Kill Me Now Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Kill Me Now - Essay Example This new piece by department of Theatre and Dance is the ultimate competition game show â€Å"Kill Me Now†. It is based on a group of people belongs to different background such as Afro-American gay dancer, Indian, Russian, Spanish, religious dancer, psychopath, weigh filter etc. having a dance competition between them; they fight to win a prize of best dancer. In this game show audience is also a part of the article and dramatic version of this reality show. Dance show Kill Me Now features almost eight characters in this competition along with a host and judges, a DJ which holds the background music, a score keeper and the Dance crew of Kill Me Now. Dancers are very excited to win and every time they want to give their best in front of judges. Dancer is not concern with the winning amount, they are not aware of what they get prize in result of this competition they just want to win. And they do also not know the ultimate prize for the winner. At each performance of this game show, audience will cast votes to choose the winner of this dance competition. At the end of this dance show the winner found its ultimate prize for which they were competing for and it is the death of the winner of this dance competition; winner gets kill by judge of this show. Through this play writer delivers the message that sometimes we do not use are senses. This game show is modeled after current reality shows on TV in which some are comic based, highly interactive experience, fast-paced where the audience is very excited and wants to watch these kinds of reality shows always. And the main theme of this game show is that we are belong to a culture whom always love to compete and audience enjoy watching these competitions they don’t care about cast, religion, color of competitors. Every day we watch in different reality shows on different channels. People are very keen to watch these reality shows either they are kids, youngsters or old age people they just have an interest in

Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang | Analysis

Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang | Analysis When I first heard the title of this film, I wonder why the title is Tinimbang ka Ngunit Kulang. I knew that the title is based from a bible verse Daniel 5:27 saying Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. I researched about it and discovered that it is also a modern take on the Jose Rizal novel which is Noli Me Tangere that talks about social injustices. From the point of view of Ibarra, Junior takes the life of it in this film and Kuala is the equivalent of Sisa in the novel. Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang is a tragedy film. It is a story of a misplaced love and corrupted individuals who destroys peoples heart. It centers on a relationship of a homeless woman and a leper, Kuala and Berto living in a society that dont accept them. Kuala and Berto became friends with Junior, a teenager who first seemed different from them but then develops a great bond with them. His first attempts to give them social acceptance are blocked by his town folks and his parents. A film directed by Lino Brocka also written by him with Mario OHara in 1974 starring Lolita Rodriguez as Kuala, Christopher de Leon as Junior, Mario OHara as Berto, Eddie Garcia as Cesar, Lilia Dizon as Carolina and Hilda Koronel as Evangeline. Originally released by Cinemanila. The movie begins in chaos. A flashback of Kualas past, a traditional/folk medicine practitioner performs an abortion accompanied by Cesar. After the abortion, Kuala is subsequently left by the father of the unwanted child. After what happened, she wanders around the town every day in dirty clothes and with mangy hair and only known by the townspeople as Kuala. A woman that is tormented by the people and the one that people asks to perform all sorts of indignities for the entertainment of others. Cesar, a lawyer and a failed politician who was supposed to be the father of Kualas child is married to Carolina and has a son, Junior. Junior is a teenage guy who always hangs out with his friends and has a girlfriend, Evangeline. Evangeline is the most beautiful girl in their school. Junior attends a wake with his family and he witnessed how people treat Kuala. Making her drink alcohol and make her urinate in front of them. After the burial, Bertong Ketong tries to help a kid but the mother rejects it. Berto is a leper who is also an outcast like Kuala who is also shunned by the people in the town. Berto has no companion who lives in the towns cemetery. One night, he goes to a club to pay a night with a woman but he was rejected. He seeks companionship with the one who will not reject him, Kuala. The next day he attracts Kuala with a rattle and takes her to his house. Berto ends up caring for Kuala, manages her hair, cleaning her up, providing her food and shelter in his house. Meanwhile, Evangeline is named as a queen of their towns procession with a young actor as her escort. Junior feels bother though he is convinced that he loves her, Evangeline seems to be not taking their relationship seriously. She is