More Arthur

Here’s another snippet from Crimson Christmas following up on my last one, where we see Arthur’s visit to the Victorian Village 🙂

The taxi drops us off on a nearby curb, and we step into—a version of Dante’s Inferno.

Goggling, camera clad tourists are mixing with Victorian ladies and gentlemen dressed much like myself, albeit more cheaply. I remove my sunglasses reluctantly as Mimsy opens the taxi door for me, then leans over to pay the driver. As I follow the vehicle’s progress down the street with longing, Mimsy takes my elbow and steers me toward a small alcove concealing a door with “Employee Entrance” inscribed thereon. People are swiveling their heads to stare at me, and more than one of them holds up their ubiquitous smartphones to snap a picture. Little do they know it will never show a thing.

“This is insane,” she mumbles. “I didn’t think it would be this crowded.” We stop and I stand in front of her, wearing my usual put upon expression on my face.

“I’ll text you as soon as I know when my jailers are letting me go, Mimsy, all right?”

She nodded as I opened the door.

“Just wait until you’re in the employee lounge or wherever they have you wait; I doubt that they’ll let you use phones in front of the customers, you know, just so they can preserve the illusion.”

“SHUT IT, YA DAFT BUGGERS!”