CCC #108 - Voting Thread

Basic Revenge

Catherine Tramell was one of those crime novelists that you couldn't resist. Any man would want to go out with her. In fact, one of them had turned out to be dead. A police detective named Nick Curran who used to have sex with her, had been found lying on the bed after being stabbed with an ice pick. The other police officers were truly baffled about the case, and they had no current leads on the killings, or who was responsible for them. However, a journalist was on the case, ever since it got dropped from the face of the public eye. He couldn't believe that the police would give up on finding the Ice-Pick Killer. So far, there were no other killings being reported on sight. But that doesn't mean the journalist wouldn't investigate the case. His boss had warned him to stay out of it, but it turned out to be personal. After all, he was Nick Curran's brother.

Jake Curran stepped inside his old brother's apartment. For a long time, he was jealous of the fact that Nick had turned out to be one of the finest detectives in the police force. He always wanted to be one. But he figured that being a police officer wouldn't cut out for him. Instead, he became a news journalist after graduating from college. He recalled the times that he exposed the crimes back then, and how he became a hero. It was tough work. Maybe, Nick had found out about his achievements by reading the daily newspapers. Who knows? Usually, he and Jake had never spoken much. Was it because of resentment or the fact they were too busy on their jobs? There was one time, Nick called his younger brother that he met a blonde woman during the investigation, and that he planned to spend the rest of his life with her. Jake couldn't believe it. Nick was one of those busiest types, who never had a chance to hang out with a real woman. But it was true. Nick had been seeing someone. And look how that turned out.

Now, Jake stood before the bed, wondering who had killed his older brother. He could imagine it was that blonde woman, Nick had mentioned about. How does he know this? Probably, his gut told him so. He looked around the apartment to look for any clues that the police had missed out or anything. So far, there was none. He sighed and walked out of the apartment.

A phone was beeping inside his pocket. Jake fished it out and answered, "Yes?" Waiting for the reply, a woman's voice spoke on the other end of the line. "Hello, Jake."

Jake looked around the place and then at the apartment. He said, "Who... Who is this?" The woman didn't answer him. She continued, "You're trying to find me. Aren't you?" Jake gulped and then spoke angrily on the phone. "Now you listen here! Whoever you are, I'll find you. You hear me? I will do it!" He paused for the moment and then asked, "How did you get my number?" But the woman hanged up.

Damn it! Jake became so furious that he wanted to kill her. But he had to find out where she was. He hoped that he could track her down, but the caller ID was unknown, and there was no number on it. He went back to his car, and drove towards the night.

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Jake had seen it all. He didn't know where he was. But then he realized that he was still in Nick's apartment. Was it a dream? He hoped not. Because he cared a lot about his dear brother, even though there were times that Jake wanted to step ahead of him. He saw the fiery moment in Nick's eyes, focusing on the mysterious, blonde woman. The police detective was having sex with her. Jake tried to see her face, but it was blurry. Then he noticed something underneath the bed. It was an ice pick. The blonde woman picked it up, and then constantly stabbed Nick on the chest.

Jake screamed and woke up from the car. He had been driving for too long that he couldn't even remember where he had just parked. It turned out to be some bar, which he probably walked out from. He felt something that got bulged inside his pants. He never thought that kind of dream would give him a hard-on. Since when he got laid after his girlfriend broke up with him? It didn't matter to Jake anyways. All it mattered right now, was that he had to find out the killer's identity. He knew it was a woman alright. There was no doubt about it. He also had to know whom he was dealing with. After all, he wasn't foolish enough to hang out with a wrong woman. Well, he thought his girlfriend had been the right woman all along. But he wasn't there for her. His past assignments have prevented him from doing so, and that his girlfriend would clearly understand it. Plus, it wasn't his fault. He had to get out of the country for a while to get the latest scoop on the dangerous crimes of human history. What else was new in this cruel world? Jake had been through tough times already. When he came back, he found out that his brother was dead.

Jake opened the car, and stood in front of the bar. He thought, Did I just go to this bar? He couldn't remember. He must have been drunk not to remember anything, even after he had dozed off inside his car. He gave his own breath on the hand, and realized that he didn't drink for a while. Which means...

"Hey pal. You're coming in?" A bartender just opened the entrance door, after noticing that the young man stood there for a while. Jake looked at him, and replied, "Um... Yeah." The bartender shook his head. "If you wanna drink, I'll give you one. But it's getting late. Better hurry." Jake nodded and followed the bartender inside the bar. Then the bartender went back to his regular duties. There was a blonde woman sitting on a stool, and having a glass of red wine. She was the only customer since Jake walked in. He looked at her, and then slowly sat besides her.

