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SYNOPSIS Main backdrop Cape Town, South Africa.
commits suicide everyday, sometimes twice a day.
CHARACTERS Secon Ndo
Twice born Secon Ndo. Adopted by Vladimir & Love Ndo. Secon has a website dedicated to the art of dying. She designs suicide tools, plays the violin and tints glass.
Jodi Kubric
Secon’s gay paraplegic best friend. He’s a computer technician and fellow dark tortured soul.
Love Ndo
Makes curtains
Vladimir Ndo
Owns a security company and aspiring politician.
Heinz
Cab driver.
Curse One
Forgetting
Curse Two
Remembering
A Screen Play by Nosana Sondiyazi 0200803012March 11 Seinhewuwels Arboretum Avenue Westdene BFN 9310 Contact Info: +27 76 037 1985 sanadivine@gmail.com www.physicaldivine.wordpress.com www.issuu.com/physicaldivine All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocoyping, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission from the copyright owner.
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EPISODE 1 Camera opens very slowly zooming out of a painting. Thick oil on canvas. Slowly turning from smear to eventual image Curse One and Curse Two speak in unison. It is not A single act Done in an unchangeable moment Never to be undone It is A conscious decision Made To live your life to die A mental decision To slowly die Feel dead Be in death In your dreams In your decisions It’s pretending You are dead When you are sleeping When you are thinking When you are alone Pretending that your actions Have no consequence Because you are not there Because you have died One day It becomes a feeling You can’t turn on or off It becomes A letter already written And stamped And needs to be posted You either mail it Go to that destination Or you don’t
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Secon Ndo on a stage at a bar. Pauses and waits. Screen zips into rewind with Secon entering on stage in reverse. The previous act is a magician. Previous act a comedian. Cut to black from fade. Secon Ndo back on stage in present, she pauses and waits. . Looks at the envelope in her hand. Licks it closed. She coughs and shakes. Her mouth opens. Her tongue is red, the blood trickles to her chest. She falls to the ground. Jodi stops filming takes the envelope, sets it alight. Lifts Secon up onto his lap. They make their way through the crowd on his wheelchair to some startled applause. Outside. Heinz gets out of the drivers seat to help Secon into the back seat smiling. Gets Jodi into the front seat and folds the wheelchair into the boot. Heinz is calm and unphased by Secon’s condition, drives her home where Love Ndo is on her sewing machine next to the window. She winces and watches the event of Heinz carrying her drunken daughter to their cottage. Distastefully sends an sms to her husband. YOUR DAUGHTER IS DRUNK AGAIN. LETS HIDE HER IN EUROPE. Cut to Vi Ndo receiving the sms while talking to some security guards. Jodi and Heinz chat and drink irish coffee at Secon’s place. Heinz cleans her up and rests her while Jodi takes pictures, Heinz laughs and poses with the body, eventually also passing out on the couch. Jodi reaches for Secon’s pulse, satisfied he switches on the computer and updates the SECONDS DONE website. On the screen a window opens THE REAL PEACE. SLEEP OR DEATH? Jodi adds the latest pictures and wakes up Heinz to take him home. The next morning Secon checks her computer. Drinks from her wheatgrass growing in her herb bed kitchen window. Takes her bmx and rucksack and cycles to her next suicide. She rides to the train station and sms’s Jodi to come pick her up. MY NEXT DEATH IS IN 2HRS. PLEASE COME GET ME. I’VE GOT A BLANKET. MEET ME AT CLAREMONT TRAIN STATION. IF YOU CAN COME NOW. I’M NOT BRINGING MY CAMERA. OH YES! GOOD MORNING SWEETNESS, THANKS FOR LAST NIGHT.
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EPISODE 2 Camera opens with Heinz getting in his cab with a sporty sigh. Wheelchair and bmx in the boot. Secon in the back seat, blanket covering her. Jodi(hmph) Heinz Why can’t she learn to drive? Jodi She doesn’t want to kill other people. Can you imagine the kind of damage she can do to property with her drinking? Lets go to my place. At Jodi’s place. Jodi puts Secon on a lie low next to the pool and does the internet banking. Paying Heinz for the month. He stops when he hears a splash in the pool. Jodi I love these morning ones.
