The Execution of Igarashi Naeko
Igarashi Naeko has been found guilty! Commencing execution...
Curtain Call
At first, everything is in complete darkness. Then the stage lights come up, their harsh light stinging Naeko’s eyes and prompting her to attempt to shield them with her hand, only for it to touch something… cork? A mask? Once her eyes have finally adjusted, she can only look up at a steep audience rake fanning out in front of her. It’s impossible to pick out faces like this, but she can see glowing eyes. Watching in anticipation.
She looks around to try and gauge the situation. The girl knows that she will die – the only question now is how. Of course, there’s going to be some dreadful, talent related irony. It’s a common theme, isn’t it? Naeko is almost eager to see what Monobear can come up with. She sees that she’s in some kind of costume; a white, elegant draping dress. Golden jewellery (although she can tell that it is fake) decorates her arms, a circlet in her hair. It’s a costume fit for a goddess.
When she sees a chorus of Monobears, she quickly pieces the evidence together. Mask. Arena-like amphitheatre. Chorus. She can only smile wryly underneath her mask at the irony; a Greek execution for a Greek goddess. Not her particular favourite theatre genre, but it’s certainly a grand way to go.
The chorus begin a chant, although she is unable to pick out the words. It’s decidedly aggressive, perhaps even primal. She muses on which tragic heroine she will become. Antigone? Cassandra? Polyxena?
Her thoughts are promptly cut off when something hits her square on the mask with a loud ‘thunk’. The mask cracks down the middle and she is knocked down. She looks at the offending object: a golden apple.
Now she laughs, and the amphitheatre’s structure can only amplify the sound. Eris, huh? Perfect. A new play of her own.
The chorus waste no time in dragging her back to her feet, and she bites back a hiss of pain when one of their claws digs into her burned arm. Their chant becomes deafening as more apples fly from the audience. At first, she is determined to endure, but eventually she begins to writhe, desperate to be free. And she manages, at the cost of gaining a huge gash to the tender skin of her burned arm. She practically catapults forwards, collapsing to the ground as the remains of her mask fall to the ground.
This is the time for a deus ex machina, isn’t it?
She looks up and sees birds flying overheard, and for a brief moment it seems as though everything is going to be alright. But then they swoop down, screeching – harpies, harpies! – and she can only try to shield her head. There’s no point masking her terror now, as screams resonate throughout.
A minute later, and it’s clear that Igarashi Naeko will never go back to directing. Her white dress has almost changed colour completely, and practically all that is left intact is her hand: still clutching that apple.