"Long night," the blonde woman said. "You must be awfully tired." She smiled at him, and then took a sip of her drink. Jake didn't say anything much. He just looked at her, and noticed the long, smooth legs below her red dress. She crossed her legs. Jake gulped at the sight of it. He could have sworn that she wasn't wearing an underwear and thought, Jesus Christ! He looked back at the bartender, and ordered himself a drink. The bartender nodded. A couple of seconds later, Jake received a glass of beer.

"Thanks," he said. He looked at his beer, but didn't feel like drinking it. He wanted to make sure that this woman, who was sitting besides him, was the Ice-Pick Killer. He remembered Nick telling him that he met a blonde woman during the investigation of the Ice-Pick Killer case. But he didn't give her name.

"What's your name?" Jake asked her. The woman looked at him, and just smiled. "Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, well. For one thing, you seem to be lonely here. I figured that you need someone to talk with."

"I see." The blonde woman took another sip of her drink. "Is that why you came here?"

He thought, No, bi***. I came here to make sure that you're the Ice-Pick Killer. He laughed. "Let's just say it's a coincidence. A lonely guy walks into a bar, and meets a beautiful woman like you."

This time, the blonde woman laughed. "Oh, that's how it is. Well then... you must be really desperate to find a woman for yourself. Tell me... Would you like to go out tonight with me?"

"Sure, why not. This could be my last day. I may never come here again."

"Hmm... What you do for a living?"

"Freelance work." Jake started his drink.

"Freelance?"

"Yep. Can't tell you much though. What about you?"

"I'm a writer."

"Oh, I see." He continued his drink. "What do you write?"

She just said, "Crime," and drank the rest of her wine. She placed the cash on the counter. Then she got up, looking at him. "You coming?"

Jake nodded, and finished his drink. He thought, Hmm... She must be Catherine Tramell, the crime novelist that I keep hearing about. Does she know who I really am? He read some of her novels, but apparently there were no photos of her at the back. Not to mention, her website didn't have them. Jake wanted to laugh and thought, Maybe, she liked to keep her true identity a secret. Must be those crazy fans out there, probably stalking her. He paid for the drink, and then followed her.

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Cold sweat kept dripping over his forehead. He never thought that this night would come. The blonde woman had been riding him over and over again. He figured that this was the only way to know that the woman was the Ice-Pick Killer. And the same woman who called him earlier on his phone. He also figured that Catherine must have found out that Nick had a younger brother, and that he was working as a journalist. Yes, he could feel the strong sensations coming from her. They were both at his apartment. Jake was waiting for something. An ice pick. He closed his eyes, thinking that this woman will pick out the weapon underneath the bed, and then stab him on the chest. But it didn't happen. He groaned, and then stopped.

"My God..." The blonde woman breathed very hard, and looked down at Jake. She said, "You really are something. You know that?"

"Where's the ice pick?"

The blonde woman became confused. "The what?"

Jake said it again, "The ice pick." He pushed her away from the bed and looked down under. "Damn it! Where is it?"

The woman looked at him angrily. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know you're hiding it. You used that ice pick to kill my brother. And you were going to kill me."

"Are you serious? You expect me to kill you? And no, I didn't kill your brother. What are you... On drugs?"

"Don't lie to me. You're her. Aren't you? You're that crime novelist."

"Oh, for crying out loud. There are other women who writes crime fiction too, you know. I'm not the only one." She shook her head, and quickly got dressed.

"You're not going anywhere!" Jake shouted at her. "I know the look on your face. The moment I walked in the bar and saw you. I knew it had to be you. You were waiting for me. Right? And you called me on my phone."

The blonde woman looked at him as if he was crazy. "You're nuts! I'm calling the police." She grabbed her phone on the side table, and was about to dial 911 when Jake took it away from her. Then he threw it on the floor. The woman screamed. Jake grabbed her hair, and pushed her down on the floor. "This is for my brother, Catherine." He choked her.

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Jake found himself in the jail cell. He tried to tell the police that it was Catherine Tramell, who had killed his brother. But they didn't believe him. Not even the superiors, who knew Nick Curran too well. And if that wasn't enough, Jake had been told that the woman wasn't Catherine the famous crime novelist, and even if it were, she wouldn't kill Nick Curran in the first place. Jake was so confused that he must have made a mistake. He was so sure of it that it was Catherine that he met back in the bar. He thought, So much for my journalistic instinct. There goes my career.

