Episode 45 - Tombs

## Tombs

Diggory's studded leather jacket is drawn in white. On top and to the left is Percy's harp drawn in red.

### Author

William A. Wellman

Clara plays a dangerous game, Diggory gets a visitor, and Solomon meets the angels. The theme of tonight's episode is Tombs.

***Content Warnings:*** *Abuse, Animal death, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping and Abduction, Death and Injury, Blood, Mental illness, Sexism and Misogyny, Transphobia, Homophobia, Birds, Suffocation, Emotional Manipulation, Body Horror, Electrocution, Religious Violence, and Evangelism.*

## Intro - Valley of Kings

Nikignik narrates an archaeologist (see Mx Morell) to the dreamers uncovering a tomb somewhere in Cairo. To think that they had called them an armature, while it was true, they had original gone to Cairo for their health, but they could not resist the opportunity right in front of them, of all the treasures they would find that would go to the resume of London. They give the order for the sealed wall to be broken open, and step inside, only to find it empty. Black dust in the air that burns their lung when in hailed, causing flowers to bloom on the back of their hands.

Nikignik is sitting next to Dogsmell, who knows of their presence, but its immediate concern is for its master Clara Martin, who resides in a house of death.

## Story One - This Is Love

Clara thinks to herself that Solomon Reed's eyes reminded her of the Rathbone's, being somehow simultaneously critical and distant, as she sat staring at him, as he in turn sets stating off into blank space, drenched from the rain and holding his cracked glasses. Clara cautiously calls out to him, taking notice of Dogsmell keeping itself between Solomon and herself, quietly growling at him. Solomon looks at Clara and tells her that she wasn't his daughter (see Percy Reed), which Clara agrees with, telling him that no, she supposed she wasn't, thinking to herself that even with what they'd become (see Episode 2 - Dogs, Booker Martin, and Zora Martin), she still preferred her own parents to Solomon. Solomon tells her that he thought he'd lost them (see Abigail and Percy Reed), and Clara tells him that they'd be back soon, assuming that what Solomon was going through was similar to her experience with her mother (see Zora Martin), and Solomon repeats this to himself, patting his vest. He back tracks, saying that no, he still had his wife (see Abigail Reed), but that his Son (see Percy Reed) had been stolen by Olivier song (see Episode 44 - Rains), but that wasn't going to matter soon, he tells her finding clarity in his eyes again and summoning Abigail to Clara's horror. He tells her that his pipe organ had been assembled, that all he was missing was power, that the Scoutpost would fill it's pipes soon enough. Clara exclaims on Solomon's instruments anchoring the ghosts, and Solomon confirms this, but tells her that even his collection would pale in comparison of what his pipe Organ was going to be capable of, thousands of souls plucked from tehri degenerate lives and set to do God's purpose. Clara can't help but correct him, telling him that it was *his* purpose.

He takes offence to this, asking if she really thought so low of him as to think that he took joy in what he did , and Clara comments that Killing people wasn't very loving, and Solomon asks her who'd ever said anything about love, telling Clara that she'd been listening to the new preachers, that it was the fault of her bible, which was missing several key text as to soften the truth. They did not serve God out of love. He tells her that God was the end of all days, that he was the Black Eternity, that it was love to force the Scoutpost to be workers of God, as it saved them from an eternal suffering at the hand of the Devil. He tells Clara to follow him, as he had much to show her in how he did his work and very little time to do so, and begins to lead her down to his basement. She instructs Dogsmell to remain upstairs and follows Solomon down, only to immediate be confronted with the dozens of twisted and mutilated forms of Solomon's ghosts. He asks her what she thought of his collection, and she composes herself, telling him that she didn't see a pipe organ, which he frowns at her and tells her that a basement would be a poor place for an organ, continuing on to begin explaining his plan for how to eradicate the Scoutpost, but she cuts him off, asking if he had any other instruments. He tells her that the ones in front of them were the extent of his life's work, though he'd used to have a grand piano, but it'd been destroyed, and the Harp that now housed Percy had been stolen, soon to be recovered.

