Venus in Venice: The Goddess of Love's Dinner Party

Gus, even in his drugged state, is also very attuned to Beth's clandestine activity. Gus waits. He fears all hell is about to break loose.

cav has a job to do....the consomme is being served....now what the heck is that horrible sound coming from the dining room...uh oh, sounds like Bananarama...cav pokes his head out of the kitchen door and takes a look....hmm, yellow ribbon, but the eyes are going, so let's take a squint....police tape?? It couldn't be...

ehBeth moved quickly through the upper hallway. She slipped into a bedroom when she realized one of the guests was following her. She needed to do this. Before the Goddess realized anything was amiss.

The doorknob rattled. ehBeth looked around.

Ahhhhhhhhh...

Giulietta Osso and Giovanni Boccaccio, VI, are holding hands and murmuring. Why won't Matilda take off her fur? Won't dinner ever be served? Why is the goddess of love so very crabby? Why is that man with the funny face leaking from his side seams? Who left that glorious cappuletta over in the corner by the pilastro?

But they don't care, Giulietta's brown irish eyes bewitch the storyteller's storytelling heir, and he nibbles on her little finger, an aperitivo ever so much more alluring to him this evening than those items getting cold on the trays over by the ballustrada.

thump


............ thump



..........................thump





and then. from the kitchen. A scream. (sidebar - who knew cavfancier was a screamer?




A body tumbles out of the dumbwaiter. Followed by a feathered hat, which is grabbed and firmly attached to the skull of the fallen ehBeth.

Before she can disappear again, there is a voice from the top of the stairs.



"Cavfancier!!!"

(NOTE TO CAVFANCIER: Bananarama?!?...gag...no, no, please, anything but that...it was the original version by Shocking Blue. Guess you missed my not-so-subtle reference.)

The Goddess is standing in the middle of the dining hall, wondering who placed the police tape around her head table. She removes it at once, throwing the yellow ribbon under a nearby banquette. The seats at Eva's table are saved for BBB and Roberto, Giulietta and Giovanni, LibertyD and her date, Lola and dyslexia, RedHorn, and the ever-entertaining Gautam, who has promised to come but will be very, very late. More chairs can be added if needed.

Suddenly, a cry is heard from the kitchen. "What in the world is going on in there?" Eva thinks, excusing herself to her guests. Once more, she stomps toward the kitchen...

Ratzenhofer smiled at the scream. The palace was gripped in panic, people running around with terrified looks on their faces, crying, clutching each other. Gus knew what was behind the scream. Years ago Gus had been watching an episode of his favorite tv show, Johnny Quest This particular episode had been filmed in Nepal. A group of villagers were crossing a rickety bridge, carrying packages and such on their heads. In the background were the majestic mountains. Suddenly a scream pierced the air, striking fear into the villagers. One of the villagers turned toward the camera and the look of fear on his face was unforgettable. The villager screamed, "IT IS THE CRY OF THE YETI!!
And then the Johnny Quest soundtrack kicked in the show started. It was a fantastic lead-in, and one that Gus never forgot.

That had been the last time Gus heard that bone-chilling scream. Until now.

So, Gus mused, the Yeti is in Eva's palace. What would Johnny do in this situation? One of the partygoers suddenly ran by. Gus grabbed his camera and took a picture...




Gus knew he must help these people even though they seemed to despise him. He knew the evil Beth and her herd of Yeti would be too much for the average A2K member.

It was time for the protege of Johnny Quest.

It was time for action.

It was time for Ratzenhofer.

Oh, Lord.

The Mercedes Benz idled in the Gondola tied up at the dock in the back of the Palazzo....

Note to goddess: I caught the reference, but pretended I had a job to do, and hence brought up the Bananarama confusion.....distracted, you see...

ehBeth, more of a moaner, especially when it comes to dumb waiters...

I'll deal with gustav later...

Gus, so help me, if you drive Osso and her beau away like you did Sumac, I will drive a stake through your heart singlehandedly without tools. Do you hear me?!

Cav
Cav headed back to the kitchen to prepare the next course. As he pushed opened the kitchen door, he discovered the room was dark. All he heard was a woman's voice softly singing

"The itsy bisty spider
Went up the waterspout.
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out!"

He reached for the light switch and the ceiling lights came on. Cav looked around the room---and gasped!

Promises, promises.

Maria Callas, heretofore also known as Matilda, having practiced her scales as she wandered about the palazzo looking for the other fellow who had the crackers in the piazza, worried how she could take off the beastly coat and still keep it within her sight. She was pleased with the high range of her voice today, and thought it must be the luminous air of Venice. With little soil in the city, and no industry built yet on the land across the lagoon, there was a remarkable lack of gritty particles in the air.

Perhaps she could put her coat in the cold storage room by the kitchen, and have a bite to eat...

Osso
(A stage right aside to Ossobucco: That was an inspired response)

BumbleBeeBoogie

Maria/Matilda Callas performs a beautiful aria from 'Cry of the Yeti' as the lamb is plated...Carlos, the saucier, briefly turns away from his work, captivated....

"This Matilda....I simply must waltz with her after dinner..."

Eva hears Cav's gasping and runs to the kitchen. She gasps herself when she sees the incredible sight...

Gustavratzenhofer and Emelda, the blind-in-one-eye hunchback, are sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor, munching on tortillas, drinking cheap wine, and gazing deeply into each other's eyes. An old transistor radio on the floor beside them is playing Schubert's Overture to "Der Teufel als Hydraulicus."

"Guthtav, I never thought I'd thee you again!" Emelda says, lisping through crooked teeth. The dental work had been somewhat less than successful. It didn't matter to Gus. He had dreamed about her one-toothed smile for years, and now that she had a mouthful, even if they were blackened and broken, it mattered not to him.

He had found his long lost love.

"Emelda, my dear," Gus says, handing her the bottle of Thunderbird. "I almost didn't recognize you with the eye patch. You must tell me what has happened to you since we parted." He caresses her dainty hand, never taking his eyes off her.

Cav and Eva sense that they are intruding upon a private moment and silently withdraw...

(If you're lost: http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11137)

Cav whispers to Eva, "Continuity and craft are the cornerstone of all good dinner parties. That and eavesdropping, of course."

Eva, the goddess herself, blushes and giggles ever so slightly.

The air is full of romance tonight. It is a good night for love. The Goddess is pleased.

Oh my, Eva..........Somehow I didn't know you meant a reeeeeeeeeal palace and dinner. Am I too late? Perhaps I better go dress.........I'm still wearing my bathing suit from the cafe pool.........

At what time is dinner, or will it ever be served? Oh dear, I'm late, I'm late................