Marie sees the future at least that is what she wants you to believe, the marvellous Mystic Marie Gabrielli.
I walk over the dusty lot to and gaze upon the tent where Marie ply’s her trade, smucks and suckers relived of their hard earned coins for a whisper of hope and redemption, a message from a loved one long passed, a glimpse of dreams away from the dust bowl existence. It’s all baloney of course but Marie has always been a student of distraction and deception.
A product of her past and what a past, when you’re never shown love you get a twisted sideshow perspective, the cards were never on her side as she moved between grift and gaol.A slight of hand here a distraction there Love is a play she makes, a way of framing sin, a hustle rather than a feeling, tactic over tactile.
Don’t get me wrong Marie is as much as a sucker for passion as all of us and she likes hers red hot, over there learning up against that pole, Jake, a no good hustler and just the sort of person old man Garmelli likes to employ, Jake is a roustabout, a bum he builds up and he takes down both physically and metaphorically a consumer of goodness a destroyer of virtue. When he shows up you taste danger, something wicked very much this way comes. Trouble with Marie is that she has always been drawn to the danger like a moth to a flame, bad choices hang off her, and you don’t need a crystal ball to see that.
The stakes were always high with Jake, you never knew if he was going to punch out or play out. Between rage and passion the plan was hatched. Jake had done his homework, he knew where the safe was, he knew that Tuesday was day it would be full of the wages for Wednesday morning and most importantly he knew that Garalli had quite a thing for Young Marie
The plan was simple and the seduction sweet, while Marie entertained Old Man Gamelli in the back of the caravan Jake made his way into the front towards the safe, conveniently Marie left the door open and Jake charmed the dumb ringmaster Dante into revealing the code that only him and Gemelli knew, this was a plan so simple and easy it was like taking candy from a baby which is why what happened next was so confusing.
He first heard a clash as Marie was dumped onto the floor of the caravan, He looked up to see Old man Gamelli glaring down, he didn’t so much see the gun in his hand than hear it he did however feel the searing hot pain in his gut.
Marie could never figure out how their plan was rumbled, perhaps the Old man just got lucky and heard Jake, or had someone tipped him off, she was so sure she had his full attention with her delights, just like the lives and insights of the fools who visit her tent she would never know.
I, Dante see everything, a quick word in Mr Gamelli’s ear would not be something I would ever confess to.
Marie was put in chains and led away by the deputy, as she walked across the clock face of the ring she saw the doctors placing the blanket over jakes head, as she passed her tent she glimpsed the wagon waiting for her, once again Marie saw her future.
Comments