Shadows in the Smoke S2E9 - "In Cages"

Shadows in the Smoke S2E9 – “In Cages”

Kim
Shadows in the Smoke is intended for mature audiences and may contain material that some people find disturbing. Please see the episode description for content warnings, and listen with care.

[Shadows in the Smoke theme]

Kim
Miss Douglas, in the star dressing room of the Songbird Theatre.

[Distant, mystical ambience]

Kim
You are alone with Miss Philomena Fu, The Nightingale. Well, not quite alone. There is also the bleeding out body of a landlord, dead on the floor. But we can ignore him. The Nightingale, after showing off her powers of shapeshifting, shakes her hair once again. And you see her normal visage cross her gorgeous face.

The Nightingale (Kim)
I’m sorry if I disconcerted you, darling.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Uh, no. I mean, you’ve answered my question, in a way, I suppose. And it only feels fair… You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.

Natalia
And Maesie pulls out her pelt.

The Nightingale (Kim)
Hmm…

Kim
She sits down on the chaise, motions for you to stand.

The Nightingale (Kim)
This is a rare treat. It’s not often that people perform for me. Even less seldom that someone’s around me and putting articles of clothing on, but… I’ll allow you to continue.

Natalia
Maesie admires her pelt, and looks at Philomena.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I don’t believe I will be putting it on right now. It does tend to put me in a state that’s really not fit for land?

The Nightingale (Kim)
I see.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
But there is this…

[The groan of the sea]

Natalia
And she looks down, and when she looks back up at Philomena, her eyes are fully black. And she smiles a very long, jagged tooth smile. And a cup of water in the corner starts to shake on a table. And then it tips over, and the water flows across the floor and starts wrapping itself up one of Philomena’s ankles, and up her leg.

The Nightingale (Kim)
[Chuckles] So, not just a beauty. Talented, as well.

Natalia
Maesie blushes lightly at the compliment.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I do find those things tend to come together.

Natalia
Makes very pointed eye contact with Philomena.

The Nightingale (Kim)
[Chuckles]

Natalia
Kim, with this revelation, I am trying to reveal my identity to something that isn’t human, which is my playbook move Fellow Outsider.

Kim
Ah, yes. When you reveal your identity to something that isn’t human, you may ask the Keeper two of the following. What would you like to ask the Nightingale?

Natalia
Maesie takes a seat next to Philomena, again. This rivulet of water is still running its way across her skin. It’s not making her clothes damp in any way. Just sort of seems to glide across the fabric.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I was curious, since you became this, how has that been for you?

[Distant, mystical ambience]

The Nightingale (Kim)
Well, I much prefer it to how I used to live. I did not ask for this gift. I was… prey. Innocent. Manipulated. Lost. I believed pretty faces that had pretty lies. And then I was transformed, quite quickly. And then abandoned by the one who changed me. I felt as though I was an orphan yet again. But this time, I had power. To protect not just myself, but those I hold dear. Those who are precious to me, these girls. My flock. We are family. And I won’t let anyone hurt any of them ever again.

Kim
And as she says this, the Nightingale is playing with a necklace that she’s wearing around her neck. It is a heart-shaped locket. For a moment, as she speaks, she opens it and peers at what’s inside. You see a lock of hair, before the Nightingale snaps it closed.

The Nightingale (Kim)
Now, you are a most charming young lady. You do seem to have a good head about your shoulders. Knowledgeable about what is going on in Whitechapel and Jacob’s Island. So I must warn you, Miss Douglas: any move in favor of those who wish to oppose me, I will view as a threat to myself and my girls. And I will react accordingly.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Then I suppose I should do this.

Natalia
And Maesie cups her face, and kisses her.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I do believe seeing as I have shown favor to the Crismon Gentleman before, I should show you favor as well. I don’t presume to make enemies.

Kim
The Nightingale returns your kiss, but then you feel her bite at your lip. And her hands, that were playing with your curls, tighten. And she pulls your head back.

[Dark, sinister ambience]

The Nightingale (Kim)
And I don’t wish to share with the Crimson Gentleman.

Natalia
The water that was running across Philomena’s skin finds itself around her throat, and begins to harden into ice.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I do suggest you let go.

