Broward Community College - Silver Sands Yearbook (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

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had just finished tolling the hour of nine when Marlowe mixed his chemicals in a large vial, and with a wondering smile of delight, drank them down. For a few moments it was as if nothing had happened, then suddenly Marlowe's body was racked with terrific convulsions and spasms. He crashed about his room sending furniture and all various kinds of objects smash- ing to the floor. Then Marlowe fell also, his body overcome in a swoon. Four hours passed before he awakened from his sleep. At first Marlowe remained prostrate on the floor as if in a daze and then began to grope around in search of his candle. When he found it lying in a corner of his room, he withdrew a match from his pocket, lit it, and applied it to the candle. Marlowe then stood erect, with his candle in his hand, and walked a few paces to a mir- ror which was hanging on the wall. He gazed into the reflector and what he saw startled him. Reflected back at Marlowe was the image of a man of about thir- ty years of age-handsome, tall, and erect. Marlowe couldn't be- lieve what he saw to be true. He put his hand to his face and found it to be smooth instead of wrin- kled and leathery. He soon real- ized that the transformation had actually taken place, that his pre- cious formula had proven true. Marlowe's uncertainty turned to reality and his concern turned to joy, unlimited joy which threw him into gales of laughter. Now he was capable of dealing with the disgusting human race as he saw fit. With youth and fortune, he thought to himself, how could he be stopped from reaching his inevitable triumph. UT overshadowing this op- timistic faith in Marlowe's future was the thought of the people themselves. The sev- enty-three-year-old Ebenezer Mar- lowe now no longer existed. He would eventually be missed by his acquaintances and many questions would be asked concerning his whereabouts. No doubt someone might think that foul play had occurred. What would happen, Marlowe thought, if he himself were arrested and questioned? How could he escape? How could he possibly explain the existence of the formula, the transforma- tion, the obtaining of perpetual youth? It would be an impossible task. Marlowe threw himself down in despair. He thought of the human race as a mass of vicious insects trying to rob him of his discovery and triumph. He realized that he could not let this terrible thing come to pass. He must conceive a plan, a brilliant plan, to counteract any human resistance to his personal destiny. Daylight had once again come to the city of London, and at Marlowe's pawn shop all was in readiness. He had passed the re- maining hours of the night in deep thought as to the course he would follow. He had conceived a truly brilliant plan and was most anxious to put it into action. First and foremost, Marlowe had changed his identity. He was now John James Marlowe, Ebenezer's nephew and only living relative. Second, he would explain to his questioning neighbors that Ebene- zer had summoned him in a letter a few days before to come at once to his bedside for his uncle feared that he was dying. Marlowe would then continue to explain that upon arriving at the shop the night before, he found his uncle dead, saying also that he had no- ticed the room to be filled with a number of medicine bottles which proved that his uncle had no doubt been nursing a severe and long-acquired illness which finally overcame him. Last, Mar- lowe would explain that his un- cle's property was now in the hands of a financier and was to be sold. The plan was foolproof. In a few short sentences Marlowe would explain the entire incident quickly and simply and would give no chances for questions to be raised. The day passed as Marlowe had expected. His story had been told by himself only five times, but carried by a multitude of others, it had worked its way throughout Piccadilly Circle. Be- cause of its convincing thorough- ness, Marlowe's explanations were believed by everyone who heard them. There was, however, one small detail which he had neg- lectfully overlooked, the where- abouts of his uncle's body. As chance would have it, Marlowe was asked that question and he was momentarily stunned by it. His answer, that the body had been taken to a rural suburb across the Thames early that morning to be prepared for burial, was begun in a hesitating man- ner but finished off with such ob- vious sincerity that it was taken to be a truthful answer. By that evening, Marlowe had moved his living quarters from the dingy pawn shop to a stately mansion overlooking Hyde Park. He had won the day for himself and now believed more strongly than ever that his obsessions and ultimate destiny would be fulfilled. A year passed and in that time the name of John James Marlowe became associated with the most fashionable society of London. He had used his fortune wisely to gain prominence and power and was on the road to war against the human race. It gave Marlowe great amusement to think of his new position in life and how he would use it to bring his dreams of vengeance to real- ity. The hate and bitterness he had acquired never left him. In fact, now that he realized he was capable of striking back at man- kind, his twisted feelings were even more pronounced. It became just a matter of time before Mar- lowe's obsessions led him on the path of human destruction. He had passed the first year of his new life establishing himself in London's high society and now, 25