Clara asks if that had been his son, and he tells her that yes, it had, that the Harp had originally been made for Zelda Duckworth (though Solomon had forgotten her name), but an angel had fallen out of his cabinet (see Jonah Duckworth and Episode 27 - Spirits) and taken her away, for what purpose he did not now, but he was assuming she was dead now, and at least his key had been retrieved from Riot Maidstone. Clara asks what had happened to Rio, and Solomon tells her that he suspected her to be dead, and that it was time for them to set to work, beginning to make preparations. Clara decides that she should wait for the right moment to kill Solomon, thinking to herself that he reminded her of the Rathbones, a solemn patriarch, stooped and hateful, and that hopefully soon he'd have one other thing in common with them, he'd be dead.

### Interlude - That Is Not Dead Which Is Napping

Nikignik tells the dreamers that he'd found that humas were often limited by their own general brevity, comparing them to mayflies or spring beetles, short lived. This having the tragic repercussion of leaving them ill-equipped when it came to dealing with things like him, being forced to call him 'indescribable'. That one might come across a vault of cosmic stone and be forced to call it a tomb, when in reality it is just a bedroom for beings that might be asleep and dreaming in the time that it takes an entire civilisation to rise and fall. Which was to say that if the dreamers come across a door that seems it has not been opened in centuries, best give it some more time, because woe be the poor soul who wakes that is not dead which is napping after strange aeons of sleep. It would be wise to also be wary of doors in their own homes that they had not opened in some time, as these things could change suddenly and with little warning. If one does not believe this, then they simply haven't been around long enough to know better.

## Story Two - An Empty Jacket Pocket

Diggory Graves sits in their bedroom at the Scoutpost, patiently waiting for the time of storming Solomon Reed's house the next day. Waiting to march up and confront Solomon themself, to either win Percy back or be unmade entirely. They contemplate what it was they were made for, to dig a grave for Irene Mend, guard a garden. Yet the little embryoid tag on the jacket said their name, and its spikes kept the world at bay, and none of it was right without Percy's Key in their pocket. They would see him again, just a sunset and a sunrise away. They know that the storming was going to be violent, that they were going to be violent, and that makes them scared. They were normally so controlled, but they'd commit atrocities for Percy.

They hear the sound of Olivier landing outside (see Episode 44 - Rains) and stand up, having noticed it immediately. They assume that this meant that Solomon was acting before they had their chance, that he had come for Riot or Zelda or both, or to finish them off, undo the stitching that Walter Pensive had worked so hard on. They step out, and as expected they find Olivier, who is holding a Harp (see Episode 44 - Rains) which she sets down in the yard, and is immediately surrounded by the combat Scouts, and hit over the head by Violet Keene. Diggory notices Percy standing in the courtyard, and without thinking they throw their arms around him, capable of holding him in the emotion of their reunion (see Episode 24 - Storms), and they share a kiss. Diggory asks Percy if he was alright, which Percy responds by telling them that he was now.

They hold each other in silence while Diggory watches on as Olivier is dragged off to Berns' questioning room (see Episode 44 - Rains and Episode 14 - Signs). The break apart, and Diggory tells Percy that they'd planned out what to say to him when they saw him again (see Episode 35 - Sonnets), but they'd forgotten, which Percy reiterates that he's missed them, and points out that he was a harp now. Diggory tells him that yes, they'd noticed he was a harp now examining what remind of the key, and asks why his father hadn't made another piano, which Percy sasses back that if his dad was going to making an effort towards him, he would have started by now. Diggory tells him that they were going to get him free of the harp, at which point Riot calls out asking them what was going on, shortly thereafter noticing Percy's presence and becoming overcome with joy at his return. Percy tells her that Olivier had brought him, and when Riot responds with earned negativity and confusion, Percy asks if it was true that Walt was dead (see Episode 36 - Swords) an inquiry that is indirectly confirmed by Riot telling him he knew who to blame. Percy then tells Riot about Clara working for Solomon, having correctly made the connection that Clara was Riot's girlfriend, which sticking with the theme Riot responds with negativity and confusion. Diggory speaks up that they should let Bern Keene question Olivier to start with, in case Solomon had last Olivier as an ally, and Percy tells Riot of how Olivier had asked him to put in a good word for her.

