User:Rrconghaile/Romeo/Unraveling

Romeo/Unraveling is a 58-page poem written by R. R. Conghaile under the pseudonym Robert T. Peterson. It was written in October, 2007. It was published on deviantART on October 21, 2007. Although many themes exist in the piece as a whole, it's major themes include rediscovering oneself and the possibility of life after death.

Overview Romeo/Unraveling follows the story of an unnamed protagonist who also serves as the primary narrator. It is broken up into individual poems.

Romeo receives minor surgery for an ingrown toenail. He drives home, noting severe pain in his left foot. The cause of this pain is never fully disclosed. Special attention is paid to the front doors of buildings he passes, as well as the people who watch him from within their homes. When he arrives, he falls onto the couch and begins to relax. Suddenly, pain racks his body, in what he believes to be the pain medication wearing off, ultimately causing him to lose consciousness.

The Narrator awakes to the sensation of falling, the land below rushing up to meet him. The Narrator closes his eyes as the land reaches closer and closer.

The Narrator awakes once again to find himself in a strange land - before hims stands a man who identifies himself as the Prophet. Suddenly, the Narrator finds himself strung up on meat-hooks before the Prophet, who is equated to "Nosferatu, the Vampire-King;" the Prophet issues a warning about what the Narrator will encounter.

The Narrator wakes up in the same strange land, this time a perverse version of nature. The Narrator sees animals feasting on ash, an eyeless snake bearing legs, and what he refers to as "Eeyore the rotting ass." He continues what is termed as a "safari" and sees only ravenous lions, jackals, hyenas, as well as Anubis and Odin, although, when he falls onto the ground, he sees the tracks of "scorpions, spiders, millipedes." He also makes mention of hearing a werewolf and the "crash of a flying saucer." Once again, he blacks out.

Awoken by the feeling of silk, he awakens to find an entity bearing "bloody, almond eyes," who appears as a little girl in rotten clothing. Her voice is described as similar to that of a canary. She refers to herself as the Ariel, and gives warning that "they" do not want to see the protagonist in their realm. When asked what entities, she mentions them only as "the suffering," and shortly thereafter, disappears.

The protagonist continues his journey, noting the movement of the shadows on the walls, as if engaged in a form of dance. He encounters a spectral wind, which he mentions as smelling musty, like an attic - he terms it as the "Grandma's Wind." He finds himself in a canyon (despite being in a cave), and soon after finds himself crossing a bridge, which ends in a stairway. It leads to an exit, which leads into a graveyard.

In the graveyard, the protagonist is met by an awful sight: two naked young women carrying lanterns. At the end of their small processional, they are raped by a bizarre entity. It is described as a chimera, having the characteristics of a human, a canine, a serpent, and feline eyes. The Narrator refers to it as the "defiler," and grows so upset with it that he cries out in disgust. The entity turns to face him, and is soon upon him. The protagonist blacks out.

The Narrator again what's up to the Ariel, and the two converse over the entity in the graveyard. It is revealed that the Ariel's family is responsible for bringing it into existence; she refers to it as a "demon" they called upon without full knowledge of it's cost. She mentions that the entity is part of the "suffering," which is mentioned as though it were a collective. The Ariel's name is also revealed as Rusalka. <br /. Rusalka continues talking to the Narrator, and mentions that a person is making her do things she doesn't want to do; when asked who, she implies that the name is to horrible to mention. At this point, the Narrator also mentions how time passes in this new world, describing it as being handed down like a tattered cloth.

The Narrator, along with Rusalka, finds a dusty jeep. The Narrator gets in, leaving Rusalka behind. Not long afterward, he discovers a ghost town, carved from a mountain. As he explores it, he comes across a group of children gathered around a clown. The clown appears with a shaved head, sewn lips, and has removed his eyes. The children chant, "Trick-or-treat, give me something good to eat/ if you don't, I don't care - I'll pull down your underwear." They are described as moving in a manner of maggots, which the Narrator describes as "pulsing" - it is also mentioned that the "Defiler" has followed him to the building, although it is unknown how the Narrator knows of this (It is written in the third-person, unlike the rest of the poem, which is written in first-person) The Narrator, meanwhile, is spotted by the clown (who is named Schlitz), who raises a finger. This causes the children to swarm toward him. The Narrator blacks out.

The protagonist awakes in a church, again in Rusalka's presence. It is revealed that The Narrator is Rusalka's father, implying the reason he has come to this realm. It is also revealed that Schlitz is part of the suffering.

After their conversation, the Defiler appears at the church, as does The Prophet, who introduces himself as Herr Nemo (Mr. Nobody). A rivalry is shown between the two entities over possession of the little girl, and a battle ensues. Rusalka is harmed, as is the Narrator, but before he blacks out, Schlitz appears. It seems that he is stronger than both the Defiler and Herr Nemo. Instead of blacking out, the Narrator finds himself floating upward, looking down - he sees the destruction of Herr Nemo and the Defiler, although Schlitz's fate is never revealed.

The Narrator finds himself in his house, where his body is being loaded into a body back and placed onto an ambulance. He realizes the whole ordeal has lead to his death, although how this has occurred is never fully explained. The poem ends with a piece of prose, summarizing the feelings of the Narrator.

THEMES The themes presented in Romeo/Unraveling include life after death, parallel worlds, past lives, and consequences.

Life After Death

This is, perhaps, the largest theme of the poem. It is also the most apparent. Although it is not confirmed until the end of the poem, it is hinted at several times.

Parallel Worlds

This theme ties directly into the theme of life after death.

Past Lives

At the end of the story, when the protagonist views the photograph, past lives are hinted at, all though not explicitly confirmed, as the Narrator does not have any proof other than what he feels.

Consequences

A large theme is that of consequences.

References to Popular Culture

Romeo/Unraveling has numerous references to popular culture.

When the Narrator awakes, he sees an entity he refers to as "Eeyore," referencing the popular Winnie the Pooh character. The phrase "nightmares and dreamscapes" also appears, referencing the novel by Stephen King.

The Ariel is named after the main protagonist of The Little Mermaid; Rusalka is a Russian water demon who preys on children and men.

Herr Nemo is a composite of two words: Herr, German for mister, and Nemo, which is Latin for nobody. It is a reference to Walter Sickert/Jack the Ripper, who called himself "Mr. Nobody."

Part XI - Shadows in Silence is named after the song of the same name by Enigma.

Part XI refers to "The Beast in the Cave," an early work of supernatural author H. P. Lovecraft.

The parts XII and XIII are entitle Darkfall I and II. They are named after a Dean Koontz novel.

Halloween Town is named after the town in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Schlitz is also the name of a beer. At the time it was written, this was unknown to the author.

XXVII - The Greatest Story Never Told gets its name from a level in the game The Suffering: Ties That Bind.

XXVIII - The Death of It All is named after a Rob Zombie song.

Rusalka states "everything's eventual," another reference to Stephen King.