October 2022 Prep Docs (Adherennium)

Day 27. Plot Revision 3

Maurice meets Philomena for the first time, on stage at the theatre.

Philomena invites Maurice to meet her afterwards in the bar.

Maurice very curious about how magic was done, and who Philomena is

Philomena invites Maurice to go on to a restaurant she knows, then on to a club. Maurice goes with her. Conversation continues, and Maurice meets some of Philomena's friends.

Maurice becomes lost going home in the fog.

Dark water experience.
Maurice sees himself in the water, but the image is disturbing in some way he finds hard to describe.

Maurice has his first encounter with the Devil, who introduces himself. The Devil is miserable and matter of fact about who he is and what he's going to do.

Maurice rushes away from the Devil, and finds himself lost.

The devil instructs Pain and Pleasure in their roles. Pain assumes the appearance of a dead child. When Maurice comes upon her, he momentarily sees her as his deceased sister. Unnerved, he calls for help. Pleasure appears and tries to calm Maurice, encouraging him to have a drink to calm his nerves.

Feast and Spite appear in the guise of policemen. They are deeply suspicious of Maurice's story and make clear that they think he has murdered the child.

Maurice gives them his details. Pleasure points out that it is not yet sure that the child has been murdered, though admittedly it looks that way.

Maurice heads home.

Philomena calls on Maurice, exciting the curiosity of Mrs. Abner. Maurice fills her in on his experience the previous evening. Philomena is sympathetic.

Maurice returns to the theatre. Manager tells him everyone is talking about the act. Manager demands Maurice take on Philomena as regular assistant. Maurice promises to ask.

Finds Philomena and asks her to join the act. Philomena conditionally accepts telling him to come with her to a friends house in the country.

Maurice reluctant to go, and initially declines.

Maurice is visited by Feast and Spite again posing as policemen. Their behaviour is bulling and Maurice decides that he will go with Philomena.

Travels to the country with Philomena to house of Lady Frederica.

Mysterious lights in the night cause uproar in the house.

Source of strange lights identified as cabinet from Egypt.

Cabinet opens and Hermes Trismegistus and The Cairo Cat come out. They make introductions, and Hermes evidentially knows Philomena, although he initially addresses her as Hermine. She corrects him "Philomena for the present."

Hermes offers Maurice thee wishes, conditional upon him performing three tasks. He makes it clear that Maurice isn't really being given any choice.

First Task: Find The Lady, A game of cards.

Philomena steps into the cabinet and vanishes. Maurice has to follow and find her.

Philomena first travels to an idea of Ancient Egypt, and then to an idea of Ancient Greece. All the events in fact take place in the Magic Theatre. Philomena places a snake to her breast - then rolls it into a quoit and throws it before Maurice - he sees it is swallowing it's tail. Philomena then has Maurice die for her. He is torn apart and scattered by the Devil, and his associates. Philomena collect the parts and echoing Osiris and Isis reassembles then rides him.

Second Task: Pulling A Rabbit Out of the Hat

Find Brother Rabbit - The Trickster God. The Devil leads Maurice on a trip to Japan, Siberia and America, where he encounters various trickster gods, and realises that each of them is Hermes and the Devil.

Third Task: Sawing the Lady in Half

Can you be in two places at once? Philomena and Phillip go their separate ways. Maurice has to follow both.

Following Philomena he marries her and settles down with her, life becomes humdrum.
Following Phillip he encounters the Devil's associates and plays out the murdered girl's story.

The culmination of the two is married Maurice being put in a similar situation to his father, and declining to hit Philomena - indeed he learns that he doesn't even feel that he wants to - he doesn't have to stop himself. He is not his father, he can - realising this, move on.

Three Wishes:

To be able to do real magic.

(You can.)

To learn how to do real magic.

(You can.)

I wish to be Mad

(Done.)

Philomena invites Maurice to actively participate to the Theatre of Magic.