flirting with her escort and ignoring Junior in the parade. Junior goes to the place of Milagros and buys some drinks. He seeks company with her and later on seduces him. Junior observes that some things arent right so he started associating with Berto. He apologizes for some of the bad things he endured from them and started to befriend him. Junior felt a lot sympathy of a father with Berto than in his father. During some talks with Berto, he starts to figure out some pieces of truth behind a mans relationship to Kuala thinking that it is possible that it is his father. Evangeline gets married to Juniors friend after being caught having an intercourse in a car. But it seems that Evangeline lost the best man in her life as her husband is a Kiss and Tell type of guy. One day, while Kuala is wandering in the town, the people notice that shes pregnant. The gossip spreads easily. The womens Christian association decide to take away Kuala from Berto because she is being taken advantage of knowing that she is out of her mind. Junior tries to ask help from his father to bring the couple back together but his father disagrees. She is forced to live under the custody of Lola Jacoba (Rosa Aguirre). One night, Kuala escapes and goes to Bertos house. Berto brought her back because he knows that she will be taken away again from him but he promises to retrieve her after giving birth to their child. After some nights, Kuala feels some labor pains so she finds her way to Bertos house. Berto wakes up and rushes to the doctor who can help them. He goes to the house a doctor, Evangelines father. The doctor refuses so Berto starts to use force, takes him and makes him a hostage but he keeps on saying he will not kill him. Kuala just needs help. The doctors wife shouts for help and awakens the townspeople. They all follow where they go and before they reach the house in the cemetery, one of the policemen shoots Berto. Junior witnesses what happened. All of them are shock. He goes to Berto and found out he is dead where he starts crying in front of the townspeople. The film won six FAMAS Awards out of eight nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Christopher De Leon), Best Actress (Lolita Rodriguez),Best Director (Lino Brocka), Best Musical Score (Lutgardo Labad), and Best Theme Song (Emmanuel Lacaba for Awit ni Koala.) It was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Mario OHara) and Best Supporting Actress (Laurice Guillen) The story is good. All the ideas presented in the movie were all great. It has good twists and it is made to convey a message. Its also another way to awaken people about what is happening in the society. It is the reflection of what is happening. When it comes to cinematography, it works just fine as I consider the year it was made. I was only bothered about the musical scoring when Berto sees Kuala lying somewhere focusing her legs. The scoring does not suit the situation. It doesnt help to manifest ones emotion. We all know that sounds are another factor that surprise, scare and excite people about the scenes. While I am watching the film, I read the subtitle at the same time. I wonder if how we see the movie as great would be as great as viewers from other countries can see it because there are dialogues said that are different from what is written in the subtitle. There are some parts where some of what the actors say are different from what the subtitles are implying. When it comes to the actors, I find them real great. Eddie Gutierrez did great in this film as well as Christopher de Leon. Eddie Gutierrez opposing scenes are very effective for me. It made me feel like he is really the devil in the story. Christopher De Leons soft voice helps the way he is in the story. I think he is really a good actor for the role. Evangeline is also good. She portrays to be a good girl and turned out to be a foolish one. I was irritated by the way she takes Junior for granted and the way she flirts with another guy, but it is a good thing. Lolita Rodriguez on the other hand is very very good. We all know that being a main actor on a film and at the same time portraying a role of an insane is a very challenging matter. You have to deliver everything up to the end with only few words to say. It might be the hardest role in this film because she has to make people believe not with the words shes going to say, but for the actions shes going to show. Its very convinc ing, she is very convincing. I also see the consistency of her great performance in this film. She has this legendary performance as the town lunatic who is Kuala. Mario Ohara is very effective as I pity him for his status. When I was watching the film, it made me feel like I am on his part. I hate the way people treat him and I pity the way he was treated by the people. The lines he delivered in the story come out very natural. Thats why when he was shot by one of the policemen, it made me ask the question whats wrong with the society? and made me feel like Hey it is happening all the time. That made me cry. I only find vagueness in the character of Milagros. After having an intercourse with Junior, she was out of the picture. For me, it wasnt given a closure. There may