The Nightingale (Kim)
Miss Douglas. I do not ask you to bend the knee. But I will demand respect, in my own house.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
And I do demand respect everywhere I go. I will ask, please, let go.

Kim
The grip loosens.

The Nightingale (Kim)
Now you.

Natalia
The ice falls away to water. And this time, it does drench her robe.

Kim
The Nightingale tuts, looks down at the drenched silk robe.

The Nightingale (Kim)
[Sighs] Ah well. I have others.

Kim
And she stands, turns away from you, and lets the robe slide off of her body. She is naked underneath. And she goes behind a dressing screen to grab another.

Natalia
Maesie stands, and leaves her pelt on the chaise.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
If you don’t wish to share, neither do I.

Kim
She leans back around the dressing screen.

The Nightingale (Kim)
What are you proposing, Miss Douglas?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
What does it sound like?

Kim
She smoothly takes your wrist in her hands, and then pulls you back behind the dressing screen.

Meanwhile… Dr. Branford and Miss Thanero. Where are we off to, for the rest of our afternoon? After a brief foray to get sandwiches.

Cassandra
After having their lovely bite of sandwiches at this charming little care that Ena knows will delight Dr. Branford, Ena feels the weight of those ice sculptures on the breakfast table. And knows that something needs to happen. And is going to snag her carriage and head to Kilburn Abbey.

Kim
Okay. Dr. Branford?

Madeleine
Every now and then, Dr. Branford will set up clinic pop-ups in various establishments, different neighborhoods, depending on needs. And Branford would love to set up a little outdoor clinic today at Jacob’s Island.

Kim
Kip Longfellow. You have gathered the clues in the manager’s office. If you went to go peek on what was happening in the dressing room, it’s probably not something in which Miss Douglas would like to be disturbed.

T.
Certainly not suitable for children.

Kim
Indeed. So what about you?

T.
This is interesting. Because I feel like, yeah, I’m not tagging along with Maesie anymore. But she is my patron. But Kip is from Limehouse, and still feels a loyalty to this territory. And doesn’t necessarily want the Nightingale to be in power, here. He’s going to go back to the school.

Kim
Alright. Let’s stay in Limehouse, if you’ll permit me. Let’s go just a few streets down to the now-closed Limehouse School.

[Empty, abandoned ambience]

Kim
A location that, I believe, Kip Longfellow once knew well. Once upon a time, there were filthy children all over the place. As you wander this abandoned building, you can hear in your memory the echoes of a frustrated teacher, storming away from a group of girls – not learning to sew. Scattered toys, unwashed bodies…

For a moment, let’s all see the school as Kip Longfellow once saw it, when it was open and operating.

[The shouts and chatter of schoolchildren]

Kim
Paint the Scene: Workhouses like this are where poor children are sent to be managed until they’re old enough to be turned out. What signs of deprivation do you see?

T.
Each of the children has a cubby for all of their worldly possessions, and none of them are assigned names. Only numbers.

Madeleine
All of the children are so small. Physically, height… everything about their bodies is underdeveloped.

Natalia
There is a chain affixed to a hook by the door that is clearly long enough to go around the handle, because the lock doesn’t work anymore. And there’s no money to fix it. And the door itself hangs on one single hinge.

Cassandra
Given that the children of this school aren’t destined for higher education, or anything beyond a life in a factory or workhouse, the school room is devoid of books.

[The voices fade away]

Kim
Kip Longfellow. As you shake away these echoes of the past, what are you doing here? Now?

T.
Kip’s looking for something familiar. In that very childish way of just… seeing and experiencing something that’s too adult. And even though he has been forced to mature before his time, having that need to go to a familiar place…

Kim
Mmhmm.

T.
And he looks around at all these empty chairs and empty tables, and… He has this, like, glib, untouchable façade with Maesie. But here, alone, he just wants to break shit. And he kicks in a chain and knocks down a table, and lets out his frustration and his rage at… his life. This is the second time that something that he has called home has been taken over by somebody selfish.

Kim
I love this.

T.
And he doesn’t care if he’s quiet about it.

Kim
Day Move.