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without success. Surely the pad- lock key must be somewhere within the bundle. Once again Marlowe attempted to find it. Thrusting his hands deep within the bundle, his fingers suddenly touched a long metal object. He withdrew his find and discovered, much to his delight, that it was a key. He hurriedly attacked the padlock with it, which at a turn of the key, fell open. Removing the chain from the chest, Marlowe opened it and found six small scrolls carefully stored inside. Upon examining one of the scrolls, he found it to be covered with Arabic lettering and some sort of a strange design. He replaced the scroll and told the boy he would pay five pounds for the chest and its contents, no more, no less. The bargain was sealed and the boy, returning the other articles to his bundle, brought the sack up over his shoulder and quickly left the shop. ARLOWE returned his re- volver to its hiding place, and with his newly pur- chased prize in one hand and the candle in the other, returned down the passageway to his bed- room. Placing the candle on a table, Marlowe removed the six scrolls and took them to the light for a more careful examina- tion. He found all of them to contain Arabic lettering and six different designs, one on each of the scrolls. The greatest of curi- osity now aroused, he acquired a burning desire to discover the meaning of the scrolls. Marlowe had a vague remembrance of hav- ing a book somewhere in his pos- session which dealt with Arabic writing. He realized that if he could only find that book, the problem of deciphering would be greatly lessened. He began an extensive search of his shop which lasted throughout most of the night, but as the first rays of the rising sun streamed through the city of London, Ebenezer Mar- lowe found his book. 24 It was now Sunday, and as was customary in keeping of the Sabbath, Marlowe's pawn shop was closed for the day. This gave the old man the entire day to pass as he thought best and the foremost thing on his mind was the deciphering of the scrolls. He worked with his task at a fever- ish pace, not stopping for a mo- ment. The day passed into night and it was not until the following morning when Marlowe closed his book and returned it to its storage. The task had been com- pleted, and for the first time in many years, he felt almost over- joyed with accomplishment. Mar- lowe had discovered that he had in his possession a formula for the retaining of youth written by an unknown prophet some five- hundred years after the birth of Christ. The first five scrolls con- tained the secret of the formula itself but the sixth scroll was a curse, or something like a warn- ing, to all those who used the for- mula without the consent of Al- lah. Marlowe reasoned that there were a chosen few whom Allah believed pious enough in spirit to be blessed with perpetual youth and only these few were able to use the formula without conse- quences. Marlowe believed this sixth scroll to contain nothing but a ridiculous and pagan superstition not worth anything but to be ig- nored and discarded. He also learned that the six strange de- signs appearing on the scrolls were concerned with the curse of the sixth scroll. He found them to be taken from an ancient lunar calendar and reasoned that the fate spoken of in the curse would be fulfilled on the night of a full moon. This time element Mar- lowe also ignored but concerned himself with only one idea-per- petual youth. He thought to him- self what a grand thing it would be if he could regain his youth. With the fortune he had amassed over the years he could easily ful- fill his dream of vengeance, and at the same time, he could enjoy all of the fun and frolic of the day. This was the chance he had been waiting for and fate had fi- nally seen fit to grant him his wish. Ebenezer Marlowe was now trapped in his own obsessions and it would be a mere matter of time before he would feel the sting of the ancient curse. In the days that followed, Mar- lowe could be seen making fre- quent trips to the druggist shop a few blocks away from his own establishment. His acquaintances began to wonder what the old man was about but Marlowe would speak to no one. He re- mained as silent as possible, and to the amazement of everyone, Marlowe's shop was closed to all business. Actually, Marlowe's trips to the druggist were for the pur- pose of gathering all of the needed ingredients for his experiment and his shop was closed so that his work might not be disturbed. It was just one week exactly after Marlowe had purchased the scrolls when he was ready to make his experiment. He re- checked the measurements of his ingredients with the information he obtained from the scrolls and found everything to be in readi- ness. The great Parliament clock