However, a visitor had requested to meet Jake privately. Jake was now sitting on the chair, facing across the glass window, and waiting for his visitor. He thought, It must be my ex-girlfriend. Who else wanted to meet him? But it wasn't her. It turned out to be a blonde woman whom he have never met before.

The woman smiled at the former journalist and said, "Hello, Jake. My name is Catherine Tramell. Nice to meet you."

The End.

Note- Jake Curran is an original character and the brother of Nick Curran who supposedly was killed at the end of Basic Instinct.

Our Princess?

The sun brightly shown through the window into the large room. A room gathered by nobles and servants for the exclusive event of the century. The wedding of the princess of their lands and the prince from a faraway kingdom. A union made for cohesion between kingdoms with tensions about a war. This would be their saving grace. She would be their savior.

She didn’t care about all that. She hardly knew any of them. What mattered were her father walking her down the aisle, her mother sitting up front waiting for her father to join her, and her aunts watching from above. What mattered most to her though was the man of her dreams. Literally. She had seen him in her thoughts growing up. She met him in the forest where they talked for hours about nothing and everything.

“Alright, my darling, Aurora. Make us all proud”, her father whispered before kissing her cheek. He then returned to his seat by her mother and the king and queen of Phillip‘s kingdom. It’s name? She couldn’t remember....but it doesn’t matter. He was there and he looked......The same......as he did when they first arrived.....did he...even change clothes....or did he have multiples of the same......

“You look absolutely magical”, he said to her as she walked in front of him.

”Thank you. You....look.....”, she hesitated. Did he even try? Thankfully, she didn’t need to finish though, since the priest started the ceremony.

”Citizens from far and wide! We are gathered here for the coming together of young love. Where they were apart all their lives, love won over-“

”Pardon. If you don’t mind, I would like to hear words from him”, Aurora asked politely. Yet, the act caused a gasp from the crowd, causing her to look around worriedly. “Did I....say something wrong?”

”Uh, n-no, of course not your majesty. That is perfectly acceptable”, he stumbled briefly before gaining his composure. After mumbling a complaint about a memo beforehand about this drifting from the script, he turns to Phillip. “You may start young man.”

”....Yes. Um, what kinds of things would like to hear?”, he asked her, not quite expecting to be put on the spot beyond vowing to marry.

“Anything you feel from the heart? About me. About us. Tell our whole world why you love me so”, Aurora said dreamily.

”Right. Ahem”, he says before taking a moment to compose his demeanor like his father taught him in his room.

High up to the rafters, floating above the union. The three Fairy Godmothers look worriedly at the two.

”Oh dear. What are we to do, Flora?”

”What do you mean, Fauna? What can we do? It’s her wedding.”

”But, she’s spoken up to the Priest before he could finish!”, the green fairy said worriedly.

“Well, I don’t see what the big deal is. She has not disagreed or halted the wedding. She just steering away from tradition a bit”, the blue fairy, Merryweather, said with her arms crossed.

“Tradition that we neglected to prepare her for because we were too busy trying to keep the secret of her being a princess to even Rose herself”, the pink fairy said regretfully as she looked on.

“Well, I say the issue falls on the boy’s shoulders. He’s clamming up when he should be saying all the things wonderful about her”, Merryweather said.

“I’m sorry. Perhaps I did put you on the spot, Phillip. Let me go first.....As a girl, I always looked out my window daydreaming about my prince. Before I even knew I was a princess-“

This caused the crowd to mumble to each other.

”She didn’t know she was a princess?”

”Kind of a slow one, if you ask me.”

”Maybe the caretakers never educated her the difference between a princess and a commoner?”

King Stefan looked worriedly at the assembly before looking back to his daughter, whose focus was entirely on Phillip. The kingdom was aware the princess was in hiding, but had not considered the background she’d come from when she had come back. Appearances were everything to these people. Though she was beautiful, it was clear that her mannerisms did not reflect her peers.

“Those dreams led me to you as they had led you to me. And, oh, what a magical day that time we had together in the forest was”, Aurora said vaguely.

That caused more gasps and murmuring to take place.

“I beg your pardon?”, the Priest asked suddenly.

”Oh no, nothing like that. We were just talking that day”, Phillip piped up nervously.

”Oh we did more than that”, she said dreamily. The murmur’s kept going until she finally described what it was that had happened. “We danced as the forest animals followed us into the forest. My only friends ensuring he was truly the one. And he did. He talked to me about all sorts of things, like his travels across kingdoms. Learning so much from different cultures. His father and how strong of an impact he had on his life. And I felt....safe. Like we’d known each other our whole lives. He swept me completely off me feet”, she said finally.