be the reason; maybe because she also has to go to Manila but the answers about where she is is vague. a huge production with a pretty large cast, and no one drops the ball. I really love the story of Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang not only because it is dramatic but because it made me realize what kind of people we have in our surroundings, what kind of government we had before and asking myself if Am I one of the alienated in the society or.. Am I one of the oppressors? As I watch the film, I found out that there are people who are alienated in a certain environment and there are oppressors. There are people who are outcasts and there are people who enjoys being superior to another. We know that people enjoys being superior because some people let themselves be inferior. The government we had in this movie is with Marcos Regime. It happens during the martial law as some of the actors says that there are curfews. I can see oppression in the film as Junior has this good status in life but found his dark side. He is indeed a lost boy. He is a son of two wealthy parents but his father is nothing but a womanizer and his mother is a nagger. They have this Christian women association but are sort of villains too in the film. Yes. They said they are after God but how can they make rumours about people, judge them and let Berto be an outcast of their own place? They are leading the entire place to make a better society but was not actually what is supposed to be. It made me realize a lot of things, we have seen marginalization that Philippines had and the hypocrisy of the people around us. Some of them are even into a religion. Because of the inhuman judgments, the film disturbs and touches me. Its a breathtaking movie, all in all. It made me even ask myself about my stand in the society. What the film implies is also what is present today. There are social injustices, and no matter how good we serve others, our thoughts and action will always be twisted by others. Whats sad in the film is not the corruption of a government or anything but thse corruption of men. After all the wrong things we made, it hurts to helplessly contemplate as we see innocence being shattered. The ending of the film says a lot of things. Junior is the only one who embrace the lives of two social outcasts whose attitude overpowers their physical and mental shortcomings and Kualas nightmare of the abortion turned out to be a new hope as Junior walked outside the house of Berto with the newborn baby facing all the guilty townspeople. Its a very good movie. Lino Brocka didnt fail to shed a light on our countrys social ills in this film.

Richard Warren Sears And Sears, Roebuck, & Company :: essays research papers

Richard Warren Sears and Sears, Roebuck, & Company Richard Warren Sears was born on December 7, 1863, in Stewartville, Minnesota. He was the son of James Warren and Eliza A. Sears, both of English ancestory. His father led anything but a happy life. He had failed in his quest for gold during the California Gold Rush of 1849 and was a bitter soldier in the Civil War, which he blamed on politicians. He had earned a sizable sum of money working as a blacksmith and a wagonmaker, but he lost it all in a stock-farm venture. Richard's father gave up soon afterwards, leaving Richard to be the family breadwinner at the age of 16. Richard worked in the general offices of the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway in Minneapolis to support his family. He then decided to move Redwood Falls, Minnesota, where he thought that he could earn more money because of the small town setting. There he worked as a station attendant, doing chores for his board and sleeping in the loft of the railroad station. In his spare time, he learned how the mail-order business worked. Richard got his opportunity to get into the mail-order business in 1886 when a shipment of watches from a Chicago wholesaler was refused by a town jeweler. Therefore, the shipment sat in the railroad station until Richard contacted the wholesaler, who offered him the watches for twelve dollars each. He bought the watches and sold them by sending letters to other station attendants describing the watches and offering them at the discount price of fourteen dollars each. He sold those watches and ordered more to sell. To sell these he advertised in a small way in St. Paul newspapers. He made a large profit from this operation. In a few months Richard made such a profit that he abandoned the railroad business entirely and started his own mail-order business under the name of the R.W. Sears Watch Company. In one year he made so much money that he was able to begin advertising in magazines with a national circulation and move the business to Chicago. On March 1, 1887, he set up a shop on Dearborn Street in Chicago with a staff of three people, one to handle bookkeeping and correspondence and two stenographers. Soon after the opening of his new shop, he found a need for a watchmaker to repair watches returned by customers. This watchmaker was a young man by the name of Alvah Curtis Roebuck from Hammond, Indiana. Richard Sears became even more successful by opening up the huge rural market.

