FREE KINDLE FOR PC

FREE KINDLE FOR PC
So you can read my books

Friday, August 20, 2010

I AM MEILORI SHINSEEN, EMPRESS OF THE NINGYO SHADOW EMPIRE




2nd day entry to GUESS THAT CHARACTER :

http://jennifer-daiker.blogspot.com/2010/08/guess-that-character.html

No painting exists of me. No photo. The above is the only Aztec carving I did not destroy.

The human, JC, came closest to my bearing.

The humans, Talli and Rayna, made me consider allowing Angelina Jolie to portray me in a movie.

The human, Olivia, first correctly guessed my name :

I am Meilori Shinseen, empress of the Ningyo Shadow Empire,

wife to Samuel McCord --

owner of the jazz club/dimensional nexus, named after me.

captain of the Texas Rangers,

King of fools,

and captor of my heart.

None have painted me and lived ... until my husband painted me with words. Listen to Samuel's description of me when we first met :

I stiffened as the fog thinned enough for me to make out her slanted eyes, not quite Japanese, not quite Chinese, but a beautiful blend of the two.

But no. She was of a different race entirely. The fog had thrown me off.

The woman spoke, and it was as if her vocal chords were velvet. Her accent. It sent shivers through me. It was like human speech itself was a foreign language to her.

She was one of those haunted-eyed women you attached your own hidden fears and silent sorrows to.

Close-up her eyes weren't cold jade as they had seemed farther away. They were filled with echoes of regret. The coldness had just been a bold front to hide the fact that they'd lost their way a long time ago.



There were disturbing depths of sadness in those eyes. Depths in whose darkness swam the monsters which drive us or haunt us or both.

Those depths whispered of age more ancient than the Aztecs, more dangerous than even my past. They both beckoned and warned at the same time.

***

If you listen with your third ear, you will hear a young Marlene Dietrich singing of me in the decadent Berlin of 1927 :

"Want to buy some illusions,
Slightly used, second hand?
They were lovely illusions,
Reaching high, built on sand.

They had a touch of Paradise,
A spell you can't explain :
For in this crazy Paradise,
You are in love with pain.

Want to buy some illusions,
Slightly used, just like new?
Such romantic illusions --
And they're all about you.

I sell them all for a penny,
They make pretty souvenirs.
Take my lovely illusions --
Some for laughs, some for tears."

Frederick Hollander wrote that for me. Marlene sang it at my table in her black tuxedo. Samuel held my hand -- and my heart -- throughout the song. It did not help.

I am Meilori Shinseen. I am Ningyo. I am Empress.

And I alone know the end of my song -- and Samuel's.
***


26 comments:

  1. That carving is actually quite beautiful.....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aspiring X : Wasn't it though? Being still on duty today and tonight. I haven't been able to pay all the visits I wanted to. In fact, a hospital just called me out again.

    I hope you enjoyed my spotlight on the mysterious, lethal Meilori Shinseen.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Words Crafter : If you squint some and slam your head in the wall until the tears come, the carving looks a little like Angelina Jolie, doesn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow! I was off too, but what a great character :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi,

    Fun blogfest, and great song!
    best
    F

    ReplyDelete
  6. By the end of today, I might be doing just that...perhaps I'll see those two pictures and think some beautiful angel is taking care of me! BTW, that made me LOL for real.

    For the record, I always remember anything that makes an impact on me. I can remember books I read in second grade....your writing is stunning beyond words...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Never would have guessed that one!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a cool reveal! You rock at this blogfest, Roland!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh wow!! I'm so sorry I missed your entry - I think I am now reading your blog backwards! Don't ask me why - blame the cat!! :-)

    But Marlene crossed with an aztec goddess is always going to be a stunner!! Even more so than the beautiful Ms Jolie. Oh yes, much much more!

    Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh crap! I missed your post yesterday. Oh well, this was still tons of fun, thanks Roland.

    Today's guest blogger is Renae Mercado!

    ReplyDelete
  11. It crossed my mind but I said, naw. Fun reveal! Loved your comment on mine yesterday. Close in many ways:)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I loved this!!! Great choice... she is very strong, perfect complexion... perfect. I love her!!!

    Thank so much for your entry!!! I had so much fun and I've learned a lot about my fellow bloggers!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow. Yours was one of the most memorable entries! Kudos on a fascinating character!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hey, Roland :D As usual, some of your lines just jump out at me, like this one, "She was one of those haunted-eyed women you attached your own hidden fears and silent sorrows to." Nice.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love how Samuel sees Meilori. Beautiful.

    Hope you're in the midst of a day off.

    ~ that rebel, Olivia

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yay, honourable mention! Thanks for the way cool entry!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Excellent choice - no one does goddess like Angelina Jolie. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. ROFL!!! Oh, Roland, I'm so sorry. It was so dang late and I didn't read that far into it (the length quite discouraged me).

    Needless to say, I AM embarrassed.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great piece. I was half way there. Loved it! :D

    ReplyDelete
  20. I think I sort of got there. Maybe?

    Great show, Roland! I enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  21. WHo else could be her vision but Angelina. I have such a chick crush on her. Great job! This was a fun fest.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Ah the Empress is quite stunning, of course Miss Jolie is a perfect match!! I love the Aztec statue, at first glance I thought it was Cambodian. Wonderful! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Way to get into character. Well done 8)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow. Stunning way of revealing her. I'm in awe of you, Roland.

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is a story about a love once had but lost, that's why there is saddness and sorrow in Meilori's eyes, and there is anger and resentment in Meilori's character, that's why Sam represents her in this way:

    "There were disturbing depths of sadness in those eyes. Depths in whose darkness swam the monsters which drive us or haunt us or both."

    ... will wait and see...

    ReplyDelete