”And...that was all you did, child?” the priest asked with an eyebrow raised.

”Yes. The day unfortunately was far too short to spend anymore time. Was too bad really. I really wanted him to met my aunts that day for dinner”, the Princess said, still not noticing the concerned looks on the parents or the judgmental looks of everyone watching on.Yet, seeing how earnest she was acting and how oblivious she was, the priest deemed the situation acceptable to conclude to be as Phillip had said.

“Well, dear, that sounded like quite the lovely day you had. He sounded like he was a perfect gentleman”, the priest said.

”Oh quite. I can only fathom the days when we are married together for the rest of our live....In sorry, Father, I never asked your name”, Aurora said turning to the priest.

”Father Ivory, child. So, I surmise that is all you had to say to your beloved?”, Ivory asked her.

“Yes, Father Ivory. I am ready to move on”, she says, pleased with herself for expressing exactly what she felt aloud.

“In that case, Phillip, it is your turn to say what you have to say before we continue”, Ivory said to the man, who took a breath realizing it was over.

“Right.....My Love, Aurora, you are everything I did not expect.....yet, I couldn’t hope for any better. That day I heard your voice, you lured me in like the tales of Siren’s I’ve heard about. Then, seeing you dancing with the animals....I could not help but be jealous that I wasn’t the one having fun with you. It felt so easy to talk to you. To tell you about myself. I was ready to abandon the idea of marrying this fabled princess Aurora for who I thought you were. Imagine my surprise when the wicked Maleficent told me the girl I’d fallen had been the one I was destined to marry. Even while chained to that dark and dank cell, with that hideous monster smiling at me, I was renewed. I had to see you again. Now....both of ours dreams are about to be fulfilled”, he said.

“That was perfect”, she responded with a sigh of adoration.

“My, it sounds like you two had eventful lives....well, you did, good sir. You are quite well-rested, which has done wonders for your skin I might add”, the Priest chuckled.

”Oh, it’s over”, Flora wiped her forehead under her large hat as the ceremony continued.

“That was quite the declaration Aurora made”, Fauna said as she took a deep breath in relief.

“Oh, you two are just worried over nothing. I had complete faith in her and she was raised”, Merry weather waved dismissively to them.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Long live Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora!!!”

Cheers filled the hall as the two shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

As such with any wedding, the celebration continued as the Prince and Princess continued with tradition of cutting the cake, having their first dance, and greeting the different guests.

“That was a lovely ceremony, your majesty. And may I say, you look exquisite. No one here can match your beauty with the most expensive dress, dare I say”, one duke said to her.

“Thank you, good sir. I just wanted to express the things I never got to say to him after waking up. After all, once he had awoken me, he took me straight to the ballroom where my parents waited for me. Then it was days of quick preparation for our marriage. Being away was....hard”, she said as she leaned on his shoulder.

“Well, may There be many days together for you two with many children”, he wished before moving on for the next guests.

Before they could continue, Aurora then noticed a guard coming to her father and whispering something to him that caused him to furrow his brow in worry. He nodded and spoke a few words before turning to his wife, who presumably asked what was wrong.

“Well, well, well. If it isn‘t the darling couple!” Merryweather said as she flew up to Aurora to hug her, a gesture she returned eagerly.

”Aunt Merryweather! I’m so glad you‘re hear! I wanted you to meet-“

”I, uh, know Aurora. They were the ones who had helped me save you from Maleficents curse. Remember?”, Phillip interrupted before she could finish the introduction.

“Yes. We were quite astonished at the great coincidence, yet relieved that we wouldn’t have an unknown suitor challenge your union”, Flora expressed.

“I wouldn’t blame any man for doing so had they met her. I know I would have fought an entire kingdom for your hand if necessary. Things just work out, though”, Phillip shrugged as he held her hand.

”Speaking of Maleficent....Are you sure she is gone?”, Aurora asked.

“Yes. I made sure of it, my love. She was incredibly tough, not just for her power, but for the legions of monsters guarding throughout her castle”, Phillip said recounting the dangers he had to bypass with the fairies help.

“Monsters? You slayed her monsters and Maleficent?”, she asked astonishingly.

”Uh, no. I simply escaped and Maleficent followed. She is dead”, Phillip assured her.

“But.......”

”What is it, Rose?”, Fauna asked.

Aurora looked back to her father who was smiling at her, though not quite as brightly as before. The realization dawning on her causing her to swiftly walk towards him with Phillip and the fairies following behind her with questions.

“What is it dear? Is something wrong?”

”Father, what did that guard tell you?”, Aurora asked.