T.
With?

Kim
Vitality, I think, if you’re smashing stuff. What are you afraid will happen if things go wrong?

T.
I’ll gain the wrong kind of attention.

Kim
Indeed. I agree.

T.
I’m worried that there is something else in here already, not that I’ll call something else in.

Kim
Absolutely.

T.
[Rolls dice] Vitality is -1… 3 and 3 is 6, -1 is 5.

Kim
Miss Thanero, off to the abbey yet again.

[Ritualistic chanting. Church bells chiming]

Kim
Are we here to consult the demon, or do you have other reasons for being here?

Cassandra
I’m coming here to seek out one of my worshippers: that lovely little reflowered nun, Sister Charlotte.

Kim
Oh, the very penitent Charlotte McGowan.

Cassandra
Yes. Our new, clean, pure Sister Charlotte.

Kim
She’s a nun in the convent, just across the way from Kilburn Abbey. But she does tidy up for the brothers at the Abbey.

Cassandra
Ena walks into the cathedral, where all of the services and mass take place. And looks around for Sister Charlotte.

Kim
You find her where you found her the last time: in the archives room. She is organizing and tidying up in here.

Cassandra
Ena leans in the doorway, and looks at Sister Charlotte quietly.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Hello, sister.

Kim
Sister Charlotte McGowan drops what she’s doing. It clatters to the ground, quite noisily. And then immediately falls to her knees in front of you.

Sister Charlotte (Kim)
Mistress.

Cassandra
Ena walks over to her and stands, towering above her.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Have you been praying properly?

Sister Charlotte (Kim)
Oh yes, Mistress. Many times a day. The sisters at the convent have no idea that it is not the Lord that I pray to.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
This pleases me greatly to hear you so devout.

Cassandra
And from her sleeve, she pulls out a long swath of light blue, watery silk.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
You do know that once you have pledged your allegiance to me, you are expected to do whatever I ask?

Sister Charlotte (Kim)
Of course, Mistress. My life is yours, to do with as you please.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
And so I shall, dear sister.

Cassandra
And Ena takes this swath of silk, wraps it over her eyes, ties it in the back, and then snakes the two pieces down, to bind her hands.

Kim
Sister Charlotte is all too willing to allow herself to be blindfolded and bound.

[A rainy London street, near the Thames]

Kim
Let us leave her there, for the moment, and go to Jacob’s Island rookery.

The “Island” part of Jacob’s Island is something of a misnomer. It’s not a true island, though it is quite marshy and surrounded by water. It is derisively called The Venice of Drains. We see thin walls and muddy floors, eternally damp with the river air. It is a twisted maze of patchwork shacks, overcrowded with boarding houses and dead end alleys, piled on the Lady Thames’ swampy banks. The air is filled with the smell of dead fish, and the songs of frogs.

[Dark, sinister ambience slowly creeps in]

Paint the Scene: This slum is literally rotting out from under its inhabitants. What here could drive you to the grey depths of despair?

T.
Simply looking to the north, across the Thames, and seeing that there is another life, a better life, so near. And yet…

Madeleine
Because everything is so damp and musky and perpetually wet, many of the inhabitants have developed respiratory ailments. And their lungs fill with fluids. And it’s almost more satisfying to stop breathing for as long as possible, than to continue through the pain.

Natalia
It is supposed to be the case that sense of smell can be overwhelmed. That once you smell something for so long, you stop to register it as a smell. And that does not ever seem to be the case, here. It smells perpetually, incessantly, and horribly.

Cassandra
Most of these homes are cobbled together with scraps of decaying wood. And every now and again, when one is about to collapse, you can hear the wet splintering sound of the house about to fall in. And the sound is almost pleasant, making you want to rush into that home and have it collapse on top of you.

[A rainy London street, near the Thames]

Kim
Dr. Branford. You walk these waterlogged streets, trying to take care to step over the rats and the vermin that call this place home. We see an engorged rat, feasting on the corpses of other rats that have drowned in the Thames and washed ashore.

Madeleine
I toss it a piece of biscuit from my pocket.

