Daddy, are we going to be on this boat
much longer?” Young Ana said to her father. He laughed, butchering some French
as he responded to his daughter. “I'm an envoy for the British Parliament to
the French President.”. Ana rolled her eyes, “Don't you think those cheap
bastards could book us a more luxurious room for travel though?”
Ana's father laughed. His daughter had grown so beautiful. Her French
mannerisms reminded him of her mother, but the poor woman had died a few years
back. Some strange disease they picked up traveling in the orient. For his part
the man had gotten his daughter the best education and primping English pounds
could buy.
It did however annoy him that out of all her courses, all Ana seemed to enjoy
was the medical sciences. For his part he hoped if she remained devoted to it,
at least he could hope to move her towards botany. Her father planned to marry
her off to a nice English gentleman, hopefully he could even make a great
profit off of the union.
As they stared into the murky channel waters Detective Solomon Light was going
to see his girlfriend. A beautiful Irish woman named Marie Jeanette. Marie
was a kind young girl. She had pretty red hair and treated the detective quite
well. He always told his friends at the pub, "If only my job wasn't so
dangerous, if only I was a merchant or something, then I could really make an
honest woman out of her."
Yet, Solomon knew that if he died in action that it would break Marie's heart.
And of course now that Solomon had been visiting her so much people have been
calling her a common prostitute! "Musing to himself, my Jeanette? A
prostitute? How dare they!"
When he arrived at Marie's she put on the tea and fixed Solomon's dinner,
"You spoil me Marie". She smiled, "Oh Solomon, you are an
angel." As the tea boiled Marie planted a kiss on Solomon's forehead and
they sat down to eat. And as Solomon sat happy and in love Ana's father was
introducing her to some minor nobility.
The count smiled, "I'm a count in Austria! My family can be traced back to
Charles V!" Ana's father looked amazed, "Charles V you say? Have you
met my daughter?" Ana walked over filled with boredom. Her father put his
hands in the air gesturing, "Introducing, Lady Ana de la Malfleur!"
Sarcastically Ana took a bow but barely looked at the old Count. "He is
fat she thought, and the night rolled on. And as the people went the darkness
hung in the air. The stench of death sat upon it like smoke rising.
And when Solomon showed up at work the next day he was aghast! The officer
walked up to the detective and spoke softly, "Polly Nichols has been found
dead. A working girl. Her throat had been sliced and her body mutilated."
Solomon stepped into his office feeling ill. It was days like this that he
dreaded most.
In the salon the old British women were chirping about the news, the look of
boredom hung over Ana's head. Her father was rambling to more high class types,
but the entire day seemed to drag on endlessly.
Staring at his desk it felt like it had been ages since he had thought about
anything but these horrific murders, "Nichols, Chapman, Stride, and
Eddows. The trend was alarming. Who would be next?" An officer walked in,
"Sir, you've been at it for days, what don't you get some rest. Go see
that woman of yours, I'm sure she would love some protection tonight."
Solomon stared at him, "You are right, I am beat."
Sitting in her room reading an anatomy book Ana glared at the door. Her father
had been keeping her under strict lock down because of the murders. He was
worried, but she couldn't take the boredom for much longer. And so Ana climbed
out of her window and headed out for the night.
Solomon walked slowly, listening for people talking trying to hear rumors. A
City besieged by fear. All London was a roar with the news of the murders.
Terror gripped everyone, and all Solomon wanted to do was kill this whacko and
bring peace back to his home. He decided to hurry toward Marie's.
"Intuition" he thought.
And there Marie was, murdered, torn to pieces by this demon. A monster from
hell, Solomon was sure as the tears were flowing he caught sight of a man
leaving the sight, "Stop he yelled!" The man kept running so Solomon
bolted after him. They ran through the night, finally the man stopped along a
bridge.
Solomon spoke, "Sir, I need you to come down to the station for some
questioning. Marie Jeanette has been murdered, you were in the area!" The
man remained silent, and Solomon's rage boiled, "Who are you? Do demons
have no tongue?" And then the man took off his hat. Long black hair fell.
It wasn't a man at all. Ana smiled.
"Demon, why yes, I do suppose you can call me that, but I was just so
interested to see what there insides looked like. And for that matter, I think
I would like to see what makes you tic." Ana ran at him and slashed him
once before he knew what hit him.
Solomon leaped back. And Ana slashed again. She ran and jumped at him. He
looked full of terror but knew he wanted to avenge his love. So he took another
slash, but this time landing his hands around her neck. Ana drove her knife
into him again and again, but his grip didn't loosen.
As they got along the side of the bridge Solomon spoke, "I'm personally
taking you back to hell demon, and he fell into the cold waters bleeding with
Ana sinking unconscious. Solomon thought of Marie once more. He closed his eyes
and drifted down, thinking of tea and warm dinner. As he slipped away he
wondered why he had been fated to kill this young girl.