“Nothing for you to worry about my dear”, he said putting his hands comfortably on her shoulders.

“It’s Maleficent’s minions. Isn’t it?”, Aurora answered, which shocked him of her perceptive nature. “How did?”

”What is going on?”, Phillip asked her.

“A guard came to Father and told him something worrying. It has something to do with Maleficents minions”, Aurora explains.

”Killing the wicked fairy didn’t scare the creatures away I’m afraid, Phillip. It’s made them angry. They have been seen around the walls of the castle. There is belief they have left her castle for the forest to ready an attack on our kingdom”, King Stefan reveals with a sigh.

”Nothing our armies can work together in dealing with, Stefan”, Phillips father said as he sipped his wine.

”Father, are you planning on killing them?”, Aurora asked.

“Of course. They played a hand in helping Maleficent‘s plans before. They deserve nothing but the harshest punishments”, King Stefan declared to her.

”But.....isn’t it our fault? We did offend Maleficent and her minions are reacting accordingly to her death“, Aurora offered.

”You need not worry so much about this. They will not come to harm you if any of us have to say about it. We just got you back and will do whatever it takes to keep you safe”, Stefan to her.

”Right”, Aurora said, uncertain about how things will go.

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*The Garden; the next day*

“Rose, what are you doing out here?”, Fauna asked walking up to the Princess out the fountain.

”And where is Phillip. This is basically your Honeymoon time. You two should be attached at the hip”, Mereyweather said looking around.

“He and our fathers needed to discuss the situation regarding Maleficent’s hordes. Apparently they have all come out of the woodwork, angry about her death”, Aurora explains.

”I suppose it cannot be helped”, Flora said sympathetically.

”But we’ll be happy to keep you company, if you’d like, dear” Fauna said as she hovered to her and date beside her.

”Aunt Fauna....why is it you all never taught me magic?”, Aurora asked her after she sat down.

”We were undercover dear. Attention would have been drawn to us had we started using magic. As far as you and anyone was concerned, we were just normal human aunts raising their adoptive niece”, Flora explained for Fauna.

”But why? Would it not be better to prepare me for anything that could happen?”, Aurora asked.

”Perhaps, but we were unfortunately correct about the deal with magic. It’s how Phillip was captured after you were put to sleep“, Fauna said.

”Maleficent was determined that her curse be enacted before your sixteenth birthday. We could not spare your safety for anything”, Flora explained further.

”.....What about now? Can you teach me anything that could help protect me?”, Aurora asked.

”Why would you need to, dear? You are fully protected around these walls and we will always be here to keep you safe”, Fauna said as she touched Aurora’s hand.

The young woman looked back at the reflection in the water of her as she remembered going down the dark corridors, led by a beautiful light leading her further and further in. The calls of her aunt’s haunting the back of her mind.

”Rose?”

Aurora snapped back to reality as she wiped a tear away.

”Whatever is the matter dear?”

”I....I’m sorry. I guess I....am having more trouble than I thought, processing it all”, Aurora admitted ashamed. That was when Merryweathwr pulled Flora aside.

”Perhaps we could show her a thing or two, Flora. After all, Maleficent did-“

”Don’t you start! I remember exactly what happened. I meant it what I said that night...”, Flora said as her voice was starting to break.

”What did you say?”, Aurora asked, overhearing Flora’s outburst.

”She felt guilty when you fell asleep, Aurora. She blamed herself for the failure”, Fauna said.

”The fact of the matter is, Flora, we can’t always protect her. She is grown and has to learn to be a ruler for the best of her kingdom. We will always be there when we can, but eventually, there will be times when’s he has to handle things on her own”, Mereyweather said continuing the conversation they were having.

”What do you suppose we teach her? We can only cast magic that brings happiness”, Flora said.

”And who was happy the night we helped Phillip slay Maleficent! We gave him the tools to Storm her castle and then slay her with a sword blessed by our power!”, Merryweather said.

“.....Flora, I....think Merryweather is right. Suppose someone as terrible as Maleficent comes”, Fauna said.

”Very well”, Flora said wiping her eyes. “We shall take this time we have for ourselves to teach you some things. Since you are already filled with our magic blessing you from your christening, we shall give you three more gifts that will allow you to cast your magic.”

”Will it hurt?”, Aurora asked.

”Oh no, sweetie! Our magic is always to help and bring joy primarily. Even when we fought Maleficent, it was for the good of the kingdom and your life”, Fauna said as she looked between Aurora and the two others.

