Episode 11 - Snott

Music: Majestic Nature by Craig Stuart Garfinkle Artwork by Steve English The script: Episode 11 - Snott As the Baron made his way out of the Manor and along one of the many pathways through the forest to the village of Snott, a bundle of soggy vacuum cleaner components in his cape, he had two companions. The one he knew about was Horatio Fleming McNaughtie – the cause of the carnage he now carried in the hope of repair. The other, unseen and unnoticed, was Eller Beck. She was following the Baron because the most momentous event she could recall had happened only recently and she wanted to have it (or something similar) happen again. It had happened when Horatio had passed through her. So, even though she loathed the pooch, she didn't really want to be away from him in case there was the slightest chance she could feel something more. As they walked through the forest, Eller put herself in Horatio's way time and time again, but nothing happened. Well, nothing she noticed. There were a few moments when she felt that maybe the dog had seen her but, every time she thought that was the case, Horatio simply ran over to a post, a rock, a tree or just a patch of grass to have a sniff and a wee. Reaching the divide in the main pathway that led to the three separate villages, Eller followed as the Baron took the right-hand fork, heading for Snott. Usually, Eller tried to avoid looking at the Baron because he looked so… evil. When he tried to smile, people sometimes ran away and children ALWAYS cried. As she trailed behind the man and his dog, having given up trying to make Horatio pass through her, Eller noticed the Baron's back for the first time. Sure, it was a little hunched and never really straight but, as they paused momentarily at the turn in the pathway, she noticed the Baron take a deep breath and, if anything, his shoulders hung lower. Did the Baron hate going to the villages too she wondered? She did what had become second nature, because no one ever heard her, and started to voice her thoughts out loud. Looking at the Baron, she asked, 'Do you find it hard to come to the villages as well?' No reply.  Eller looked at his profile. But this time, she didn't just glance at him as she usually did, she looked at him properly, trying to hold back her natural reaction to retch. Then, moving a little ahead of him and walking backwards, she looked directly at his face. His sharp features dominated his face, along with his somewhat over-large set of teeth, all a little too pointed for comfort. His mono-brow almost seemed to have a mind of its own. But then, as she continued to stare, a look of revulsion on her own face, she caught sight of his eyes. Without thinking, she found herself talking to him. 'Why haven't I ever looked at your eyes?' Then, carrying on, without expecting a reply, 'They're so dark, almost black and yet I can still make out your pupils. What is it I see? Is it weariness? Are you tired? It's so hard to tell with that pale skin of yours. No, I think it's something else.' As they carried on walking, they began to enter the village. It was heading towards full moon, so the enchantment was starting to have a strong grip on the villages and their occupants. She saw the Baron's eyes dart from one tiny Snott to another. Soon they would be so small that they'd pretty much disappear. Then, Eller realised what it was she saw in those darting, dark eyes. The Baron was sad, sad for the little Snotts, some of whom had shrunk so much that, if the village hadn’t also shrunk with them, it would have taken them a long time to return to their homes.  Several times the Baron hesitated close to a mother and her child as if trying to work out what to do. The young girl was crying, and the mother looked tired.  'It couldn't be?' Eller found herself asking. 'Is it possible you're feeling sorry for them? That you actually want to help?' The words, once out of her mouth, seemed... Support this podcast