Poem Red to You vs Reading a Poem Essay

I believe that having a poem read to me is more powerful then reading a poem off of a page. When I close my eyes I can see the words that the reader is speaking, instead of trying to understand what the author is attempting to write to me; so it is easier for me to understand what the author is communicating without decoding the words. When I close my eyes as someone is reading, the reader paints a picture in my head of what the author has written and I can also see the words that are being spoken. The poem being read out loud helps me to get a better understanding of what the author was trying to say without reading between the lines. Having the poem read to me also helps me find different authors that I might not have looked at before or even heard of . So it gives me a bigger variety of the authors I might enjoy reading and an opportunity to ask any questions about what is being read. When I read a poem straight off a page I don’t not know what words to say strongly, it is like I’m reading a really boring article in the news paper or reading a story with no expression. For my logic to work I must assume the person reading to me knows the poem and knows the words to emphasize. Therefor having a poem read to me is more powerful then reading a poem off of a page because I get a better understanding of what is said, I can ask questions. Especially if the reader uses the proper emphasis on key words.

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 105

CHAPTER 105 Night had fallen over Rosslyn. Robert Langdon stood alone on the porch of the fieldstone house enjoying the sounds of laughter and reunion drifting through the screened door behind him. The mug of potent Brazilian coffee in his hand had granted him a hazy reprieve from his mounting exhaustion, and yet he sensed the reprieve would be fleeting. The fatigue in his body went to the core. â€Å"You slipped out quietly,† a voice behind him said. He turned. Sophie's grandmother emerged, her silver hair shimmering in the night. Her name, for the last twenty-eight years at least, was Marie Chauvel. Langdon gave a tired smile. â€Å"I thought I'd give your family some time together.† Through the window, he could see Sophie talking with her brother. Marie came over and stood beside him. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, when I first heard of Jacques's murder, I was terrified for Sophie's safety. Seeing her standing in my doorway tonight was the greatest relief of my life. I cannot thank you enough.† Langdon had no idea how to respond. Although he had offered to give Sophie and her grandmother time to talk in private, Marie had asked him to stay and listen. My husband obviously trusted you, Mr.Langdon, so I do as well. And so Langdon had remained, standing beside Sophie and listening in mute astonishment while Marie told the story of Sophie's late parents. Incredibly, both had been from Merovingian families – direct descendants of Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ. Sophie's parents and ancestors, for protection, had changed their family names of Plantard and Saint-Clair. Their children represented the most direct surviving royal bloodline and therefore were carefully guarded by the Priory. When Sophie's parents were killed in a car accident whose cause could not be determined, the Priory feared the identity of the royal line had been discovered. â€Å"Your grandfather and I,† Marie had explained in a voice choked with pain, â€Å"had to make a grave decision the instant we received the phone call. Your parents' car had just been found in the river.† She dabbed at the tears in her eyes. â€Å"All six of us – including you two grandchildren – were supposed to be traveling together in that car that very night. Fortunately we changed our plans at the last moment, and your parents were alone. Hearing of the accident, Jacques and I had no way to know what had really happened†¦ or if this was truly an accident.† Marie looked at Sophie. â€Å"We knew we had to protect our grandchildren, and we did what we thought was best. Jacques reported to the police that your brother and I had been in the car†¦ our two bodies apparently washed off in the current. Then your brother and I went underground with the Priory. Jacques, being a man of prominence, did not have the luxury of disappearing. It o nly made sense that Sophie, being the eldest, would stay in Paris to be taught and raised by Jacques, close to the heart and protection of the Priory.