“Fauna is right“, Flora said as she pulled out her wand. “Thereby, I shall start. For your wedding gift, I bless you with full access to the realm of magic, so long as it is for good, you shall have no trouble casting your heart’s desire, so long as it stays pure.”

As Flora’s pink magic dust fell over the princess, the sparkles and dust swirled above Aurora’s palm in a tube-like shape until it form a smooth yellow stick that sparkled on the tip. A magic wand of her own, much like her aunt’s.

”Are you sure this is alright, Aunt Flora?”, she asked worriedly.

“You were right before about the need to protect yourself in the end Aurora. I will make good on my word about protecting you as best I could, but should any of us fail, you will not be so powerless as you once were”, Flora said confidently to her niece.

“Yes, dear. Now, hold still. It is now my turn. For your wedding present, my gift shall be an aura of peace for our dear Princess Aurora. Even with your kindness and generosity, you will may across beings as powerful as Maleficent, so we are taking steps ahead of them to bring you to placate them and block their magic, at least for a time so long as you exert your will”, Fauna said. As the green dust fell over Aurora, the wand sparkled again to mimic the colors surrounding Aurora.

“Get ready, Aurora, because your favorite Aunt‘s turn”, Merryweather said as she pulled her sleeve back a bit.

“I really do appreciate everything you all have done for me. Perhaps I won’t necessarily need it in the end, but I feel safer than I have ever before”, Aurora said.

”I am glad because you are once more containing the three of our power within you. Power from when you were but a babe and now power to add to you. Enough to slay even the mighty dragon, Maleficent, before“, Merryweather said as her wand began to sparkle and glow with blue.

“Okay. I’m ready”, Aurora said as she stood straight.

”Sweet Princess, you were given such a great responsibility you were never prepared for. Not more than ever will the trials become harder with magic available. The power to manipulate the fabric of reality by the will of your heart and mind. My gift to you is this, that the magic recognize your authority. For it is life manipulated by us. Wild and powerful in all its glory. Yet, not that it comes easy, but that it not harm you with its fickle nature”, Merryweather said as the blue dust fell over her.

“Aurora.”

Aurora turned to the voice as the Prince searched the gardens to look for his wife.

”Phillip! Over here!”, she said running to him.

”I just came here for an impromptu farewell”, Phillip said sorrowfully.

”What? But-“

”I’m sorry. Things appeared worse than my father had predicted. I need to go with my father to our kingdom to rally more troops to defend your kingdom”, Phillip said.

”When will you be back?”

”A couple of weeks minimum, hopefully. Be safe for me?”, Phillip asked her.

”Of course. I’m not going anywhere until your return”, she said with brave smile, more than how she felt.

”Thank you, my love. I won’t be long!” he said as he hurried off.

”.........At least we got a chance to say good-bye this time”, Aurora said

”Your Highness”, a guard came up.

”Yes?”

”The King and Queen request your audience with them”, he responds dutifully.

”Of course. Can my aunts attend as well?”

”Only at your behest, your Majesty.”

”Right. Come along, girls”, Flora said as the girls cast their magic to appear as red, green, and blue lights flying even in the day.

*****************************
Fin?

Hello. My name is Vincent Kwan, producer, and welcome to the DVD commentary of Revenge of the Dragon: The Unfinished Sequel to Enter The Dragon.

What you’re seeing here is what the second unit shot in Singapore, which is doubling for Florida. Peter Archer, who plays Parsons, didn’t really want to reprise his role but when told his character was going to be killed and it would be three days of shooting, he agreed.

The reason Peter sounds different from when he was in Enter The Dragon, is because he’s using his real voice and isn’t dubbed like the first film.

See that shadow shot, that was actually the second unit director, Chaplin Chang, standing in for Jim Kelly. This was actually the first part of the movie to be shot, coincidentally it was the opening piece of the film.

Wide shot of ninjas…those costumes were made by locals.

So, this next bit is cobbled together stills and home movie footage as Bruce liked to film rehearsals, good thing he did. The idea for this scene was to have Jim Kelly and John Saxon fight on the roof, the reveal of Jim being a cyborg and him knocking John off the building into the pool. We had Circus Circus in Las Vegas lined up to let us film there but as we all know…anyway look at John with his silly moustache. John is actually an accomplished martial artist in his own right and was part of the reason he was originally cast in Enter The Dragon, along with him being a well known actor.

Oh, I love this bit! It’s the only footage of Jim & John going at it. It’s like thirty seconds but man…the whole thing would’ve been amazing; their talent, Bruce’s choreography.

