"Yeah, that's Ronnie." Jane said with a smile.
The lights in the theater begin to dim, people begin to clap loudly & make lot of noise.
"What's happening?"
"The show is about to begin."
Up on the stage, a man walks out & waves to the crowd. He has a big smile on his face. Looked to be in his early to mid 50's, his hair is a silvery grey & was receding up top making a high widows' peak. His hair is tied back in a short pony tail. His face was showing some signs of aging, his leathery skin was starting to wrinkle. His manner of dress is very plain: matching black dress pants & suit jacket. Under that was a white button down dress shirt, no tie. On his feet were a modest pair of black dress shoes.
As he walked across the stage he past by on tapestry: It depicted The Oracle & in his right hand was the sacred animal. He wore robes that are a pale mustard yellow color with a crimson cloth draped over him. On the other side of the stage was a tapestry of The Mute, his robe was of a a dark grey with cloth that has an almost tartan design on it draped over him. He was holding the sacred instrument.
The man stopped at the mahogany pulpit & started to speak. "Hello my friend, both new & old. I am so glad that you are all here. My name for all that don't known is Paster Jude."
He paused for if he continued to speak his words would have been drowned out by the congregation.
"Why is everyone acting like he's some rock star?" Jane asked.
"To them he is! I don't quite understand it myself either. It's not like he's Stan Lee or Steve Wozniak."
"Now, Now, My friends. I let that one pass as a courtesy but let's try to keep control of ourselves like the Glorious Ones do of themselves."
Jane looks over at Catherine to see she is looked back at her, they exchange smiles.
"Tonight is a very special night for The Church. So, let us not waste anymore time."
The meeting started with a hymn which Jane recognized to be a shot Ronnie was quite fond of humming. There was a prayer & some speeches by people dressed up in robes expounding on the values of having a Glorious Ones' centered life. Jane was quite amazed at how some where getting quite emotional about it. There was another hymn before Jude got up to speak.
"Can I have the lights on? I want to see everyone." He said as the lights slowly came back on.
"Tonight is special night. It is one foretold to me by the Glorious Ones' when I started this Church three years ago. Now is the time for the Sacred Prayer. Everyone recite after me."
Jude then began to speak in some language Jane didn't understand. She wasn't sure if she was to recite along with everyone else so she looked over at Catherine who looked to be thinking very hard.
"Catherine?" Jane asked, no response.
"Catherine?" Jane asked again.
"Jane."
"Yes?"
"I need you to close your eyes & don't open them for any reason."
"Why?"
"Pastor Jude is dealing in some pretty heavy duty mystical mumbo jumbo. In what little I can tell he's attempting to invoke the powers of thins called The Jarvis Cosmic, GAH!, Chaos, Serious Matter, Corposant Fire, Whispering Ferns & someone named Faite among others things & people."
"What's he trying to do?" Jane asked with her eyes closed.
"I think he's attempting to break the Fourth Wall."
"What?" Jane asked but didn't know if Catherine answered since winds started to whip up & drown out all sound beyond it's own.
Then Jane felt like he was being lift up but couldn't be sure since her eyes were closed & she wasn't going to open them to see what was happening. Then she felt herself falling & then she hit the ground this caused her to open her eyes.
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She looked around knew she was no longer in the Parrodipolis or the Essex Theater. She was in a jungle somewhere.
Out from the shadow & bushes out walked a mostly naked man save for a small loincloth. His brown hair was long & his skin color almost matched the color of his hair.
He stood over Jane & said. "Me Marzipan, You?"
Jane was a bit shocked & didn't answer at first. But then said "Me Jane."
Marzipan smiled real big.
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Catherine also hit the ground which made her open her eyes. She look at the ground & thought that it was weird the sand was grey but let that thought pass.
"Here let me help you up." a voice said.
Catherine looked up a see a hand & she grabbed it. As she stood up, Catherine dusted herself off & then looked to see who she had been helped by. He was a man about 6 feet tall, His dark brown hair looks not to have combed in awhile, he has dark sky blue eyes and he wears a well-used pair of horned rimmed glasses. He was wearing a multicolored trench coat, their was colors everywhere with multicolored shapes & words scattered about. Under that he was wearing a dark grey t-shirt, a pair of jeans & blue Converse High Tops.
It took her a moment for Catherine to resister who it was. Once it did she leap over at to him & gave him a big bear hug. As she did that she yelled "CHAD!"
"Uh.. yes?" he said somewhat shocked.
Catherine let go & looked him over. "What's wrong?" She said, paused then said "What's with the coat?"
She then looked around, behind Chad was a what appeared to be a small town & behind her was an endless grey sand desert. She then said. "Where are we?"
"Ok. 1. I don't know you. I might've, this places does weird things to your memory. Now you would be the type of girl I'd be in to but as far I know we've never met. 2. My coat happens to be my trademark, I never go anywhere without & 3. We are on the edge of The Grey Desert, at least that's what the locals like to call it. That & our small town are all with in a place called Comic Book Limbo. Anymore questions?"
"Uh..."
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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