A Time and Place for Us

The Party II

"Where are you going?" he barely registered Johnathan Denton calling after him as he advanced towards the crowd, his eyes fixed on the place he'd seen her disappear into. Sweeney Todd would not be deterred.

Elbowing his way in, he found himself in the middle of the tumult, the sweaty mess his fellow passengers made. He was disgusted by their close proximity, the smell so nauseating and the heat so overwhelming he worried he would pass out. But the life of the woman he loved might be in danger, and he would go through this hell on earth a thousand times for her. Thus, he pulled through, conjuring the smell of her perfume of violets and roses, picturing her big chestnut eyes and the softness of her milky skin in his mind as his eyes scanned every female he saw. "Nellie, Nellie, Nellie" he repeated all the while, attempting to beckon her to him in spite of the deafening music.

After what felt like hours, he spotted her next to the bar. Her back was to him but those curves were unmistakable, as were her wavy locks haphazardly pinned up into something resembling a bun. The gillyflower in her hair was the last sign he needed to confirm her identity. And just as he feared, she was not alone. That Marjorie was by her side, of course, always luring his Nellie in the wrong direction like the snake did Eve in paradise. But there was someone else with them, a tall and thin young man with a clean-shaven face, a pretentious toupee and filthy eyes scanning Eleanor up and down. His corpse-like hand was on her arm, his shapeless sausage-like lips whispering some pathetic attempt of flirting in her ear.

Sweeney's blood was pumping in his veins, his friend burning in his hand. She was his! Eyes on his Price, the demon barber was ready to kill. And goddamit, how much he'd missed it. Like a cheetah he drew near to his victim, to his unsuspecting neck. He could already smell his blood, feel it trickling down his body and colouring his executioner's hands in a perfect ruby shade. He was so close.

What happened next he couldn't make sense of, for it was too fast. The pace of his frenzied mind was ahead that of his tired body, prompting him to lose his footing when a dancing couple crashed against his side. A sharp stinging sensation in his hand blinded him for a moment and after a few seconds of dizzying confusion, he found himself on top of a considerably portly man, his protruding belly making Sweeney feel like he was on top of a hill of blubber. To make things worse, the obese drunkard was gaping like a fish, his putrid breath filling the barber's nostrils, making him want to gag.

"Oy, faggot, geroff me. I'm no sodomite" he yelled. Enraged, Sweeney brought his hand to his thick neck, only to realise his friend was no longer in his palm. It must have slipped when he fell. Before he had time to reach for his holster to retrieve another, the man rolled over to get Sweeney off him and stood up. Once on his feet, he spit down at him.  "Take your perversions elsewhere, you lobcock!"

The people around him erupted into boisterous laughter at his expense. Like hyenas, they mocked and pointed, making him feel small, defenceless. He surveyed the flock of vultures circling him, searching for the only familiar face who could pull him out of the abyss that was threatening to swallow him. The crowd was getting bigger, more and more passengers joined in to see the spectacle for themselves. Danger, madness, death. It was then that his eyes finally met Eleanor's. But instead of helping him, instead of shielding him from the ridicule, she remained frozen in place, staring at him with an unreadable expression.

He'd had enough, he couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't deal with the dark dull ache taking over his heart the longer he looked into those cold brown eyes that not so long ago where full of love for him. It was the sting of realising he was a nuisance, that he was holding her back, ruining her party when all she wanted was to have fun for once. Ruining her life. It was the last thing he could take that night.

His legs chose flight, moving synchronously towards the corridor. But he could still hear them behind him, laughing maniacally while Eleanor watched imperturbably. Bypassing the kitchen and the stairs that led to the cabins and to the saloon class areas upstairs, he made it to the end of the passageway. On his left side were the stairs leading up to the deck, and on his right side, the bathroom. He chose one. He needed to be alone.