Secon GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jodi Yes? My angel? Jodi goes to the pool to Secon. Secon Are you really God? Jodi Yes. And as I should, I want to drink today. Lets go. Secon I’m hungry Jodi God doesn’t cook
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Secon Pour some rain! Jodi Razor blades? Cut to bloody pool scene. Jodi I’m not draining the pool this week. Secon I wish I could give you your legs back. Jodi You didn’t take my legs. Secon I wish I could give you my penis. Jodi I wish you’d have my baby. Secon I wish I had a vagina. Jodi You can have my sisters, she doesn’t use hers. Secon I’ve had your sisters. Jodi How was it? Secon Jodi!! Jodi What? 6
Secon Leave that woman’s vagina! I’m not going to talk about your sisters vagina! Jodi Why not? You’re always carrying on about my penis. Secon I’m the only penis you have. Jodi’s phone rings Secon I want to give birth to a cellphone Jodi You cannot have my penis. Secon Answer your phone. Jodi It’s your mother. Secon She probably wants to make curtains for my vagina. Jodi I love those she made me. Secon I’m still tying to recover from that Aids Day Fashion Show last year! Jodi That was classic. Phone stops ringing. Jodi Listen to this
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Jodi puts the cellphone on speaker. Love Ndo I’m just checking to see if my daughter is still alive. Please you two please try not to arrive in body bags tonight, we are having guests over for a dinner. Your father and I don’t need ills, news is attending. Thank you. Roses. Jodi She’s a peach. Secon It freaks me out when she uses death metaphors like that. I could swear she knows. Jodi She can’t Secon What if it freaks her out to know. And those curtains are her outlet? Jodi You never know Secon I want to kill myself Jodi When now? Secon Ya Jodi Here now? Jodi receives an sms. Message from Heinz. Jodi reads the message out loud. Heinz THANKS FOR WAGES J. I AM TAKING THE OLD LADY OUT TONIGHT. BUT STILL ON CALL. HEINZ
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Secon Ask him where he’s going? Jodi Why? Secon(Shrugs) Jodi Let’s go to the lab. Jodi lives in Woodstock in a warehouse loft section filled with technical auto gadgets for various forms of easy and instant methods of life loss. Some hanging from the ceiling. Others on the many steel tables. Separately there’s a chemical lab with different poisons and acids. In the green room there are plants, spiders and snakes. Upstairs there’s a swimming pool. Jodi Lets take your head off first. After some switching of choices and discussions between Secon and Jodi how they’re going to go about, episode ends with Charlie sitting in an electric chair and Jodi reading a book.
EPISODE 3 Flashback 2003. Jodi walking on the road at night. He sees Secon appear from behind a rock and walks to the middle of the road as a truck approaches. He runs and pushes her out of the way. Truck runs him over. Secon freezes. Cut back to present day. Secon and Jodi at a trendy bar. Secon You’re not to kill me without my permission. Jodi See? How do you know me? Secon(glares) Jodi Who saves your life everyday? Secon You saved my life once 9
Jodi(Glares) Secon You’re killing me over here They both stare at the sushi on her plate. Jodi looks away and sees Heinz outside. Jodi Why don’t you ever talk about it? Secon What? Jodi What it’s like, what happens? They get the bill. Secon I talk about it all the time. Jodi You talk about wanting to kill yourself. They walk past Heinz. Secon Exactly Jodi You never talk about what it feels like when you’re dead. Ignoring street kids. Street kids follow them down Long street, pretending like they are dying. Secon It doesn’t feel like anything. Jodi Obviously. Secon So? 10
Jodi Is it dark? Is it cold? Is it light? Is it colourful? Secon Why do you want to know? Jodi You don’t have to tell me? Secon I don’t know Jodi How can you not know? Secon I’m not designed to remember. Eventually Jodi gives each of the kids coins and they run across the street. Jodi We need to do something good Secon My love, I’m not a superhero. I don’t have special powers. Jodi What do you call it? Secon A joke. Jodi Speaking of. I’ve managed to poison the laughing gas. Secon Die of laughter. My cheeks. Jodi Will tear. The insulin will work just as fine as usual. 11
Secon That will be great for the next horror comedy show. They witness a police car speed down the one way up Long street. Cars hoot, pedestrians pause and watch. Jodi and Secon carry on walking. Jodi Why don’t we find a way to chop you up into little pieces. Secon I thought you didn’t want to kill me. Jodi You could jump into a dicer slicer. They get to Green Market Square and view cd’s. Secon A mincer. African arts, masks and crafts. Jodi A juicer. Secon finds the Rasta she’s looking for. They make an exchange. Accompanied by a long greeting and farewell. Secon I can’t believe you want to liquidize me. Heinz appears from nowhere. Jodi Don’t you want to die? Secon I do. Heinz smiles. 12
Jodi Then what’s the problem? Secon You want me to go into a human incinerator? Jodi I want whatever you want love. Secon Maybe I should jump into the sea and be eaten by a shark. Heinz at their heels. Jodi No we can’t predict that one. Rather maybe be eaten by wild hogs like the Hannibal movie.
