Bring Him Home ( 6/25/14)~~> THE RETURN OF TOMAS, inspired by ~~>, Les Misérables - Alfie Boe and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

They tested it with a goat. Doctor Franklin hated to do it, but that's how it's done. They always test with a goat. He climbed the stair to a platform by the north end of the Armonica (his huge, harmonic device) and placed the small, neat, almost unicorn-like creature in the polished bronze casket. It bleated once or twice. No one made a sound. Pin Head Mel wanted to clap, but Horsey Skeezix leaned over and whispered - It's not a show..... The technical staff and agents assembled in the 'clean room' were familiar with it all.  Some of them helped formulate the procedure. But it was a special thing even so. Another functionary put something into the bronze casket at the south end. I think it was ambergris. The Anti-Enchantment Bureau has a relationship with the Lords of the Sea (the great whales) via the merfolk, so they get all the ambergris they want. When not engaged in medical investigations, Luna makes boutique batches of exceptional fragrances and perfumes with it. Various First Ladies of The Land and a few queens too covet the small, jewel-like bottles of 'Enchantment' (named after The Bureau) and 'Eventide' (recalling her adopted vampire nature). But we're talking about something different. The huge apparatus has to work. Movement from the flesh to the spirit and hopefully back again too must take place. So Doctor Franklin climbed down from the platform and took his place at the rather Jules Verne-like control panel. Large levers, looking more like fittings in old pubs and taprooms were adjusted and 'played' with a practiced virtuosity. All eyes were on him and the old reprobate enjoyed the attention. Indeed, he dressed for it. Gone was the emerald green Eagles attire... the sweatshirts during winter... the tee-shirts in the hot months. On this occasion, Doctor Franklin wore modern recreations of eighteenth century garb.... black, light wool knee britches.... fine, sea isle cotton stockings.... handmade kidskin slippers with brilliant, silver buckles and a white 'blouse' (that's what they called them then) to gladden the heart of any pirate king or weekending country squire.  Franklin was always vain. 



Back to the technical side ---- Soon the large, heavy, crystal discs (in graduated sizes) began to hum and turn... each kept moist by momentary passes through a shallow pan of specially formulated, super fine oil (also furnished by the whales). Rubber mallets, operated from the console, came up to 'kiss' the crystal rims and make them sing, giving out with a sound resembling  whale songs. 



Then everything began to vibrate, sending tickling undulations through all in attendance. Most enjoyed the sensation. A few giggled. And it's believed some unwitting people in adjacent parts of South Philadelphia got 'tickled' too. I wonder what they thought?



But those with keen ears heard the goat. The terrified animal screamed like a human baby. Steam rose from the ambergris filled, polished bronze casket at the other end and a few of those in attendance experienced involuntary acts of public urination, sometimes curtesy of a a too-close, giddy neighbor.



Seconds later the lights went out, not an electrical failure. The current was normal. But certain coordinated vibrations just do that. Ambient energy is transformed. That which was light is 'somewhere else.' Even Doctor Franklin doesn't understand all the details. A few members of the local clergy acquainted with The Anti-Enchantment Bureau have theories, however Doctor Franklin says we can't share them (now anyway) due to confidentiality agreements and other things. 



Then frost began to appear on the outer surface of the one with the goat inside. It was visible because the light was back. Not from any existing fixture, but from the air itself. Look, who knows? Maybe it wasn't from the air. Maybe it came from the 'ether,' that unknown, universal substance occupying every physical point and actually infinite in nature since there's no limit to how small each point can be. Soon after, the 'real' lights came on.... and an ethereal image of a small, neat, white, unicorn-like goat pranced out through the side of the polished, bronze casket set up at the north end of the Grand Armonica. Everyone gasped. Pin Head Mel clapped. No one corrected him, as the little animal 'translated' to another state appeared to bleat, though none could hear it. A few heartbeats later it tip-toed down the steps, walked 'cross the room and disappeared through a wall into a lunchroom or someplace like that. For an instant the 'clean room' was quiet, then everyone began to cheer. Doctor Franklin brushed away tears. He missed Tomas, also known as Jonathon, too. A lot of beings did. But now they knew. There was an excellent chance the much loved vampire would be back.



And the message from Edith, relayed by Horsey Skeezix and Pin Head Mel a few nights before spoke of events on the outside. Strange beings were beginning to assemble. Witches gathered in the Norman Castle-like, City Hall courtyard. Red Paint People began to walk the pathways of Rittenhouse Square, chanting songs sung since The Ice Age. And 'people' as yet unidentified streamed up from the subway near Sixteenth and Locust. I guess they rode the Patco Line in from New Jersey. Perhaps they came from The Pines?..... Elferinos and elferinas were seen flitting about the city too. Some cried. Some did not. All were serious. Regular, boring, plain humans didn't know what to make of it. Kids strolling South Street (where all the hippies meet) stopped representatives of the slightly smaller, more gracile, in from The Pines, Mid-Atlantic Bigfoot variant for autographs. But Bigfeet don't write (although they are known to scrawl doodles in the dirt), so what they got were mostly obscene representations of hominid genitals. But the kids didn't care. You know how kids are.



'War wagons,' industry jargon for TV news vans blossomed all over town. It was already on line. You could see it on You Tube, even Twitter.



Was it easy to explain? No... but it was real.



Tomas is coming back?



<more next time.... click on OLDER POSTS for parts of the story you may have missed>



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