Bookish London

Chapter 14 - Kyle

I make her guide us to our next destination, partly because I was sick of the walking and partly because I couldn’t stand focusing on her this much…I had to save her yet again!
She’s so utterly careless in what she does, it’s frustrating! And stressful, too.
“So, Cuthbert? Where are we now?” I ask when I see her stop in front of a building.
“Shh, Carter, let me think!” she shrieks. Calm down, banshee. Honestly.
“Ok, wailing banshee.” I answer, agreeing.
“Don’t you dare call me a wailing banshee. You know nothing of those creatures, or you wouldn’t compare them to me. I’m everything but a banshee.”
She pronounces, and I quiet myself. Her tone does not allow replies.
“YES!” She screams at one moment.
“What has made you so happy, Cuthbert?”
I question her.
“That plaque.” She says, pointing to a blue circular plaque hung on the building’s wall.
“We came here for a plaque. You made me WALK here for a friggling PLAQUE, Cuthbert? Really?!” this time it’s my turn to shriek, offended.
“What? Are your feet so used to the Temple area commodities that you can’t walk a mile to get somewhere that you start lamenting like a baby? I valued you higher than that, Carter. Maybe I was wrong…” she leaves the sentence hung in mid-air, waiting for a reply on my part.
“You weren’t wrong, Cuthbert, be sure. It’s just, it feels useless to walk here for a few words on a metal circle.”
“A BLUE metal circle” she specifies, laughing.
“Yes, very funny, Cuthbert. Laugh all you want.”
“Oh, come on. You must admit you’re a bit lame to fret over something like that, don't you think?” She asks, ironically.
“Never.” I mutter under my breath.
“I see we’re on no better terms than the last four years, so Hell has yet to freeze out, I believe. Good.” She declares.
“Anyway, this «friggling plaque» as you said, is in fact an honorary plaque remembering the foundation of this Elizabethan era theatre, built in 1587. This is, actually, the first real evidence of an Elizabethan playhouse in the London area! Amidst most of the theatre’s ground plan and the 700 objects uncovered by archaeologists was found the earliest fork used in London! Can you believe it?” she asks me, her eyes lighting up at this curious notion…as always, she gets excited for the smallest things.
“Another interesting fact about this theatre is that we know every single expense spent on it, from building it to the box office takings it got, the plays that were staged here, the hiring of actors and their wage, the purchasing and storing of the props, scenery and costumes used for the plays…it’s amazing! And you know why we were able to discover this?” she questions.
“Of course, you don’t. But that’s what I’m here for. Obviously. As I was saying, we were able to discover this because the theatre’s builder, a chap named Richard Henslowe, was a very precise and meticulous bookkeeper, therefore he recorded each and every expenditure he made on the Rose theatre. Just so you understand, thanks to Henslowe we now know that Shakespeare’s Henry VI and Titus Andronicus premiered at The Rose. Isn’t that insane? It feels like stepping foot into history itself!”
She giggles, eyes glinting.
“Today the original ruins are located under a block of offices, but there’s still a The Rose theatre, more modern, in which plays are still performed, mere yards away from the original location.” She states, and finally catches a breath.
How can she go on talking like that? I would’ve lost my breath sentences ago!
“Wow, Liz. Breathe! How on Earth were you able to remember all these notions? It must’ve taken you ages!” I exclaim, surprised.
She really does have hidden aces up her sleeves alright. And that’s not only a way of speaking, as I discover soon enough.
“Thanks to this little guy” she says, pulling out from under her jacket a piece of paper, as we walk towards our next destination.
“And what, pray tell, is that?” I query.
“This, my friend, is a mind map. I made it based on our route for today, traced on the actual map on London that I put behind it. Easy, right?” She questions.
Such a nerd. But an adorable one at that. And ingenious, too. Shut up, Brain.
“Easy for you! I would’ve never thought of it.” I utter.
“That’s all right, never said you would be capable of it. Different levels of IQ and all.” She says, and winks, settling the matter.
“Ok, fine, no need for insults, mind you.”
I say, as I work to catch up with her and her long strides. She laughs at my remark. It didn’t hit that hard, anyway. I always knew she had something special in her.
“Where are we going now?” I demand.
“It’s the most obvious choice when you think of buildings in London related to Shakespeare. You get what I’m talking about?” She ironically asks.
Of course, the most obvious place to choose ever…we’re going to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
Right as I think this, we turn to our right and after less than a minute, we find ourselves in front of the one and only, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
I was right, after all. Nicely done, Kyle.
As we go nearer, she goes to open the entrance door, but I stop her.
“What- What are you doing?” I question.
“What does it look like I’m about to do, huh Carter? Jumping naked in a zoo?! I’m going inside the theatre to get us a tour, obviously.”
And at that, she slips away from me and moves through the double doors.
I follow her, stepping through the doors of theatrical history.
I never quite understood the power of time in my life and the world’s, such as I do right now.
This place is timeless, inspiring. You can feel the tension and magic of the theatrical plays performed here, from centuries and centuries until today. Extraordinary.