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From Here Ever After	By : JokersGirl3 Category: A through F > Abarat Views: 1952 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Abarat and its characters belong to Clive Barker. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Babilonium
- 2-Blane
- 3-Pixler
- 4-Low
- 3
- 4
Celeste
and Blane made their way out of the tent and moved towards the little
wooden wagons that served as the backstage area and dressing rooms.
It was a bit disheartening for the girl from the Hereafter to see
only one person standing outside them, leaning indolently against the
smooth wood with his beefy arms crossed. He glared at her with one
eye, scowling.

“Move
along.” He grumbled before closing his eye again, apparently
dozing.

“But..”
Celeste stammered, suddenly and unaccountably nervous.

“But
what?” The big man demanded irritably, opening his eyes to
stare down at her and Blane.

“I..I
was wondering If..I could maybe..possibly get Mr. Bowie’s
autograph?” She asked tentatively, peering up at him with her
shoulders slightly hunched. To her surprise the big man’s eyes
widened andand he let out a laugh, shaking his head.

“Sure.
Why not. He doesn’t get many visitors.” He said,
motioning for them to follow. Celeste swallowed, her concern
deepening every moment. Blane gave her a little push to get her going
and they were soon standing outside a door with a faded gold leaf
star on it. Celeste watched, absently fiddling with her moonstone
ring, as the big man pulled a ring of keys from his pocket. She was
glad for the reassuring squeeze Blane gave her shoulder, but why
would the door be locked from the outside?

She had
little time to ponder this as the door swung open with a creak of
protest and she was ushered inside the little dressing room. She
started slightly as the door shut behind her. She heard the grate and
click of the lock and felt herself growing cold with anxiety. This
wasn’t right. She hugged herself, her pale blue eyes scanning
the room as she hovered by the doorway. There was a narrow bed
against one wall and a Vanity near the end of the little room. Bowie
himself sat in the chair in front of the vanity, his back to Celeste,
unmoving. It was like watching him in those final scenes of The Man
Who Fell to Earth, all despair and lethargy.

“Mr.
Bowie?” She asked tentatively, taking a small step forward. He
shifted slightly, running his hands over his face and muttering
softly. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but it didn’t
sound good. He was shaking his head as though in denial.

“Damn
cocaine. I’m clean. I swear..” She heard after a moment.
“I must be going insane in here.” His deep, dry voice was
laced with bitterness and despair and her concern only grew. He
raised his eyes to the ceiling as if seeking answers, or patience.
She couldn’t tell which, his thin lips continuing to move as he
muttered to himself.

And then
he froze, peering intently into the mirror with his mismatched eyes
before simultaneously leaping from his chair and whirling to regard
her, expression one of utter disbelief. Celeste blinked up at him,
at a loss for what to say as he grabbed her by the shoulders, his
grip surprisingly tight, as though to confirm she was really there.
His face was etched with lines and he looked more tired than she
expected. It was nothing like TV and album covers and magazines.

“What
happened?” She asked before she could stop herself, her eyes
searching his face. He wasn’t old, not yet, but he wasn’t
a young man any longer either. He blew a low sigh and released her,
righting his chair and motioning for her to sit as he sank down on
the edge of his little cot. Despite his melancholy he seemed grateful
for an audience, or at least one that would listen.

“I
was going to perform in Chickentown for my new tour, the one
promoting Reality.” He began, his voice low, urgent. Celeste
nodded for him to continue, her pale eyes locked on his. He offered
another small smile and gripped her hands in both of his. “And
I heard some interesting stories about room nineteen and the
disappearance of this girl-”

“Candy
Quackenbush.” Celeste said with a nod. She knew the tale well
enough. Candy had been in her class.

He
nodded. “Yes. Candy Quackenbush, and all the strange things
that showed up in that field after she had vanished, and the smell of
the sea in Minnesota.” He paused and flashed a self mocking
smile. “You probably know I’m known for being strange,
and I love strange things.” He admitted.

“I
never would have guessed.” She said with a touch of humor. “So,
you went past the widow white’s house to see?” She
prompted. She knew very well that was what half the town had done.
He nodded in reply.

“There
was an old lighthouse, nearly collapsed and what I swear to you was a
jetty.” He confirmed, and she believed him, having seen both
herself. “And just as I made it to the edge of the jetty, I saw
it. The sea. And the boat. It came up so fast, I was nearly swept
away. I thought I’d drown for certain, but I was pulled on
board the ship.”

He bowed
his head a moment and gave it a little disbelieving shake. Celeste
could see a few grey hairs in his fashionably shaggy blond mane.

“They
seemed to know who I was, or at least were interested. Anyway, it
didn’t turn out to be a good thing. The next thing I knew I was
tied up and brought here. If I don’t perform I don’t eat,
and they never let me out.” He fell silent, his gaze back on
hers. She felt an odd kinship with him, knowing he was just as lost
and bewildered as she was. He was probably more so. At least she had
someone to tell her what she needed to know.

“And
now they’re getting angry with me because the crowds don’t
like me much.” He admitted. She gave his hands a reassuring
squeeze.

“I
like you.” She said softly. “I’ve got all your
albums and most of your movies.”

He
seemed a bit amused by this. “All of them?” He asked with
an arched eyebrow. “Even Low?”

“Even
Low. I wanted the original soundtrack to The Man Who Fell To Earth.”
She said with a touch of pride. He chuckled, his spirits seeming to
lift slightly. “And I have a friend. She’s a pirate, she
even has a ship. We’ll think of a way to get you out of here. I
promise.”

He
leaned back slightly, expression skeptical. “You’re not
kidding? You really think you could?”

She
nodded. She didn’t know how, but she had to get him out of
here, back to the Hereafter and his family. Before she could react
his face had split into a wide smile and he had pulled her into a
fierce embrace. He was so thin! She returned the hug, astonished to
see how slight he really was. He was nearly as slender as she!

“There’s
one more thing.” He said as he finally released her. They were
standing again and she was getting ready to leave, to convince Blane
to help her cause once more.

“What?”
She querried.

“I’m
not alone. There’s another man, a magician, next door who got
here not long after me. Will you help him too?” He watched her
with those mismatched eyes, no trace of merriment on his angular
face. She nodded. She couldn’t leave anyone to a fate like
this.

“Of
course.”
- 3
- 4
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From Here Ever After