Secon I want to die in the sea. They walk past Heinz cab. Jodi No pigs then? Secon I want to be eaten alive. Jodi Like the snakes 2 years ago? Cut to Secon holding a snake to her open mouth. Secon Oh yes, we’ve done that one. Jodi No repeats. Maybe we should go on holiday.
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Secon Where to? How safe is it? Jodi Killing yourself as an alien? Secon Ya Jodi As long as it’s this continent is fine. Secon I don’t want to be shot by Mogabe. Jodi Who said anything about Zimbabwe Secon Whatever. Jodi Where are we going? Secon To smoke a joint? Lace it for me will you? Jodi I don’t have anything that could kill you on me. Secon I’ve got mine. Jodi makes a sudden violent u-turn and travels in the opposite direction. Calling Heinz. Jodi Come get me. Secon walks into a pharmacy and immediately walks out again. She stands at the door looking for Jodi. She calls Heinz. 14
Secon Where is he? Heinz He. Jodi snatches the phone from Heinz and disconnects Secon. Heinz But. Jodi glares at Heinz. Heinz Ok. Secon goes back into the chemist and smiles at a gorgeous pharmacist behind the counter. She checks the time and goes back outside and sits at a nearby café. After fidgeting a while she goes inside, finds the bathroom and rolls a joint in the loo. She comes out of the toilet and sits back down on a chair. She calls Heinz again. Jodi answers. Jodi How much patience have you got? Secon I’m sorry. Jodi How long can you wait? Secon 30 minutes. Jodi Ok fine. The redhead from the chemist eventually comes out and sits with Secon. She sms’s Jodi. OK 3 HOURS. Secon sighs and smiles again. They caress under the table.
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EPISODE 4 Camera opens in Sea Point at a bachelor flat overlooking the ocean. It’s sunset and Secon is sitting on the balcony crushing pills, while a lit joint rests in the ashtray. Ruby Come back. Secon(smiles to herself) Ruby Hey. Secon gets up. Jumps on the bed and growls. Kisses Ruby’s back and quickly jumps up again. Goes to the kitchen to fetch a tray. Goes outside loads everything on the tray and climbs into bed with it. Ruby Hey Secon Hey Ruby Are you leaving now? Secon No I’m busy here. Ruby gets up and reveals a flat chest as well as a bulge in her crotch. Ruby How’s tricks my baby? Secon Tricky. Ruby When are we doing a show together again? Secon I still have to write something. 16
Ruby opens a draw and reveals a white ballet tootoo. Secon I don’t do curtains. Ruby drops it on the floor and reveals a silver one. Secon Hmmm. Put that on. Ruby Only if you kiss me. Secon I’ll kiss you only if you put it on. Ruby pouts. Secon You’re beautiful. Ruby You don’t deserve me. Secon I know. Secon’s phone rings. It’s a private number. She ignores it. Instead watches Ruby getting dressed and apply lip gloss. The phone stops ringing and indicates the caller has left a message. Secon listens to it. Hello Miss Ndo this is Debra from the Angel House. We are just phoning to remind you that it is visitors day again this evening for an hour between 7 and 8. The children are doing a night musical tonight.. We would be very pleased if you could join us. Thank you. Secon checks the time and smoothly walks over to Ruby to kiss her. She kisses her palms, arms and runs her hands down her body. Making sounds.