These next few minutes are again the second unit filming shots of Hong Kong…nothing that impressive unless you like chopper shots…

So, this is again behind the scenes footage shot by, I think, Linda Lee as you all know was Bruce’s wife. That’s Bruce with Jackie Chan in a headlock…Jackie was brought back for Revenge of The Dragon because in Enter The Dragon, Bruce cracked Jackie in the head with a stick and made a promise that whatever film Bruce worked on, Jackie had a role. So that’s Jim Kelly with Angela Mao who reprised her role from Enter…there’s me…wow, I’m fat! Orange, what was I thinking?

So, Revenge of the Dragon was planned for a July release in 74, almost a year to the day after Enter. We had been given a five-million-dollar budget which was insane, but Bruce made us give back most of it. His reasoning was if we could make the first one on 850 thousand, then we could do the sequel for double. It was honourable but considering the extra cast members we hired, and that I was the producer, got it to three million.

Okay, that’s Raymond Chow talking with Joe Lewis…and if you want to freeze it and go back you can see in the back on the right that’s Steve McQueen and James Coburn doing cocaine. They thought they couldn’t be seen…actors!

This is Joe Lewis’ screen test. He was asked personally by Bruce to be in both Enter & Revenge but was busy for Enter. Bruce regarded Joe as one of the best fighters ever, possibly even better than him.

This shot of Nora Miao running along the beach was I think for a chase scene. We only shot her running away from the camera man…can’t remember why though…it’s a bit weird isn’t it?

Wide shot of ninjas…I think that was the same day as Nora’s scene on the beach? Not sure…

This is Bruce warming up.

This is Bruce warming up with Jim Kelly…did you know that they never cross paths in Enter the Dragon? It was thanks to this film that Jim got Black Belt Jones and several other blaxploitation films. He did very well, massive in Hong Kong, great guy.

Shots of Bruce rewriting the script.

Um this is some cars…no idea what this is really.

Another wide shot of ninjas…those costumes were made by locals.

John Saxon doing pushups…John Saxon doing pushups with Bruce standing on him…

This bit is…

Sorry this bit is hard for me to watch, as I was there that day on set. It was going to be huge. Okay as you can see its Joe Lewis, Jim Kelly, and Bruce…this is that last film appearance. Oh boy…okay, so as you can see, they’re working out the choreography. The scene was the Bruce tracked Williams, Jim’s character, back to the Red Sea Lion headquarters to find that Williams is being controlled by Kilmen, played by Joe. Bruce takes them both on. Notice the ground at their feet doesn’t have mats or anything like the rest of the set. So, as they block the scene, Robert Clouse has a few words to Joe…don’t recall what he said even though I’m standing right next to them…anyway…well I’ll…

Sorry, it still gets me after all these years. So as Joe goes high and Jim goes low, Bruce spins like a top. Now if they’d done the stunt three feet to the left, he’d probably be still alive. But Bruce flipped and smacked his head on the concrete. Now everyone rushes in, but Bruce being Bruce walks off the injury and they replay the scene two more times, see! The coroner said that the initial impact is what triggers the swelling that kills Bruce later that evening. Anyway, look at Bruce…that’s the last filmed moment of him as he’s walked back to his trailer with Linda…it’s almost like a Western as he walks off into the sunset. I’m sorry, can you excuse me.

___

Lee Jun-fan, better known to the world as Bruce Lee, died on the 1st of February 1974. The coroner rules it to be a traumatic brain injury caused by an occipital condylar fracture when his head hit the concrete during a fight scene.

He was 33.

Notes

Vincent Kwan is my fictional person

Revenge of the Dragon was the name of another martial arts movie from 1977

Steve McQueen & James Coburn never did cocaine together as far as I know

Bruce Lee actually died on the 20th of July, 1973 in Kowloon, Hong Kong of a cerebral edema caused by an allergic reaction to a headache tablet. He was 32.

Turns out my partner actually knows Peter Archer's daughter! He passed away in 2000

Most of the people mentioned in this piece are fictionalised versions of the real people who starred in Enter The Dragon, you can IMDB them if you wish.

Eric Draven

In the pit where all souls go for a time was an area for Crow-Souls, souls that had been brought up by the Crow and had sought vengeance in this world. Many of you may think these Crow-Souls are at peace, but while they are satisfied with the revenge they achieved they are still greatly troubled. Eric's state was getting more and more fitful, the dreaming that emanated from him was nightmarish and it was causing those Crow-Souls who surrounded him to suffer. A Crow came and carried him to the place where souls waited for vengeance. Soon it would be his turn again to seek retribution, or so it seemed.

The Crow pecked Eric Draven's cracked grave stone in the Detroit cemetery. It was the night before Halloween, Devil's night. It had been 27 years since The Crow had last sat there.