This conversation is interrupted by a screaming Zelda, who'd spotted the harp from the balcony she seems to have made a past time of sitting on, and justifiably started freaking out given her history with the instrument (see Episode 10 - Songs). Diggory calls up to her that the harp was Percy, but she calls back that it was a death-trap, asking if Solomon was back and if she should get her shotgun, But Riot reassures her that no, Solomon was not back. Percy tells Riot that although he wasn't back, he would be soon, explaining to her about his pipe organ and his plan for the Scoutpost, which in turn Riot explains to him her plan for storming Solomon's house (see Episode 40 - Graves), telling him that it felt weird saying it, but she was going to kill his dad. Percy accepts this, telling her that he'd tried talking to him and it hadn't worked, but to be careful of the instruments, because they were all like him, enslaved, even the scary looking ones, that he thought most of them would be happy to see the whole place burn down, but couldn't be sure. Bern approaches them and tells Riot that she'd like some help with interrogating Olivier, and Riot follows her. Diggory picks up the harp and carries it away.

### Marketing - Let's Talk About Death

Lady Ethel Mallory cuts off Nikignik with her marketing segment. She welcomes her listeners, presumably people learning under her in the field of marketing and tells them to take a moment to think about death. She says that in several of Valerie Maidstone's (and others) songs, the Dreaming Boxes are referred to as coffins or compared to tombs or mausoleums, which was the opposite to the branding image they needed to be presenting. She confesses that yes, in appearance dreaming pods did resemble coffins, were meant to be fully silent even while occupied, and that and ideal user would be being born, living, and dying inside of a dreaming pod, but hat for those within the pods the experience would be anything but a grave. That they would be living their lives long, and full of colour and friends and family, and that even if it wasn't what they'd asked for, it's what they'd want in the end.

### Story Two, Continued

Diggory is in the process of removing Percy's bone from the harp as they sit around a fire with Bern, Violet, Riot, Zelda, Olivier, Jonah, and Hector Mendoza, which they do with extreme delicacy, and place the now individual piece of bone in a liquorice container that had been given to them by Bern. They ask Percy if the, rather small, piece of bone was all he needed, and he confirms this, asking them to burn the rest of the harp, which they comply to, picking up the instrument and putting it in the fire, and watch as the threads tying Percy to it snap and disappear. They ask if this hurts him, and he tells them not, that it actually felt good.

Riot starts talking about her plan to storm Solomon's house that next morning, that she didn't know if any of Walt's friends (see Episode 40 - Graves) would be showing up, that she didn't even know any of their names or if they could understand her, but she was going to Solomon's, and she was going to kill him or die trying. Percy pipes up, announcing that he was coming, he might be able to assist in distracting Solomon, that it might be hist last time ever seeing his dad. Jonah sympathises with this, saying that his dad had gotten lost in the woods, that despite them having drifted apart, he still missed him. Zelda clears her throat in the background (see Dexter Duckworth (cause Zelda shot him)) and speaks up saying that they shouldn't be speaking about their plan so openly around Olivier. Olivier gets defensive, saying that she wasn't Solomon's friend, that he'd been terrible to her as well, though not a terribly as he'd treated Zelda, and that she was going to help get rid of him. Zelda calls her a liar, but Jonah defends her, saying that she wasn't lying (see Jonah Duckworth "known abilities"). Riot continues, saying that most of them would be rallying at the main entrance to Solomon's, and that Olivier should do whatever she could to slow him down. Percy asks Diggory to carry him, and they do, putting the tin in the jacket pocket and allowing Percy to cuddle up to them, though they could no longer touch. Riot begins explaining her plan.

### Interlude - A Funereal Bouquet

Nikignik asks why it was that we took the time to build structures for housing that which is dead. They weren't going to be having any need for it. But yet when we visit these constructions, we feel closer to, if not the deceased, then their memory. And it wasn't too much to ask for a place for remembering someone. It was better than pretending they'd never existed. The Temple of the End was not much for a god, Nikignik was no architect, but at least it was something, something that was set in stone to say that Marolmar had existed. He supposed that, in a way, the earth was now a tomb, the Hallowoods the last bloom in a funeral bouquet.

