Book 4: “Alone Into The Underwyrld!” Page 17
THE ORIGIN OF MADAME MANHANDS: PART III
or
MANHANDS MANHANDLES MANY MEAN MEN!
Greetings, most honored reader!
As we delve DEEPER and DEEPER into Madame Manhands’ past, her childhood, we begin to understand better the experiences which worked to make her what she is today—the premier gang leader in Bordertown, combining wits, cunning, and great physical strength.
Today we see the origins of that strength as she recounts for Nikki the days when she understood the fruits of her mutation—the fantastic strength in her arms and legs, enabling her to climb as quickly as a “squirrel” (as she put it, but I tend to think of a chimp).
But that strength had other uses as well. It was dangerous for a young adolescent girl to wander the streets of the cities and towns of the Wyrld at night alone. As she points out, “evil men with evil intentions” prowled those same streets. Imagine their surprise as she turns the tables and her hideously powerful hands back on her potential molesters, as bones break and throats collapse. . .
Meanwhile, Nikki at this time was no doubt enjoying the life of high society, attending finishing schools in Khapitalium and the best that life can offer, grand balls, bachelors, and general Bacchanalia. Could she even begin to understand Manhands’ world, a world of crushing poverty, fear, danger, and loneliness? This is highly doubtful as she and Bryan never experienced such privation. Yet Manhands did and survived all of it to tell her tale.
Now fickle Lady Fate has brought this odd couple together into a hot tub. If Manhands should discover that Nikki has fooled her, will she turn those magnificently mighty mitts of hers on Nikki? And if so, what then? Will “Bones break and throats collapse. . ?” We may soon find out.
Until we meet again,
With Cognescentii blessings,
~The Traveller