Kim
And you set up your clinic. Despite there being many people that call Jacob’s Island home, your clinic is less well-attended than it has been previously. Many people are not leaving their homes.

You stay there for an hour or two. No one comes by. And you notice a woman approaching you. She has soot-stained hands. She’s whistling a bit of a merry tune, as she comes by. Seems rather unbothered by the damp and the dark, and the malaise of Jacob’s Island.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
Excuse me, miss?

Soot-stained Woman (Kim)
Yes?

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
I’m so sorry to trouble you. I’ve noticed no one’s out. Is there a curfew in place, or has the area been quarantined again?

Soot-stained Woman (Kim)
No, mum. However, there are a lot more odd folk about. People say the East End is dangerous. It’s never bothered me, personally. Until recently, that is.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
Oh, why the recent change?

Soot-stained Woman (Kim)
Folks say there’s a sleeping sickness on Jacob’s Island.

Madeleine
She perks up immediately. She’d been hunched over her little table.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
Oh, please go on.

Knocker-Up (Kim)
‘Fraid I don’t know that much about it, other than it’s interfering with my work. I’m a Knocker-Up, you see.

Kim
You would know, Hunters, a Knocker-Up is a job that folks used to have in Victorian London. They would go by and literally knock on your doors or windows to wake you up in the morning. Before they were replaced by the alarm clock.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
Oh, well, certainly an important job.

Knocker-Up (Kim)
Indeed, mum. I’m afraid I’m a bit nocturnal, so you’ll forgive me if I’m a bit sleepy. I myself just woke up. But folks say it’s perhaps something with the vermin around here. Something biting them, in the night. And they never wake up.

[Unsettling ambience]

Knocker-Up (Kim)
They don’t die, mind you. But they sleep. All hours of the day. Sleepwalk, like some shambling, unthinking thing. Scares the daylight out of me, to look at it.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
They’re walking around?

Knocker-Up (Kim)
Oh, some of them. When they get the muscle to. Can’t say it’s very organized, or something you can plan. But every now and then I’ve seen one get up, walk around, leave its house… To do what, I couldn’t tell you. And then they fall back down asleep. The whole neighborhood, sleeping people. I’d be careful not to be here at night, miss.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
Yes, that seems to be excellent advice.

Madeleine
Branford’s gonna look around. I just wanna see if any of the windows have candlelight coming from them at all.

Kim
Ooh, yeah. I’ll say that you see one boarding house that’s got a candle in one of the windows.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
Will you excuse me for a moment? I’m in need of some clean water for cleaning some of these bandages. I’m going to see if they have anything inside.

Knocker-Up (Kim)
Of course, mum. If you need any help, I’m not easy to frighten.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
You don’t look it.

Kim
She tips her cap to you.

[An empty, abandoned space]

Kim
You enter into this boarding house and head up the stairs towards the room that is awash in candlelight. This boarding house is very still. You push the door open, and the first thing you see are beautiful works of art. Paintings, charcoal drawings, pastels… Done on canvas, cardboard, the walls, the floor… But there is no artist at work. We see a man asleep in his bed. You recognize this man. The artist that you saw when you were traveling with Elsie Willow. He was quite taken with her, and gave her a couple of his paintings. Told her to visit, if she ever came to Jacob’s Island.

Madeleine
Branford observes the room, notices the cardboard sketches. Recognizes the man in the bed. Slowly approaches his side, and gently removes a glove and places her fingers to the side of his neck.

Kim
His heart still beats. It’s slowed, he’s sleeping very deeply. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the painting that Lev Lehrer was most recently working on: a portrait of Elsie.

Madeleine
Branford removes her fingers from his neck, looking at this portrait of Elsie.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
God, that… That hair…. Sir? H-hello, sir?

Madeleine
And Branford attempts to shake him awake.

Kim
Make the Information Move with Reason. Let me take a look at your Conditions… I’d personally say that what you’re doing is quite ghoulish, so I’ll put this at disadvantage.

Madeleine
Yeah, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

That’s a 5, a 5, and a 6. I’ll take my 10. With +2, puts us at a 12.

Kim
Alright. Another Mastermind Clue. Well done, hunters.