## Story Three - A Funereal Bouquet

Solomon Reed is dreaming of having dinner with Abigail and Percy (still alive), while he's questioning to himself whether or not what he was doing was the point of life, start a family and praise the Lord. He goes quietly, moving his focus to cutting his dinner, only to find it tough and bleeding black. He goes to point this out to Abigial, only to find her and Percy blankly staring at him, Percy's mouth sewn shut and the back of Abigail's skull missing. This spooks Solomon, who falls back in his chair into holy darkness. He then finds himself standing on a hill overlooking the Scoutpost as a line of fire blazes though the sky and collides with it, setting it ablaze, he interprets this was divine instruction. He turns around to find Irene Mend standing behind him, her face eyeless and inches away from his. She calls his name once, and then he wakes up to find one of the Mendies at his bedside, clearly having been the one to have woken him.

He sits up and begins to scold the offending Mendie, telling them it was early and that they were not supposed to be in his house. They tell him that he had a visitor, and he tells them to either send him away or kill him; but is told that the visitor wouldn't be sent away and was demanding to speak with him. Solomon begins to scold the Mendie, telling them that he'd said to kill intruders from then on, that for a long time he'd thought Irene had discovered the secret to life, but he'd since found that her work was half finished at best. She was an old woman with an eye and a tongue for deceit. The Mendie tells him that she'd been able to see through his lies, and he hears more yelling from outside. He tells the Mendie that today was the day he finally dismantled them and their siblings.

He walks outside to find that dawn had not yet broke, but he could see firelight over the wall of trees, and rain, though the ground surrounding his home was dry. Though what catches his eye most is Jonah Duckworth standing in the forefront the tunnel of trees, eyes glowing, recognising him as the "angel" that'd come out of his cabinet and taken Zelda away. Jonah calls out to him:

"*Solomon* .... *your day has come. It’s done. You can come out unarmed and this will be peaceful. If you don’t, we’ll drag you out of that house*."

Solomon calls back that he didn't understand, that he still had work to do, in fact only a few moments ago the darkness had made his will known to him; it couldn't be his time to die. But Jonah persists, telling him to come out with his hands up. This is when Solomon takes a closer look a Jonah, and sees his yellow hat and boots (see Scoutpost), recalling how his truck had been stolen when he'd come out of the cabinet, and realises that angles don't have any need for earthly transport. He takes this to mean that Jonah was actually a demon who was pretending to be an angle to deceive him, and he tells Jonah just as much, summoning his instruments and having Jonah torn apart on the spot. Solomon, satisfied with his making quick work of Jonah, mutters to himself of the devil becoming increasingly bold (see Episode 36 - Swords), and that his pipe organ could not be complete soon enough, turning to leave, only to hear his name called again, turning around to find Jonah standing over his own mutilated corpse, unscathed and very much not dead (see Jonah Duckworth "Known Abilities"). Solomon understands this to mean that he is in big fucking trouble, turning to the Mendie still standing beside him and tells him to go and alert the Vicar of his needing urgent help. He turns back to Jonah, yelling at him that he had no purchase on his property as it was holy ground, once again summoning his ghosts to kill Jonah, only to find him now standing over two of his own body. Jonah reiterates that this was going to be the end for Solomon, recreating the spectacle that he'd done in Episode 42 - Walls; he tells Solomon that he'd hurt to many good people over the years, he'd hurt his friends and hurt his mother, that the Hallowoods wasn't his forest, and they didn't want him living in it. Jonah turns and leaves then, leaving his corpses behind. Olivier (the one who'd brought on the rainstorm) summons a bold of lightning that strikes Solomon's house, blowing out all the windows and sending him flying off his front porch. He hears the sound of trumpets, and looks up to find everyone who'd agreed to show up that day (see Episode 40 - Graves) all gathered in a mass in the treeline.

## Outro - Tombs

Nikignik speaks of tombs to the dreamers, telling them that he'd spent a great deal of time in them, but then again, everyone had chosen a tomb of their own making. In little boxes humans worked and lived and died, and after that they spend the next few centuries just the same, being forgotten. He tells the dreamers not to morn him once he was dead, for some of them may yet outlive him, however few. He asks that they not let his memory be something in a box that they visited once an aeon. That he remains be thoughts and feeling, a moment years from now when they remembered a turn of phrase, a brief smile for a story they once heard.

##### Until next time dreamers:

> *"Until next time dreamers, please don't forget to put flowers on the grave of your local ghost. Not for any particular reason, the ghost just thinks they look pretty, and it's been a while since someone did something nice for them."*
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