Figment Daily Theme: Book

Figment Daily Themes-February 18, 2017
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Their hands met, reaching for the same book.

EXT. FLYING LOW OVER METROPOLITAN ATLANTA - AFTERNOON

We glide, coming in southward low over a mix of bright green pine trees, strips of lined asphalt, and miles and miles of concrete, studded with first low, broad buildings, then taller, more compact office blocks.

We swoop, and the broad multi-lane nightmare of 5'o'clock traffic in Atlanta on the I-285 Perimeter slips in beneath us. On the horizon, the low blue-grey bulk of Stone Mountain hangs out in the city-haze. Cars make a sparkling, multicoloured carpet with the continuous honking of horns, radio stations fading through one another, and the occasional outraged human shout.

Faster, West, toward the mountain, and then abruptly straight down into suburbia, into a subdivision, into a roof, into darkness.

FADE TO:

INT. DARK TEENAGER'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

The pulled blinds block the bulk of the afternoon sun, just letting in an annoying leak around the edges. The edge of a camera tripod. A bulky bookcase. Almost indistinguishable band posters from groups probably you've never heard of and too hardcore for you if you had. The messy lumpy outline of an unmade bed.

A candle lit in the darkness. Black candle, of course.

The face floating above it lit from below, sinister, long, straight black hair falling down beside pinched cheeks. Beady dark eyes in the near-gloom. CHARLIE NEBS, not quite 17 and burdened with Dark Portent.

CHARLIE

(Enochian)

A-nash al'matal hai vorten! Cosar mar tesh gai fallash!

(subtitled)

"Dark ones, I conjure and demand! Listen to me, hear my words!"

A dramatic pause to throw off an unseen hood.

The candle sits in the midst of a make-shift pentagram, the size of a sheet of posterboard. In fact, it is a sheet of posterboard. A pentagram inside a double-circle of symbols is not-quite-crudely drawn on the sheet, with elemental sacrifices set at each corner.

A bit of random dirt.

The lighter used to light the candle.

A ramekin of water. (A white ramekin, stolen from the local Red Robin. It used to hold ketchup.)

A small piece of smouldering incense providing smoke for air.

A DVD of the movie "Into the Void." Void is hard, apparently.

At the foot of the candle is a dead mouse. There's a little bit of ice still clinging to one frozen foot.

DONG. Charlie strikes a bell to one side of the assembled apparatus.

CHARLIE

Come creatures! Attend me! As your master, I evoke your power! Ab'hiri camahl se nadi --

What was that next bit?

He pops on a tiny flashlight and leafs through an enormous leather-bound tome in his lap. This is a serious book for serious people. Only part of the title can be made out, "GOET-", catching a bit of firelight on silver chasing.

CHARLIE

(to himself)

Yeah, yeah, here we go ...

(aloud, forceful)

Ab'hiri camahl se nadi faltroos! Know my voice and my words and attend! I bring your sacrifices! With my left hand I bring it!

A left hand with a small scalpel in hand glides into the circle of light and attempts to give the frozen rat a hard poke. There's a CLINK and the blade just sort of slides off the frozen body.

CHARLIE

Fuck.

With my left hand I bring it!

CLINK. The mouse is unimpressed.

CHARLIE

It's a dead thing. It should be fine. I guess.

A bit more tracing of a finger down the page until --

CHARLIE

I invoke you, El'haramm and El'hoisa, angels of knowledge and swift travel! I evoke you, El'sassanass and El'hommmal, angels of satisfying the urges of the flesh and forming the wants of man! This I command in the name of your creator and the four-fold name he bears!

Charlie throws his hands into the air dramatically! The bit of incense topples and threatens to fall out of its spot -- barely caught!

CHARLIE

I command you in the name of the Tetragaramaton and Yod-He-Wau-He! Send me the agent of El'sassanass, the houri succubus Tanelar! Tanelar! Tanelar!

Each pronunciation of "Tanelar" is punctuated by a half-hearted stab at the frozen mouse.

CHARLIE

Tanelar!

The lights flick up unexpectedly. It's about as expected a reveal as you'd think. Black rumpled bed linens, black gauzy draperies on the wall, a fairly classic Bauhaus poster, a worn second-hand brocade long-coat on the back of a chair. The bookshelf is nice, possibly the only thing in the room that looks like it's really cared for. There's row on row of leather bound, comb-bound, and other-bound books and -- scrolls? Good quality, though many are really old.

CHARLIE

Mom! Cut it out! Why aren't you still at work anyw --

That's not Mom. A short, chubby woman with Hartmann hips and broad shoulders leans against the doorway into a bland beige hall. She might be anywhere between mid-20s to mid-40s, with a bit of a Middle Eastern look around skin-tone and hair gloss. Her voice is straight Milwaukee.

Charlie goggles as if he'd never seen a busty woman wearing something popularized by Joan Jett in the 80's. Scoop-neck clingy T, tight leather pants, sensible Doc Martens.

TANELAR

You could just call me Tammy. Probably easier. You're really murdering that Enochian, kid.

The book falls out of his lap as he scrambles to his feet, revealing his Netherworld hoodie, slashed black T-shirt, and skinny black denim jeans. With bare feet, because who the Hell wears shoes in the house?

CHARLIE

Wha--who--what?