I think enough time has passed that we can safely check back in on the Nightingale and Miss Maesie Douglas…

Natalia
[Inhales] I don’t know. They might still be busy.

Kim
We see the two of you sharing the chaise lounge in the Nightingale’s dressing room.

Natalia
I’d like to say we’re draped in the pelt.

Kim
Oh, I like that. The Nightingale is running her hands over the fur in appreciation. Admiring it.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
What you spoke of before, of people who take advantage of the vulnerable. I know that well.

Natalia
And she runs her hand over the small bit of tear that is still left in this pelt.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I’m very close to fixing it, but someone did this to me. And believe me, I made him pay.

The Nightingale (Kim)
Good. Men have held power for far too long. We should always strive to take it back.

Natalia
Maesie nods her head, and holds Philomena’s hand and brings it to her lips and kisses it gently.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Would you, in your ever-changing ways, want to give the pelt a go, at fixing it?

The Nightingale (Kim)
I’ve been known to be a skillful seamstress. Let me see what I can do.

Kim
Miss Douglas, is this your second pick for Fellow Outsider?

Natalia
Yes.

Kim
Lovely. Do they know something that can help me repair the pelt? I would say yes, of course. Miss Douglas, how does the Nightingale, Philomena Fu, repair one part of your pelt?

[Gentle harp music]

Natalia
Well, as you said, Philomena is familiar with sewing. Fixing costumes backstage is always a necessity. And she leans over to Mr. Hamilton’s body and pulls a loose thread from his jacket, runs it through the gash in his neck so that it is soaked in blood, and then begins to sew the pelt.

Kim
Miss Douglas, please check another box on Severed from the Sea. You have one box remaining.

The Nightingale (Kim)
And when it is fixed, what becomes of you?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
When it is fixed, you will never have to worry about sharing me with anyone.

The Nightingale (Kim)
I do like the sound of that. What are you doing the rest of the day?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I do believe I should find the young boy I came here with. He has a good habit of disappearing on me, but that doesn’t mean I should let him alone.

The Nightingale (Kim)
Stay. People come from all over the city to see the Songbirds, and bathe in their beauty. My flock could make sure you’re well taken care of.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
As much as the offer intrigues me, I believe I’ve done enough bathing for today.

The Nightingale (Kim)
Well. It’s been a pleasure, Miss Douglas. Feel free to darken my doorway, whenever you like. And give my best to the Crimson Gentleman, next you see him.

Mis Douglas (Natalia)
Be seeing you.

Kim
You turn your back. You hear the flutter of wings. And when you look over your shoulder, you do not see the Nightingale. Just a feather, drifting from an open window.

Natalia
Can I take the feather?

Kim
Yeah, of course you can.

Natalia
Cool. [Chuckles]

[An abandoned place]

Kim
Speaking of Miss Douglas’s companion, Kip Longfellow… You are on quite the tear in the Limehouse school. And so it takes you some time to notice that you are not alone in this building.

[An echoing, broken music box]

Kim
And as you turn to throw an old, partially burned toy at the brick wall, you see a small, grandmotherly woman, wrapped in a well-worn shawl.

T.
It is one of those things where he’s so weak and has so little power to affect the world… It’s a failed Vitality roll, so he’s trying to lift tables, but he’s just unable, despite being so angry.

Kim
Mmhmm.

T.
So he’s like grabbing toys, which also feels impotent and lost, and he’s holding this charred teddy bear. And he sees this woman, and brings it down and holds it against his chest.

Strange Woman (Kim)
Oh, child… You look troubled. Come, dearie, tell me all about it. Granny will make everything different.

Kip Longfellow (T.)
Different doesn’t mean better.

Kim
She smiles and pinches your cheek.

Strange Woman (Kim)
No, it does not. Clever boy.

T.
He drops the teddy bear and holds up an oyster knife, just below her chin.

Kip Longfellow (T.)
I’m not troubled. I’m trouble.

Strange Woman (Kim)
Naughty, naughty boy.

Kip Longfellow (T.)
You don’t know the half of it. I don’t know who you are, but if you’re here, despite everything that’s going on, that means you’re more than you’re letting yourself appear to be.

