Madison stood before a room full of women in hooded black robes. Each of them shimmied silver and black pom poms and murmured to each other conspiratorially. A spotlight shown down on her with an accusatory glare and a hostile chill permeated the room. Madison's skin prickled with cool dread. What could this mean?
To her right, Daniel stood behind a large wooden table, tall in a tuxedo with mirror polished shoes and a red rose pinned to his left lapel. A gorgeous brunette-haired woman stood next to him. She wore a gossamer white wedding dress and held a bouquet of red roses, with her right arm thrust possessively through the loop of Daniel left arm. They looked like a bride and groom statuette on top of a wedding cake.
Madison's stomach turned at the sight and she tried to get Daniel's attention with a frantic wave, but the angel woman whispered in Daniel's ear. Daniel smirked and the angel woman responded with a giggle and a love-struck sparkle in her eye. To her horror Madison realized that Daniel was about to marry her. Madison opened her mouth to protest, but no sound came out.
Before Madison could charge across the room, a loud clash of cymbals announced the appearance of a judge who reclined on the wrap around sofa at the head of the room. The Judge was a winged pixie in a red silk robe and the yellow-orange eye makeup of vengeance rimmed her blood red eyes. Fire licked from her fingertips as she reached for a heavy gavel, which she pounded three times like the stroke of doom. The room went deathly quiet as the Judge glared down at Madison imperiously.
"This is the case of Defendant Madison," the Judge intoned in a contra-alto thunder. "I have reviewed the evidence and heard the arguments. You have been given a full and fair hearing and I hereby find you ... guilty as charged!"
The gallery full of hooded women in black issued a derisive hiss at Madison underscored by the swish of pom poms. Again, Madison opened her mouth to protest, but again she was unable to form words or even make a sound. The judge banged her gavel three times for quiet and then continued without notice of Madison's frantic attempts to speak.
"Enough! This Court does not need any additional testimony from the likes of you, young lady!" the Judge scolded. "The evidence is clear, and you are guilty! Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt! You were a terrible girlfriend, and even worse fiancé and an abominably bad wife on a scale this court has not witnessed in its long history!"
Another hiss of denunciation and pom poms went up from the hooded women in the gallery. The spotlight seared brighter, but the cold aura of condemnation in the room only intensified. Madison looked around to see if she could escape, but she found she could not get out of the cone of light created by the spotlight. The Judge thundered on.
"Generally, you were a very bad girl!"
The gallery bayed and shook their pom poms in agreement and the Judge waited a moment before she banged her gavel for silence again.
"What's more, your behavior reflects badly on all women and cannot be allowed to go unchecked lest all men should be led to think all women are not but gold digger bitches who only care about how much they can squeeze out of a man and are incapable of love!"
The gallery of black hooded women groaned and shimmied their pom poms in approval of the Judge's words and this time the Judge let the hisses and curses they flung rain down on Madison until they were spent. After the condemnation of the gallery faded away, the Judge continued.
"Fortunately, a good-hearted woman has come forward to accompany this good-hearted man through life! May their marriage be blessed and fruitful and may they share a rich and true love, which is reserved for those who are soulmates!"
The hooded women in the gallery keened a cheer of triumph and gratitude, which caused the angel woman to blush and wave shyly. Daniel touched her cheek and looked at her with such love in his eyes that Madison nearly vomited jealousy. She was Daniel's soulmate, not that that angel bitch! She tried again to scream to Daniel that she loved him, and she was sorry for the hurt she had caused, but again her voice failed. The wild cheers and shimmer of pom poms faded away and the Judge continued.
YOU ARE READING
A Beauteous Flower
RomanceMadison is a professional dancer and a professional dater with an eye towards a professional husband until a Romeo reminds her that she is a romantic at heart.