Secon I have to go now. Thank you so much for being so beautiful to me. Secon’s phone rings again. It’s Jodi.
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Jodi We are downstairs. Secon gives Ruby a smooch on the lips. Secon Bye Ruby points at the tray. Secon Can I sleep over here tonight? Ruby I’m not letting you in here after midnight. Secon I’ll be back before. I promise. Secon sprints out slams the door. Runs down 5 steps. Turns around swings the door open again. Runs to the tray. Has a fat line from the crushed pills trips on her way out. She gets up. Wipes the white from her face in front of the mirror and smiles at herself. She gets downstairs to Heinz and Jodi who are both still seated in the car. She goes straight to the boot opens it up and finds what she’s looking for. She mouths to Jodi in the car. Secon I love you. Heinz opens his door to get out the car. Jodi stops him. Jodi We’re coming back here in 30 minutes she just needs the bag for a change of clothes. In fact no. help me out come pick both up in 30 minutes ok please? I’ll call you to come ok? Please. If you could stay in the area. But anyway. Thanks Heinz. Jodi kisses Heinz on the cheek. Heinz turns to complain. Jodi gives him a look he can’t ague with. He shrugs and touches his suit hanging on the rear seat window. Moving to minutes later. Jodi and Secon are sitting on the beach. 3 bags next to them. Attached to Secon’s right leg is a 40kg ball and chain. Handcuffed to the chain is a 500 meter chain which is handcuffed to Jodi’s wheelchair. The wheelchair is handcuffed to a steel pole which is cemented to the concrete. 18
Jodi Don’t look at me. Secon lifts the ball and chain and walks to the water. The sun sets as she sinks into the sea. Camera follows as the chain uncoils. It becomes still. Jodi opens his eyes. Reaches for the bag and sighs.
EPISODE 5 Camera opens with Heinz in a tuxedo, leaning against his cab arms crossed impatiently. Cut to Angel House. There are dozens of children, having a theme show. Lights, sparklers, fireworks, Vi and Love Ndo. Vi Ndo gives a giant R50 000 check to the orphangage. Press takes pictures while he lifts a toddler. Love Ndo is in one of the dorms, instructing on how to hang the curtains she just brought. Debra So they don’t need to match the duvets. Love Ndo They always need to match the duvets. The curtains are yellow, the duvets are orange. Debra Well thank you Miss Love Love Ndo Oh Love please. Debra I’m sorry Mrs Ndo? Love Ndo Oh just call me Love, it’s fine. Debra Why Oh! Yes, thank you Love, Mrs Ndo. Love Ndo Did you manage to get hold of our often unavailable daughter?
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Cut to Jodi at the beach on his harmonica playing a Stevie Wonder’s song. On the sand next to his wheelchair. He has 5 missed calls Heinz phones him again. He picks up this time. Jodi Have a good time Heinz I think we’ll be fine. Heinz Thank you. Heinz finally gets into his cab and drives. We see him at an old age home. There is a violin quartet playing Satie. Heinz goes in and finds his mother. He feels inside his jacket for his whiskey bottle, doesn’t find it and goes back to the car. After retrieving it from the glove box, he sneaks it in with knitting wool, marshmellows, newspapers, baby magazines, fortune cookies, oolong tea, apple juice and avocado’s. Heinz waves to some nurses and finds his mothers room. Seated in the visitors chair he rings for the nurse to prepare her snack and settles down with his newspaper. A while later the nurse returns with the hors derve buffet. Cut to Secon playing the violin. Ruby is next to a fan holding glitter confetti. A paper snowstorm fills the room. Ruby is wearing a gold ballet tootoo and is engaged in a sad and wooing dance with petals torn paper.
EPISODE 6 Text on screen Twice born Coming from more than one world within one life. Travelling between worlds using time and energy (time machines) Time machines woman’s womb ; the screen .The bending mind. Nature’s hidden places, prayer.etc.