The earth beneath The Crow began to move. The great strength that is given to Crow-Souls meant that Eric could burst out of his grave through the six feet of soil that covered him. This time Eric knew what was happening, though he didn't know why.

A dove flew over, Eric hadn't yet gotten out of his grave when he looked up unable to keep his eyes off of it. He watched the dove turn back toward him and land next to the Crow on his gravestone. Love filled his heart. He felt Joy at being one with his fiancé Shelly Webster in the underworld. He felt fatherly love for Sarah, the young girl he and Shelly had helped all those years ago. And that's when it hit him; a flood of memories of Sarah's prayers for him and to him while he was dead. She had prayed for Him everyday since he had gone back into the underworld and she had told him all about her life. And then finally Eric remembered her presence joining the underworld, She had died.

Eric felt that he would search out her life and feel what it was like to be her. He would touch the things she had touched and see what she saw.

The dove flew off to a street light and waited for Eric to work out that he should follow. From street light to street light the dove led Eric to the place where Sarah lived. The Crow took the rear.

Eric climbed the fire escape and entered Sarah's apartment through a window. It was nice and bright and clean. A wholesome feel except for the area around her stereo where there were pictures of him and his band "Hangman's Joke". There were also pictures of him as a crow-soul. Eric felt the darkness of his past more intensely than ever. He didnt feel that he could live in such darkness anymore. Thoughts of himself and how he had changed brought him to a mirror. He had been resurrected with his sorrowful makeup, the image of his last incarnation. "Put on a happy face." he quipped to himself in the mirror.

Sarah's apartment didn't look like it was going to be disturbed anytime soon. It seemed as though no one was immediately missing her. After a while of taking in the atmosphere of Sarah's home Eric sat on Sarah's bed and picked up her diary. Images flashed in his mind of Sarah taking two young brothers to a shelter to be fed. Sarah worked there serving poor and messed up people. He automatically opened to the page from weeks prior where Sarah wrote about the boys.

"I think these little guys are being used by the local scum. I dont want to think about how they are being used but i often see them leaving the building where those assholes live. I have a plan to take them and give them a home in the country. I may have found a couple who will take them."

Eric checked the notes near the phone. One note with a phone number read "Harry and Brenda. Lexington." Eric dialled the number. "Hello is that Brenda? .....Yes my name is Eric I work with Sarah at the homeless shelter... I'm wondering if you have come to a final decision regarding the two boys we have here? ....Oh that's wonderful news. I can have them to you by trick or treat time tomorrow. Fantastic bye bye now.

The dove appeared at the window to guide Eric to the building where the boys seemed to live. Eric entered the building. Two large men stood in his way before he even entered the stairway. "Wrong building weirdo!" said the larger of the two men as he placed his hand on Eric's shoulder. Eric placed his palm on the hand and spoke to the large man. "You love art, classic art." The big man had a surprised look on his face. "You used to paint when you were a boy and now if you really look at art, it makes you cry." The slightly smaller big guy was looking at his counterpart with curious amusement. The bigger guy was struck dumb but slight embarrassment could be detected in his face. "Your father didn't allow you to honestly express yourself. He burned your paintings and told you that you couldn't be a man if you were an artist." The slightly smaller man was spooked and he swung at Eric with his fist. Eric parried the blow and directed his attacker into a wall. Then he put his hand on the chest of the big man and said "Receive inspiration.". The big man fell down on his knees in tears. The slightly smaller man held his hands up waving them and saying "Don't you come anywhere near me with that shit." and he ran off out of the building. Eric began walking up the stairs to the first floor. He heard screaming in the first apartment and he quietly walked in. Two more men were beating and abusing a woman. Unnoticed, Eric touched both men on their temples. The men went on mistreating the woman in the most terrible ways, not knowing that Eric had been there. One of the two sadistic men moved in close to the woman's face and began putting his cigar out in her eye. She screamed in pain and the evil man was pleased. But then her screams turned to laughter and the men were taken aback. Her laughter turned arrogant and confident and two men were confused. Her laughter turned into a man's laughter and the two men were filled with fear. They watched as the woman metamorphosed into Eric with his painted white face and black features. Running for the door in fear the two men soon found it locked. "Your mothers abused you, they watched and laughed as your fathers gave you to their friends for money." said Eric as he advanced upon them. "You love each other. Your love is too precious to ever involve another." Eric touched their chests and at least to them he seemed to disappear. The two men, clearly in love left the building.

All else was quiet on the first floor so Eric went up stairs to the next floor.