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MALACHI GRUBB: OR, THE APPRENTICE OF BROOM LANE

 Inspired by Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. MALACHI GRUBB: OR, THE APPRENTICE OF BROOM LANE A Tale of Smoke, Soup, and Slight Rebellions BOOK ONE: ASHES AND APRONS CHAPTER I. In Which We Are Introduced to an Orphan Without Permission Malachi Grubb entered the world in the back pantry of Broom Lane Foundling Asylum, beneath a shelf of cracked teacups and a loose sack of flour. The matron, Miss Clacket, remarked that he had arrived with more noise than most and considerably less skin. She named him after the smudged page of an almanac and wrapped him in an old clerical robe that once belonged to a preacher with a weakness for potatoes. "He's got the lungs of a debt collector," muttered the surgeon, wiping his hands on a curtain. "He'll either preach or perish." From his first breath, Malachi was tagged as a burden: a creature to be maintained at minimal expense until he could be exchanged for coin, labour, or silence. CHAPTER II. Malachi is Raised, Which Is ...
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MUCH ADO AT MIDNIGHT

Inspired by MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING by William Shakespeare  MUCH ADO AT MIDNIGHT A Comedy in Five Acts, in the spirit of "Much Ado About Nothing" Dramatis Personae Lord Lucio – A witty nobleman of Verona Lady Arabella – His verbal sparring partner and secret admirer Sir Miles – A bumbling but well-meaning suitor Lady Cressida – Cousin to Arabella, recently returned from Milan Master Trillo – A comically pompous constable Mistress Lettice – His equally confused deputy Duke Elsinore – A grand figure, presiding over courtly festivities Balthazar – A melancholic bard Rosaline – A sharp-tongued maid of Arabella Messengers, Pages, Watchmen, Musicians ACT I – Of Words and Wagers Scene I: A sunlit courtyard in Verona. Laughter and chatter. Enter LORD LUCIO and SIR MILES. LUCI0: The tongue, good Miles, is sharper than thy blade. And Lady Arabella, she doth wield hers like a knight. SIR MILES: Yet she smiles on me not once, nor twice. Perchance her tongue doth chase away he...
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THE TRAGEDY OF LYSANDER, PRINCE OF SCYTHIA

Inspired by THE TRAGEDY OF JULIUS CAESAR by William Shakespeare THE TRAGEDY OF LYSANDER, PRINCE OF SCYTHIA A Tragedy in Five Acts Dramatis Personae Lysander – Prince of Scythia, noble and proud King Terenius – His father, a weary ruler Cassia – A Roman envoy and Lysander’s secret love Decima – Handmaid and spy for the Roman Senate Callimachus – General of Scythia, Lysander’s rival Eris – A prophetic beggar woman Various Courtiers, Soldiers, Messengers ACT I – The Ambition Awakens Scene I: The royal palace of Scythia. A balcony overlooking the city. Thunder rolls in the distance. Enter LYSANDER. LYSANDER: This land of iron breeds but iron men; Yet I am tempered finer than the rest. My father's breath grows shallow in his bed, And I do wait, not for his death, but throne. Why should an empire rust beneath old hands? Let youth ascend where age declines in dust. Enter ERIS, a beggar woman. ERIS: Lo, prince, beware the lion's golden mane, For wolves in wool oft feast when shee...
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