Strange Woman (Kim)
I was merely poking in on my charge.

Kip Longfellow (T.)
You’re not in charge of me. Nobody is.

Strange Woman (Kim)
But you have caught my attention. Sweet child. Children should do what they’re told…

[Eerie, shimmery ambience]

Kim
In your ear, Kip, you hear a ringing sound. And you feel this magic wash over you. Kip Longfellow, on a fail, I’m going to give you the Condition: Obedient.

T.
Oh, no! Okay…

He drops the knife.

Strange Woman (Kim)
Now sit.

T.
He sits immediately on the floor, and looks up at her with an innocent smile.

Strange Woman (Kim)
There’s a good boy. Now let’s sit here with Granny, nice and quiet, until my charge comes to find us. She’ll be along any moment, now.

T.
He sits patiently, and smiles up at here. Quietly. Awaiting further instructions.

Natalia
Thanks, I hate it.

[Ringing church bells]

Kim
Miss Thanero, with the blinded and bound Charlotte McGowan. She will go anywhere you lead her. She will allow you to do anything you want to her. What are you doing?

Cassandra
Ena takes Sister Charlotte very gently by the elbows, and lifts her off of the floor. She puts a hand on the small of her back, and slowly starts to lead her out of this room, back into the cathedral, where Ena throws a wayward glance at the crucifix on the wall. And leads Sister Charlotte out to the carriage, instructing her driver to take them to the opera house.

T.
From a darkened corner of the pews, a dark-haired man looks after the goddess exiting through the doors.

Kim
Wonderful. Miss Thanero, your carriage arrives at the Opera House. What now?

[Cavernous, echoing ambience]

Cassandra
Ena instructs the driver to pull around to the back, knowing that the front is bustling with people. She doesn’t need any questions or eyes on this bound and trussed offering that she is guiding into the bowels of the Opera House. And they enter through the back entrance, and start to slowly descend toward the Sculptor’s lair.

[An empty, abandoned place]

Kim
Dr. Branford, trying to shake Lev Lehrer awake. He will not wake. From the shadows of this boarding house, you hear a peel of broken, jagged laughter.

[Unsettling drones]

Madeleine
Branford whips around and pulls a covered syringe from her chatelain, brandishing it in front of her.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
Stop there.

Kim
You see something tall and gaunt slithering amongst the shadows in this hallway. As they step, you hear the squelch of damp footsteps.

The Minister of the Mire (Kim)
He will not wake… [Titters]

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
What is causing this?

The Minister of the Mire (Kim)
I am the shepherd. The sheep are mine to do with as I please.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
And you want them asleep? You don’t want to cull your flock?

The Minister of the Mire (Kim)
Would you rather I leave them to the lions and the wolves? No. Keep my flock snug in their beds, where no one can harm them. I am not a butcher. Not a killer. I offer peace. Dreams. Quiet. My sheep have known lives of suffering, of toil. Now, they rest. They rest forever.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
You may not be a murderer, but you do not know me. Why shouldn’t I gut you here? Dissect you, take you home?

The Minister of the Mire (Kim)
You may try… [Titters] It may try…

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
At what price does awaking a sheep come? I have money.

The Minister of the Mire (Kim)
A price that you cannot pay…

Kim
You hear a little bit of that jagged laughter. And then this shadowy shape vanishes, melts into the darkness. Out of your reach.

[An empty, abandoned place]

Kim
And you start flipping through the sketchbook of Lev Lehrer. You see the studies of his memory of Elsie.

Allow me to give you the Mastermind Clue, first. Amongst Lev Lehrer’s sketches is a very detailed illustration of the human heart. Beneath it is a note. It says, “For him.” That is a Clue for Vice Admiral Flagg.

Madeleine
I wanna be friends with Flagg, now!

Kim
I know! [Laughs]

Madeleine
Oh, no… We’ll be beloved to each other.

Kim
Speaking of Most Beloved… You study this illustration of the heart, turn a page, and then you see a series of portraits of you. That is a Clue for East End Ghouls.

Dr. Branford (Madeleine)
Branford takes these portraits, walks over to the lit candle, and burns them all.