† Her voice fell to a whisper. â€Å"Separating the family was the hardest thing we ever had to do. Jacques and I saw each other only very infrequently, and always in the most secret of settings†¦ under the protection of the Priory. There are certain ceremonies to which the brotherhood always stays faithful.† Langdon had sensed the story went far deeper, but he also sensed it was not for him to hear. So he had stepped outside. Now, gazing up at the spires of Rosslyn, Langdon could not escape the hollow gnaw of Rosslyn's unsolved mystery. Is the Grail really here at Rosslyn? And if so, where are theblade and chalice that Sauniere mentioned in his poem?† I'll take that,† Marie said, motioning to Langdon's hand. â€Å"Oh, thank you.† Langdon held out his empty coffee cup. She stared at him. â€Å"I was referring to your other hand, Mr. Langdon.† Langdon looked down and realized he was holding Sauniere's papyrus. He had taken it from the cryptex once again in hopes of seeing something he had missed earlier. â€Å"Of course, I'm sorry.† Marie looked amused as she took the paper. â€Å"I know of a man at a bank in Paris who is probably very eager to see the return of this rosewood box. Andre Vernet was a dear friend of Jacques, and Jacques trusted him explicitly. Andre would have done anything to honor Jacques's requests for the care of this box.† Including shooting me, Langdon recalled, deciding not to mention that he had probably broken the poor man's nose. Thinking of Paris, Langdon flashed on the three senechaux who had been killed the night before. â€Å"And the Priory? What happens now?† â€Å"The wheels are already in motion, Mr. Langdon. The brotherhood has endured for centuries, and it will endure this. There are always those waiting to move up and rebuild.† All evening Langdon had suspected that Sophie's grandmother was closely tied to the operations of the Priory. After all, the Priory had always had women members. Four Grand Masters had been women. The senechaux were traditionally men – the guardians – and yet women held far more honored status within the Priory and could ascend to the highest post from virtually any rank. Langdon thought of Leigh Teabing and Westminster Abbey. It seemed a lifetime ago. â€Å"Was the Church pressuring your husband not to release the Sangreal documents at the End of Days?† â€Å"Heavens no. The End of Days is a legend of paranoid minds. There is nothing in the Priory doctrine that identifies a date at which the Grail should be unveiled. In fact the Priory has always maintained that the Grail should never be unveiled.† â€Å"Never?† Langdon was stunned. â€Å"It is the mystery and wonderment that serve our souls, not the Grail itself. The beauty of the Grail lies in her ethereal nature.† Marie Chauvel gazed up at Rosslyn now. â€Å"For some, the Grail is a chalice that will bring them everlasting life. For others, it is the quest for lost documents and secret history. And for most, I suspect the Holy Grail is simply a grand idea†¦ a glorious unattainable treasure that somehow, even in today's world of chaos, inspires us.† â€Å"But if the Sangreal documents remain hidden, the story of Mary Magdalene will be lost forever,† Langdon said. â€Å"Will it? Look around you. Her story is being told in art, music, and books. More so every day. The pendulum is swinging. We are starting to sense the dangers of our history†¦ and of our destructive paths. We are beginning to sense the need to restore the sacred feminine.† She paused. â€Å"You mentioned you are writing a manuscript about the symbols of the sacred feminine, are you not?† â€Å"I am.† She smiled. â€Å"Finish it, Mr. Langdon. Sing her song. The world needs modern troubadours.† Langdon fell silent, feeling the weight of her message upon him. Across the open spaces, a new moon was rising above the tree line. Turning his eyes toward Rosslyn, Langdon felt a boyish craving to know her secrets. Don't ask, he told himself. This is not the moment.He glanced at the papyrus in Marie's hand, and then back at Rosslyn. â€Å"Ask the question, Mr. Langdon,† Marie said, looking amused. â€Å"You have earned the right.