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as he stood on the threshold of his second year, he felt that he was fully prepared for the task he had created for himself. Marlowe moved swiftly and thoroughly, wielding his vicious tactics like the sword of an aveng- ing angle. All those who had at one time or another dealt Mar- lowe an injustice suffered greatly for their mistake. First there was Sir Gregory Beachem whose sig- nature appeared on an I.O.U. debt payment of one million pounds. Marlowe knew that Beachem's textile industry was in a bad way and that a demand for a payment of one million pounds would com- pletely ruin him. Marlowe lost no time in buying the I.O.U., at a greater cost than it was worth, for the sole purpose of destroying Beachem. The demand was made, Marlowe received the debt pay- ment, Beachem went bankrupt and committed suicide. Next there was Ramsey Fox. a brilliant pol- itician and orator who had be- come the power behind the Prime Minister. A false embezzlement scandal created by Nlarlowe brought Fox a crashing defeat in a vital election and ruined his political career forever. Then there was T. Vfinslow Trumble. editor of one of London's great- est newspapers. Marlowe pur- chased the holding shares of 26 Trumble's publishing company had the proud man thrown the streets. Thus the war waged and many a great fell to ruin at the hands of james Marlowe. It seemed and into was man John that the great destiny he had dreamed of was fast becoming reality and Marlowe laughed and gloated over the turmoil he was creating. He had claimed his hour of vengeance and was making the most of every minute of it. T was now Autumn of 1893, the second year of Marlowe's new existence. He was passing a quiet evening at his Hyde Park residence, sitting before a blazing fire in the drawing room. He had just finished reading the seventh chapter of Emily Bronte's Wuther- ing Heights and had placed the book on a small reading table at his side. He was about to retire for the evening when he was sud- denly overcome by a sharp pain in his stomach which sent him reeling back into his chair. He made an attempt to rise again and was able to stagger to the foyer where he collapsed at the foot of the staircase. Trying to drag himself up the stairs proved futile. Marlowe fell into a series of convulsions and lost all con- sciousness. A few moments later he came to his senses and found that the pain had ceased. Mar- lowe rose to his feet, looked won- deringly about him, and slowly mounted the stairs. Suddenly he realized that he was not the same man. Something had happened, something so drastically frighten- ing that he was afraid to gaze at his reflection in a mirror. But that wondering curiosity of the unknown which all humans pos- sess drove him on until Marlowe was standing before his bedroom looking glass. What he saw sent a sharp chill of sheer horror knif- ing down his spine and he uttered a shrill scream at the gruesome sight. He was gazing at the re- flection of the most repulsive and grotesque creature that he be- lieved could ever exist. Ugly be- yond description, the creature was the complete picture of evilg its face full of cancerous sores and its frame hunched and twisted. As he gazed transfixed at the image, the remembrance of the curse of the sixth scroll shot through Mar- lowe's tormented mind. He turned away from the mirror and hurried to a window. His eyes stared out at the night and then he saw' something which petrified him, something which he had prayed not to see-a radiant full moon suspended in a sea of black end- lessness. The sight sickened him and he thought to himself what a terrible fool he had been for allowing his mind to be absorbed by the presence of the damned formula. Marlowe went complete- ly mad. The realization of the curse's fulfillment upon him drove the crazed man into a frenzy. He tore out of the room and rushed down the staircase. Standing mo- mentarily in the foyer, Marlowe moved toward a closet, grabbed his top hat and walking stick, threw his great coat over his shoulders and ran out of the house. Marlowe, now under the spell of the ancient curse, quickly crossed the street and entered the park, clutching his walking stick as if it were a club. Groping among the shrubbery, he sudden- ly came to a clearing beside a lake where he saw a young cou- ple sitting by themselves on a bench near the water's edge. Mar- lowe had a sudden and unmoti- vated urge to kill them and he began to move closer to the bench. Suddenly the crazed man, completely obsessed by the thought of murder, rushed vicious- ly upon them, bringing his cane crashing down upon the head of the boy. The girl, seeing the hideous beast that was John James Marlowe, fled amid wild screams of terror. Marlowe gave quick pursuit, and capturing her, beat the girl unmercifully to death. Looking about him, he