Time and place has altered. (Minority Report meets Harry Potter Art Direction and D.O.P. Ancient Future/Future Ancient)
Sophia is in her bedroom. She’s cold. She turns on the television by lighting the fireplace. Watches images. Changes channels by putting different herbs and barks into the fire. The remote control is a tray with fresh and dried natural ingredients and spices. Sophia places a cinnamon stick into the fire hologram television set. Image returns to flames. She undresses and presses a button on the fireplace mantle. A sheet of glass appears on the fire floor replaced by rapid moving bubbles. Sophia presses another button on the mantle. The fireplace mantle rises and doubles in size. Sophia enters the shower. Standing in the simmering bubbles she presses another button inside the wall of the shower. The glass sinks to a warm puddle of water which slowly starts to rise to her ankles. At which 20
point the water changes to tiny droplets of gravity defying force. The water on the floor adjusts itself to strew upwards. Showering her from the bottom up with surprising uninterrupted force all the way above her head. When done. She maneuvers the shower gears once more, turning the floor back to glass. Expertly engineering her way through her ablutions. She adjusts the shower to steam, then dry heat, followed by moisture and scent. She gets into her night clothes and slippers and prepares food. Whilst about she keeps adjusting her slippers for comfort. Unsatisfied she sits and examines her slipper and after not finding the source of her discomfort she makes an incision. Finds and retrieves 3 small cube stacks of paper from the inside of her left slipper. A stack of perfectly square neatly piled stacks stare at her from her slipper. Skip to next day It’s morning. Sophia is standing outside a street of large 5 storey bright purple, bright yellow, bright red sand stone and light blue houses. On the walls of the buildings there are small, medium and large clay and iron pots. The purple building has large pots protruding out from the walls of the building, all appearing as though half of the pots are inside the walls. The yellow building has smaller clay empty pots. A lot of them are broken, but there are so many of them that they decorate the outside walls. The windows reflect the outdoors, making one unsure if they are tinted or mirror. The light blue building also has an assortment of pots protruding from the outside walls. There are other houses on the street. All of them with various degrees of eccentric protrusions, not always appearing to be pots, but clearly so, and all of them, none of them with a single visible door. Sophia is standing in the street as if seeking certainty of which house to approach. The street name is Foot Pie Street. The camera x-ray zooms into her bag, visible inside amoungst her other things is her slipper as well as the paper cubes carefully inside a transparent envelope. Secon chooses a house and puts the slipper and cubed paper envelope into a pot. The pot retracts into the house and she waits. 5000 years before The history of the foot pies goes back to a golden time of abundant goodness and spiritual wealth amougst the citizens of Sirius. Like all ages, there were wars and factions opposing the status quo of the day. The great voices which made no distinction between good and evil were Curse One and Curse Two. They were the middle way of which truth seekers, students, visionaries and healers sought to warrior through time. Curse One and Curse Two, whose main functions were simultaneous results of remembering and forgetting catalyzed the movement that would eventually over throw the ruling monarchy of the day. The royal houses in each region were protected by a loyalty spell. Each house contained various versions of enchanted ornamentalia, from silverware, to pot ware, paintings, sculptures, carpets, books, statues, walls, fabrics etc. Whose beauty produced love and loyalty amoungst the servants of the residence owners.
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The biggest totem/ deity figure whose beauty surpassed all the items of the day was a human figure watch tower 1000 stories high. The feet inside the ocean ascending all the way up to a pair of raised arms and face. Above the face was a suspended orb of light, of which was believed the source of all the loyalty in the land lay. Similar to the fire hologram television set. This energy was fuelled by items known to master engineers whose job it was to keep the portal open and operating the secrets of the loyalty spell. Such engineers were regarded to be custodians of the will of the people. A form of government. It was they who ultimately ruled Sirius. The technology and wealth of the day lay in magic, incantations and minerals of the world. The method of education for this operation, favoured those blessed with certain markings found under the base of the foot. These markings equaled the karma and intelligence of the bearer. And depending on the strength of your symbolic marking of your footprint, you had the fortune of learning the way of the floating orb in the sky. Money did not exist. Each year on your birthday one had permission to enter the submarine which traveled to the entrance of the floating orb. ( The foot of the 1000 storey statue). You spent the day inside meeting and seeing the doctors of Sirius, who made clay carvings of your foot for the year which would serve as the currency with which you would trade for all your needs and wants. This was a very exciting time for the birthdayers. Trips to the 1000 storey were sentimental and amazing. Filled with schooling, medicine and entertainment chosen for your path. Many were most fascinated by the wishing well. Where you had the opportunity to wish to meet your soulmate. Marriage was not always the result of finding ones soulmate. Sometimes, with meeting your soulmate, your combined footprints would allow you access to the school of engineering. Which was the biggest favour of the day.