TANELAR

Calm your tits, kid. Nice place you've got here. Decorated in early She Wants Revenge. Noice.

She picks up one of the POP vinyl figures from the messy dresser and gives him the eye.

TANELAR

Death Note? Kid, are you trying to be lame or is this some kind of weird conservatism in modern gothdom?

He snatches the Kira out of her hands.

CHARLIE

Hey, that's mine! And -- I like it.

TANELAR

You summoned a succubus. Don't you like it?

She strikes an ironic erotic pose. Ta-da!

Charlie just keeps staring, like the wires got wiggled loose.

TANELAR

Hard crowd. Look, kid, I'll just lay it out for you quick.

She drops onto the corner of the bed, sits primly, crosses her legs, and begins to recite.

TANELAR

According to the Enochian Accords of 1437 and 1449, evocations of all levels of quality and execution must be responded to by a due agent chosen by random selection. To that end, your evocation, despite its less than 50% quality determination nevertheless was selected for response by said random determination. This should not be construed as endorsement or positive evaluation of the techniques and processes employed by the executor and is fulfilled only at the behest of regulatory authorities, John Dee et al, signatory 1449. Do you understand the terms as they have been communicated to you?

Charlie finally fetches up his lower jaw and takes a long gulp. He glances at the book on the floor which has fallen open to a section on agents of El'sassanass, all lithe, willowy sex-goddesses. He ventures a look back at Tanelar.

Definitely not a lithe, willowy anything. She does positively ooze dirty, ground-rumbling sex, though. Saucy look, too.

CHARLIE

I -- ah -- understand the terms. Tanelar al'El'sass --

TANELAR

Tammy. Just -- Tammy.

CHARLIE

Tammy al'El'sass --

TANELAR

Just "Tammy."

CHARLIE

-- aassa --

Tammy. Uh. I thus demand your compliance by binding you to my service with blood and pain--

TANELAR

This blood?

She's kneeling on the floor, poking at the frozen mouse. A glance over her shoulder at the aquarium in the corner and the rather impressive anaconda within working its way out of the corner makes her grin.

TANELAR

You do thaw these things out before you feed your snake, right?

CHARLIE

(defensive)

Well, yeah! Of course! She'd get sick if I didn't!

TANELAR

Good, because this was a long way from being thawed. Terrible sacrifice. I've seen worse, though. One time, there was this --

Charlie looks unenthused at the story.

CHARLIE

Shouldn't we just get on with the binding ritual part?

Tanelar gives him an arched-brow look of pure disdain.

TANELAR

Really, kid? After that shit-show, you don't deserve a pity fuck. So no.

He looks a little crestfallen at first, then increasingly concerned.

CHARLIE

I --  don't think that's an -- option? Because you're going to kill me if I don't right?

His voice rises to a squeak at the end as she gives a suddenly very fang-y grin.

TANELAR

Sadly, no. In the old days, sure, but the New Law is the New Law. I don't have to fuck you 'less I want to, but you do have the power to compel me against your enemies or others who are not so protected.

Don't look so down, kid. You're not ready for this action, I assure you.

Charlie just flops down gangly-cross-legged on the floor. He looks somewhere between pouty, disgruntled, and angry.

CHARLIE

Stupid diabolism.

TANELAR

Look, kid. It's not so bad. I can make girls fall in instant lust with you, or fuck the college jock that's been messing you up and make him a bed-ridden invalid, whatever. It's not like you're not getting anything out of the deal.

CHARLIE

I guess. I just wanted something more mine, y'know?

She rolls her eyes even as she ruffles his hair.

TANELAR

Yeah yeah. Don't we all.

Where'd you get a real copy of the Goetia, anyway? That thing's worth a fortune.

He shrugs, clearly vastly bummed.

CHARLIE

Grandma had a bookstore. Lots of old stuff. I used to stay with them in the summers.

TANELAR

She passed, eh? Tough break.

CHARLIE

Oh no. Just moved to Miami, into some nudist enclave. She just left the first eds to me.

A beat.

TANELAR

Tougher break. Ew. The mind quails.

CHARLIE

Yeah. So I got this stuff.

He glances at the Goetia at the same time she does. He's gormless, she's calculating. They both lean, reaching for the Goetia at the same time.

Their hands met, reaching for the same book.

BLAM! Explosive results, screaming spirals of white coruscating energy, and white, cleansing flames.

Ringing, loud and persistent.

ON WHITE TO:

INT./EXT. GUTTED HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Half the house is just gone. A suburban house in a subdivision of suburban houses has its guts spilling out from the ruined wreck of a bedroom. Nothing seems to be burned, or if it is, the black parts have flaked away. No charring, anywhere. Car and house alarms are piping and blowing all up and down the road. Some randoms are peeping out of their houses as if they just heard a bomb go off and are sure they're next.

Tanelar drags herself out from beneath the bed. There's some char, her right hand and right side of her face burned down to the bone in places. She doesn't look pained, though. She looks annoyed.

Charlie's easy to find. Most of him. His torso is hanging impaled, inverted, dripping blood down over the front door lintel and down the door frame. He looks amazed and surprised rather than agonized, so at least his last moments weren't bad.

There's the distant sound of sirens coming in through the ringing.

TANELAR

Okay, now that's a problem.