† Langdon felt himself flush.† You want to know if the Grail is here at Rosslyn.† â€Å"Can you tell me?† She sighed in mock exasperation. â€Å"Why is it that men simply cannot let the Grail rest?† She laughed, obviously enjoying herself. â€Å"Why do you think it's here?† Langdon motioned to the papyrus in her hand. â€Å"Your husband's poem speaks specifically of Rosslyn, except it also mentions a blade and chalice watching over the Grail. I didn't see any symbols of the blade and chalice up there.† â€Å"The blade and chalice?† Marie asked. â€Å"What exactly do they look like?† Langdon sensed she was toying with him, but he played along, quickly describing the symbols. A look of vague recollection crossed her face. â€Å"Ah, yes, of course. The blade represents all that is masculine. I believe it is drawn like this, no?† Using her index finger, she traced a shape on herpalm. â€Å"Yes,† Langdon said. Marie had drawn the less common† closed† form of the blade, although Langdon had seen the symbol portrayed both ways. â€Å"And the inverse,† she said, drawing again on her palm,† is the chalice, which represents the feminine.† â€Å"Correct,† Langdon said. â€Å"And you are saying that in all the hundreds of symbols we have here in Rosslyn Chapel, these two shapes appear nowhere?† â€Å"I didn't see them.† â€Å"And if I show them to you, will you get some sleep?† Before Langdon could answer, Marie Chauvel had stepped off the porch and was heading toward the chapel. Langdon hurried after her. Entering the ancient building, Marie turned on the lights and pointed to the center of the sanctuary floor. â€Å"There you are, Mr. Langdon. The blade and chalice.† Langdon stared at the scuffed stone floor. It was blank. â€Å"There's nothing here†¦ .† Marie sighed and began to walk along the famous path worn into the chapel floor, the same path Langdon had seen the visitors walking earlier this evening. As his eyes adjusted to see the giant symbol, he still felt lost. â€Å"But that's the Star of Dav – † Langdon stopped short, mute with amazement as it dawned on him. The blade and chalice. Fused as one. The Star of David†¦ the perfect union of male and female†¦ Solomon's Seal†¦ marking the Holy of Holies, where the male and female deities – Yahweh and Shekinah – were thought to dwell. Langdon needed a minute to find his words. â€Å"The verse does point here to Rosslyn. Completely. Perfectly.† Marie smiled. â€Å"Apparently.† The implications chilled him. â€Å"So the Holy Grail is in the vault beneath us?† She laughed. â€Å"Only in spirit. One of the Priory's most ancient charges was one day to return the Grail to her homeland of France where she could rest for eternity. For centuries, she was dragged across the countryside to keep her safe. Most undignified. Jacques's charge when he became Grand Master was to restore her honor by returning her to France and building her a resting place fit for a queen.† â€Å"And he succeeded?† Now her face grew serious. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, considering what you've done for me tonight, and as curator of the Rosslyn Trust, I can tell you for certain that the Grail is no longer here.† Langdon decided to press. â€Å"But the keystone is supposed to point to the place where the Holy Grail is hidden now.Why does it point to Rosslyn?† â€Å"Maybe you're misreading its meaning. Remember, the Grail can be deceptive. As could my late husband.† â€Å"But how much clearer could he be?† he asked. â€Å"We are standing over an underground vault marked by the blade and chalice, underneath a ceiling of stars, surrounded by the art of Master Masons. Everything speaks of Rosslyn.† â€Å"Very well, let me see this mysterious verse.† She unrolled the papyrus and read the poem aloud in a deliberate tone. The Holy Grail ‘neath ancient Roslin waits. The blade and chalice guarding o'er Her gates. Adorned in masters' loving art, She lies. She rests at last beneath the starry skies. When she finished, she was still for several seconds, until a knowing smile crossed her lips. â€Å"Aah, Jacques.† Langdon watched her expectantly. â€Å"You understand this?