Kill the Mouse! (short story): Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox Story | {{Infobox Story SMW | ||
|main character = [[Bernice Summerfield]] | |main character = [[Bernice Summerfield|Benny]] | ||
|featuring = [[Irving Braxiatel|Braxiatel]] | |featuring = [[Irving Braxiatel|Braxiatel]] | ||
|enemy = [[Janus (Kill the Mouse!)|Janus]] | |||
|setting = [[Ganesh]] | |setting = [[Ganesh]] | ||
|writer = | |writer = Daniel O'Mahony | ||
|anthology = | |anthology = A Life of Surprises (anthology) | ||
|release date = | |release date = 4 October 2002 | ||
|series = ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]'' short stories | |series = ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]'' short stories | ||
|prev = The Shape of the Hole (short story) | |prev = The Shape of the Hole (short story) | ||
| Line 15: | Line 16: | ||
== Plot == | == Plot == | ||
On [[Ganesh]], [[Bernice Summerfield|Benny]] and a team of [[Irving Braxiatel|Braxiatel]]'s people are kept from the [[archaeology|archaeological]] sites by [[COMBINE]]'s sub-contractors; a woman has been shot off of Benny's roof and [[James (Kill the Mouse!)|James]] and [[Marco (Kill the Mouse!)|Marco]] have been expelled from the planet for [[pederasty]]. Whilst Benny waits for Braxiatel to arrive to resolve the situation, the [[police]] find her and take her to the [[hospital]] where she finds that Braxiatel has a completely smooth and featureless face. | |||
Benny is driven home by [[captain (Kill the Mouse!)|an officer]], but the [[car]] is attacked and the officer's face stolen. She chases the attacker to an underground shrine where the stolen faces hang from hooks. The attacker, wearing an [[elephant]] [[mask]] and identifying himself as [[Janus (Kill the Mouse!)|Janus]], offers to return Braxiatel's face in return for everything she has. After collecting all of her things, she returns to the shrine and finds Janus with a [[little girl (Kill the Mouse!)|girl]] that she has been speaking to; he accepts her offering and removes his mask to prove that he is not [[Kint]], a man whom Benny believes to be a [[spy]], but a [[cacogen]] which does not belong in this [[dimension]]. | |||
Braxiatel's face is restored and he offers money to Janus, but Benny detects that there is "bad [[blood]]" between them. Before she leaves the planet behind, she sees the girl again, entertaining a [[cat]] with a [[catnip]]-filled [[toy mouse]] that Benny had given to Janus. She decides to leave the conversation that she had with the girl behind and does not record it in [[Bernice Summerfield's diaries|her diary]], but notes that the girl decided to call her cat "[[Wolsey]]". | |||
== Characters == | == Characters == | ||
| Line 38: | Line 35: | ||
* [[Captain (Kill the Mouse!)|Captain]] | * [[Captain (Kill the Mouse!)|Captain]] | ||
== | == Worldbuilding == | ||
* | * James is arrested for [[pederasty]]. | ||
* Benny's possessions include [[clothes]], [[pen]]s, [[paper]], [[archaeology|archaeological]] tools, [[condom]]s, an impromptu [[diary]], [[beer]] cans, [[Jack Daniels]], a [[photograph]] of [[Jason Kane|Jason]] with a [[biro]] [[moustache]], a photograph of a friend whose [[wedding]] she had missed, [[Russian doll]]s from Ganesh, a black [[sock]] covered in [[cat]] [[hair]]s, [[earring]]s, a copy of ''[[Nights at the Circus]]'', [[COMBINE]] [[currency]], [[lipstick]], a [[bag]] and a [[toy]] [[mouse]] stuffed with [[catnip]]. | |||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
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* Benny is working on the Collection for Braxiatel. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Twilight of the Gods (BNA novel)|Twilight of the Gods]]'') | * Benny is working on the Collection for Braxiatel. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Twilight of the Gods (BNA novel)|Twilight of the Gods]]'') | ||
* [[Janus]] was one of the faces from mythology worn by members of [[the Pageant]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Man in the Velvet Mask (novel)|The Man in the Velvet Mask]]'') | * [[Janus]] was one of the faces from mythology worn by members of [[the Pageant]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Man in the Velvet Mask (novel)|The Man in the Velvet Mask]]'') | ||
* Benny remembers [[God (The Also People)|God]] and his yellow dip. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Also People (novel)|The Also People]]'', etc.) | |||
{{TitleSort}} | {{TitleSort}} | ||
[[Category:Bernice Summerfield | |||
[[Category:Bernice Summerfield sources]] | |||
[[Category:A Life of Surprises short stories]] | [[Category:A Life of Surprises short stories]] | ||
[[Category:Stories set in the 27th century]] | [[Category:Stories set in the 27th century]] | ||
[[Category:Irving Braxiatel short stories]] | [[Category:Irving Braxiatel short stories]] | ||
Latest revision as of 21:02, 20 March 2024
Kill the Mouse! was the second story in the Bernice Summerfield anthology A Life of Surprises. It was written by Daniel O'Mahony.
Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
On Ganesh, Benny and a team of Braxiatel's people are kept from the archaeological sites by COMBINE's sub-contractors; a woman has been shot off of Benny's roof and James and Marco have been expelled from the planet for pederasty. Whilst Benny waits for Braxiatel to arrive to resolve the situation, the police find her and take her to the hospital where she finds that Braxiatel has a completely smooth and featureless face.
Benny is driven home by an officer, but the car is attacked and the officer's face stolen. She chases the attacker to an underground shrine where the stolen faces hang from hooks. The attacker, wearing an elephant mask and identifying himself as Janus, offers to return Braxiatel's face in return for everything she has. After collecting all of her things, she returns to the shrine and finds Janus with a girl that she has been speaking to; he accepts her offering and removes his mask to prove that he is not Kint, a man whom Benny believes to be a spy, but a cacogen which does not belong in this dimension.
Braxiatel's face is restored and he offers money to Janus, but Benny detects that there is "bad blood" between them. Before she leaves the planet behind, she sees the girl again, entertaining a cat with a catnip-filled toy mouse that Benny had given to Janus. She decides to leave the conversation that she had with the girl behind and does not record it in her diary, but notes that the girl decided to call her cat "Wolsey".
Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Bernice Summerfield
- Irving Braxiatel
- Marco
- James
- Kerry
- Richard
- Gareth
- Kint
- Janus
- Little girl
- Captain
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
- James is arrested for pederasty.
- Benny's possessions include clothes, pens, paper, archaeological tools, condoms, an impromptu diary, beer cans, Jack Daniels, a photograph of Jason with a biro moustache, a photograph of a friend whose wedding she had missed, Russian dolls from Ganesh, a black sock covered in cat hairs, earrings, a copy of Nights at the Circus, COMBINE currency, lipstick, a bag and a toy mouse stuffed with catnip.
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
to be added
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- A subsidiary of COMBINE runs Ganesh. (PROSE: Heart of Glass)
- Benny is working on the Collection for Braxiatel. (PROSE: Twilight of the Gods)
- Janus was one of the faces from mythology worn by members of the Pageant. (PROSE: The Man in the Velvet Mask)
- Benny remembers God and his yellow dip. (PROSE: The Also People, etc.)
