There was a rap on the door. “Darling,” she said, entering. He frowned as she
kissed him, and she laughed. “Really. Don’t be such a recalcitrant child. You’re
being altogether too reticent.” She kissed him again.
He refused to smile. She reclined next to him. “I’m sorry I left you. I had to. I
needed room. . . .” She began recapitulating the relevant parts of the recondite
explanation she had given when she left. He did not respond.
Suddenly, there was an explosion on the street below. The countess strode to
the window.
“It’s the army. They’re on a rampage.” A group of soldiers began to batter the
front door. “Let’s escape via the roof.” They raced over rooftops, with the
soldiers running rampant through the streets below. “Remorseless rogues,” she
muttered. “They’ll change their tune later when they have to rectify all the
damage they’re doing.”
“Undoubtedly, they’ve rationalized their behavior by saying it was the only
route open for them,” he replied.
“I can’t refute that,” she said.
The outskirts of town were quiet. They slipped into a restaurant. “Now listen
here,” he scolded, sipping his red wine. “I want some assurance that you won’t
run off again and leave me ruing the day I met you.”
“Whatever are you ranting about?” she retorted.
He reiterated his request, becoming riled.
She laughed. “Darling, you’re being ridiculous as well as redundant. It’s such
a bore, really. Let’s just enjoy our rhubarb soup.”
S
saga
long adventure story
Titanic is the soggy saga of a boatload of beautiful people hitting a really big ice
cube.