† â€Å"As you have witnessed on the chapel floor, Mr. Langdon, there are many ways to see simple things.† Langdon strained to understand. Everything about Jacques Sauniere seemed to have double meanings, and yet Langdon could see no further. Marie gave a tired yawn. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, I will make a confession to you. I have never officially been privy to the present location of the Grail. But, of course, I was married to a person of enormous influence†¦ and my women's intuition is strong.† Langdon started to speak but Marie continued. â€Å"I am sorry that after all your hard work, you will be leaving Rosslyn without any real answers. And yet, something tells me you will eventually find what you seek. One day it will dawn on you.† She smiled. â€Å"And when it does, I trust that you, of all people, can keep a secret.† There was a sound of someone arriving in the doorway. â€Å"Both of you disappeared,† Sophie said, entering. â€Å"I was just leaving,† her grandmother replied, walking over to Sophie at the door. â€Å"Good night, princess.† She kissed Sophie's forehead. â€Å"Don't keep Mr. Langdon out too late.† Langdon and Sophie watched her grandmother walk back toward the fieldstone house. When Sophie turned to him, her eyes were awash in deep emotion. â€Å"Not exactly the ending I expected.† That makes two of us, he thought. Langdon could see she was overwhelmed. The news she had received tonight had changed everything in her life. â€Å"Are you okay? It's a lot to take in.† She smiled quietly. â€Å"I have a family. That's where I'm going to start. Who we are and where we came from will take some time.† Langdon remained silent. â€Å"Beyond tonight, will you stay with us?† Sophie asked. â€Å"At least for a few days?† Langdon sighed, wanting nothing more. â€Å"You need some time here with your family, Sophie. I'm going back to Paris in the morning.† She looked disappointed but seemed to know it was the right thing to do. Neither of them spoke for a long time. Finally Sophie reached over and, taking his hand, led him out of the chapel. They walked to a small rise on the bluff. From here, the Scottish countryside spread out before them, suffused in a pale moonlight that sifted through the departing clouds. They stood in silence, holding hands, both of them fighting the descending shroud of exhaustion. The stars were just now appearing, but to the east, a single point of light glowed brighter than any other. Langdon smiled when he saw it. It was Venus. The ancient Goddess shining down with her steady and patient light. The night was growing cooler, a crisp breeze rolling up from the lowlands. After a while, Langdon looked over at Sophie. Her eyes were closed, her lips relaxed in a contented smile. Langdon could feel his own eyes growing heavy. Reluctantly, he squeezed her hand. â€Å"Sophie?† Slowly, she opened her eyes and turned to him. Her face was beautiful in the moonlight. She gave him a sleepy smile. â€Å"Hi.† Langdon felt an unexpected sadness to realize he would be returning to Paris without her. â€Å"I maybe gone before you wake up.† He paused, a knot growing in his throat. â€Å"I'm sorry, I'm not very good at – â€Å" Sophie reached out and placed her soft hand on the side of his face. Then, leaning forward, she kissed him tenderly on the cheek. â€Å"When can I see you again?† Langdon reeled momentarily, lost in her eyes. â€Å"When?† He paused, curious if she had any idea how much he had been wondering the same thing. â€Å"Well, actually, next month I'm lecturing at a conference in Florence. I'll be there a week without much to do.† â€Å"Is that an invitation?† â€Å"We'd be living in luxury. They're giving me a room at the Brunelleschi.† Sophie smiled playfully. â€Å"You presume a lot, Mr. Langdon.† He cringed at how it had sounded. â€Å"What I meant – â€Å" â€Å"I would love nothing more than to meet you in Florence, Robert. But on one condition.† Her tone turned serious. â€Å"No museums, no churches, no tombs, no art, no relics.† â€Å"In Florence? For a week? There's nothing else to do.† Sophie leaned forward and kissed him again, now on the lips. Their bodies came together, softly at first, and then completely. When she pulled away, her eyes were full of promise. â€Å"Right,† Langdon managed. â€Å"It's a date.†