EPISODE 7 There were some retired engineers who accepted only one type of gift. Since working as an engineer their entire lives and living in protected secrecy. The food that they ate was carefully made by pious chosen chefs. Whose work it was to feed them a special diet that excluded some of the most mouthwatering cuisine of the day. Their station permitted them only to eat food of a specific age and temperature because of the altitude and nature of their work. The few who chose retirement dedicated the rest of their lives to satisfying their palates and sometimes granting the occasional favour should it be that one is deserved. It is not remembered who it was that baked the first foot pie. Or what favour was granted. Which engineer granted the favour or any ingredients allowing for the favour to be granted. The foot pie is now only a family feast which is enjoyed by the members of birthdayers at the end of their trip from the 1000 storey. Each family enjoys the foot pie in various variations of savoury or sweet. But it is always a much celebrated and festive affair. With the birthdayers coming back with gifts and stories for the entire family to enjoy as they feast the occasion. 22
Appropriately so Foot Pie Street, housed retired engineers. They had removed their doors thousands of years before, due to persistent students, who did everything from beg to threaten favour into entry in the Orb School. Present day Sophia Gnosis was a key collector. There are two types of key collectors, depending on which you chose or suited you, your training would complement your choice. There was a place in Sirius were coinage was still used and where 500 more storeys existed upon the great statue. The orb itself existed as the 1100th storey through which storeys 1200 -1500 remained hidden. What was unknown amoungst the citizens of Sirius was that being granted access as an orb engineer was only the first step to a multidimensional plan of true consciousness and intelligence infinity. Also a great corridor which displayed various plates on the walls, these plates had feet of previous legendary engineers. Some engraved, some embossed. The plates, depending on the engineer served the orb and was made from various precious metals. The newly recruited engineers would give up their foot currency in exchange for a plate. On the anniversary of their entry into the orb they would insert the coin into the game wheel, the coin would return to Sirius. In which time they had the day off to go and retrieve it at milky beach. The shore of which was on the other side of Foot Pie street. The plates were the keys to the invisible doors on the other side of Foot Pie street where young engineers spent their anniversaries. The key collectors existed in two orders as mentioned before. There were the hunters who resided on milky beach (retired engineers). Who were on an endless quest to finish their ascent through to storeys 1200 – 1500. Often bargaining with new orb initiates with half truths and lies to get them to part with their conaige as they still possessed the technology to sneak passage back to the hidden storeys. The honest key collectors also resided on milky beach. But their quest was to assist the new engineers, by granting them access to information to be protectors. These key collectors could often bi-locate to other destinations. It was your heart which lead you to either the protectors or the hunters. A senior guardian had in his house a skeletal doorway. It was a human skeleton encased in thick glass with transparent cement holding the bones together making them a visible upright standing skeletal glass coffin. This was a very rare form of burial. Visible bones for the purpose of immortalizing ancestors. EPISODE 8 Pagan magic was behind the human skeletal glass coffins. As the flesh had to be removed in various ways. Chemists had invented various solutions which would melt away the flesh at the funeral and leave the bones behind. The transparent cement was rumoured to be enchanted(with the ancient loyalty spell). The glass and metal casing of the coffins were also a highly priced commodity. The design of the coffin was often the size of a doorway, or in the case of the senior guardian, it was the size of a 23
double door. With the bones placed in the middle. Veron was busy with sleep technology. His coffin sealed the entrance to his studio, where he had found a way to identify a DNA code rare in humans but it allowed for life particles to travel holistically between dimensions. His studio was a dormant stargate. It was dormant because it could only carry life particles within the 5 dimension universe, which included death, dreams and astrotravel. It could not yet carry memory. Veron’s life work was to include memory into time travel sleep technology, but that meant a big sacrifice on his part which he was getting closer to making.
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