Kim
Miss Douglas. On the trail of your missing charge…

Natalia
I don’t wanna go anymore… I’m scared…

Kim
You heard of a little boy in a red officer’s coat sneaking into the Limehouse School. It is not hard for you to slip in.

[An echoing, broken music box]

Kim
And you see Kip Longfellow, sitting very stiffly, very obediently, at a table.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Kip, come on. We have to go.

Kim
As a small, grandmother-type figure in a woolen shawl is pouring him tea.

Strange Woman (Kim)
There’s a good lad. Ah, child! What have we said about being tardy?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I’m… sorry. I don’t know who you are. Kip, come on.

Natalia
She tilts her head towards the door.

Kip Longfellow (Kim)
She told me to stay.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
And?

Kip Longfellow (T.)
I must obey.

Natalia
Maesie begins to look at this woman again.

Kip Longfellow (T.)
Good boys obey.

Strange Woman (Kim)
That’s right. Have a sweet.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
What have you done to him?

Strange Woman (Kim)
I merely taught him a lesson. I could teach you a thing or two, young lady. Especially what I saw you get up to this afternoon? Not proper, for proper young ladies.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
And who gives you the authority to tell anyone what to do?

The Godmother (Kim)
Child, I wish simply to help you. Do you not recognize your Godmother?

Natalia
At that word, Maesie stiffens.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
You sent me this.

Natalia
And she pulls the little wooden figurine from her pocket.

The Godmother (Kim)
I did. Did you like it?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
How did you get this?

The Godmother (Kim)
You lost it. Such a silly, careless child, to toss away your toys…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I did not throw this away.

[Shimmery, eerie ambience]

The Godmother (Kim)
Come, dear. I see that I’ve upset you. Let’s have a nice chat, shall we?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I think we should let Kip go, first. It’s not about him.

The Godmother (Kim)
Of course, child.

Kim
She ruffles Kip’s hair. Gives him a little kiss on the cheek.

The Godmother (Kim)
Off you pop now, love.

T.
Kip stands like a tin soldier, about faces, and walks straight out the door.

Kim
Your Godmother offers her hand to you.

The Godmother (Kim)
Let’s find a nice, quiet place to chat.

Natalia
Maesie does not take her hand, but simply stands where she’s been standing.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I can speak from here.

The Godmother (Kim)
Yes. But the setting is rather dreary.

Kim
She spins in a circle – she’s surprisingly spry – and the scenery around you shifts.

[Birdsong. A cheery fire]

Kim
You find yourself in a very sweet smelling cabin. An enormous oven dominates the room. You notice that the chair you’re sitting on is a little sticky. Actually, that it’s made out of gumdrops. And now that you’re thinking about it, the walls are gingerbread, mortared with icing. You’re looking through rock candy windows at a forest.

Paint the Scene: What here comforts you? What here scares you?

Natalia
The smell of freshly baked shortbread cookies, so buttery and delicious, hangs in the air. But if you were to look in the oven, there are bones in the fire.

Madeleine
When you look through these rocky candy windows, you see beautiful scenery outside. And when you get closer, you realize they’re all on paintings affixed to the outside of the windows.

Cassandra
In one corner of this candy cottage is a beautifully appointed vanity that beckons you to come and tidy yourself up. But as you look across the surface of the vanity, taking in the mirror and the makeup and all of the things on offer, there is also a beautiful comb. But upon closer inspection, it is a comb made entirely of teeth.

[An eerie rising tone]

T.
It’s comforting that at least Maesie isn’t the only girl there. Unfortunately, all the of the others are in cages.

[Shadows in the Smoke theme]

Kim
Shadows in the Smoke is a Kitten Marlowe production. This episode was edited and produced by Kim Dalton, and featured a theme song by Jake Pierle. You can find out more about us by visiting KittenMarlowe.com, signing up for our newsletter, or following us on socials. For Discord access, exclusive cast talkbacks, ttrpg materials, and more, visit Patreon.com/KittenMarlowe and join our cats, Virgil and Dante, and all of our incredible Kitten Marlowe patrons, in supporting artist-driven storytelling. Thanks for listening.