The Parable of One Arm George: SEASON ONE - EPISODE THREE

By Kevin Karmalade

The episode moves back and forth to Dirk’s tenement flat, as readers move in time to his past and then to the present. We are treated to several vignette-styled sketches of Dirk’s childhood and teens, showing how Dirk has been shaped. We meet Uncle George, who has had an accident at the Thallium Meatport. As a child, Dirk observed the way Uncle George was looked down upon and maligned after his accident.

Dirk lives with his intelligent partner – Natashca. He likes to control what she says or does. Dirk has turned out as an adult with manikin (object-relationship) dependencies. And an obsession, commenced in childhood, of washing the feet of others. Dirk stands at his ironing board. His past reflects upon him, as readers begin to comprehend the journey he has made in his life thus far.

The episode breaks to the next day. Lamb, Tristan and Dirk travel to the underground vaults of St. Dandy’s Cathedral. They are helping the Secular Party (personified by Commodore Petersen) to hatch a plan. They will tell the media what to tell the citizens about the horn-like sounds that have been originating in the night skies. A plan is formed under the archbishop’s leadership. They propose to confront what appear to be ‘super-natural’ noises, by marshalling the resources of St. Dandy’s Cathedral Hornsmen. They will attempt to ‘drown out’ the sounds in the night skies, over the Capital. It is an intense challenge for church and state co-operation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
• Release date: May 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781642376333

Book preview

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EPISODE THREE

The Parable of

One-Arm George

Natascha and Sherrie argue in the bathroom; Dirk’s early years; harvested in to the State Re-distribution Bureau; his adoption and stepfather’s sermons; Uncle George; his demise after the accident; George is prosecuted by the state; Dirk helps Natascha with her fascinator; underground in the vaults of St. Dandy’s Cathedral; the Commodore makes an appearance; Garibaldi’s plan to counter the sounds in the night skies; hornsmen prepare to play throughout the Capital. Dirk is overwhelmed being told to re-join the choir.

18 June 2027

In the corner of his small kitchenette, Dirk stooped to scoop the remains from a can into the bowl on the floor next to the washing machine and laundry sink.

I can’t stand it anymore! said the shrill voice.

He popped another piece of sliced bread into the toaster.

Well I can’t either—I’m leaving! said the other. Ivan had his nose in the bowl well before all the chunky jelly-meat could be deposited into it.

Good—go then! snapped the first one in a more high-pitched tone.

Ivan devoured the jelly-meat as though he was possessed by hunger itself. Dirk grinned as he tuned into the babbling coming from the bathroom. He knew it must have just passed 7:00 p.m. for Natascha to turn ON and default to the factory setting.

The squabbling continued, …I hate you! Well… I hate you more!

Dirk cuffuffed loudly, nearly choking on his toast. He could hear by the unravelling fuss, that Natascha had probably switched herself onto the ‘soap-opera’ setting.

Dirk turned the dial on his radio up.

…You’re listening to 91.8FM Radio Good Shepherd. Hi folks if you’ve just tuned in. Yep it’s Father Santamaria here—you all know me from the Loving Church of St. Dandy. I’m with you until midnight… Okay—we’ve got the forecast for the Capital and the Ganglands com’in up after this next tune...

Dirk strode down the hallway. He stopped at the bathroom door, smiling at the impassive face and glassy eyes of his companion. The radio was keeping him company in the background.

…Hi to all the good folks out there in the debt-camps… I’ll be visiting some of you next week—we’re thinking of you… Here’s a track. You all know this one. Don’t forget to call in for requests folks. You know the number… there’s a few slots left if you want me to play one tonight…

She possessed the intelligent eyes of a complex electronic consciousness he had only been able to tap the surface of. A Buckingham Power-Ace: ER Series III–dual personality manikin, she was programmed to argue directly with him, if he chose. But he’d decided not to explore this part of her automata yet. To him, their relationship did not need any emotional challenges like that to creep in. Hence he was happy for Natascha to argue with Sherrie, the ever-present third