Dreams of a Kitten by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Dreams of a Kitten

Page 561

Stevie in Pompei

Pompeii, A.D. 79. Athenian nobleman Glaucus arrives in the

bustling and gaudy Roman town and quickly falls in love with the

beautiful Greek Ione. Ione's former guardian, the malevolent

Egyptian sorcerer Arbaces, has designs on Ione and sets out to

destroy their budding happiness. Arbaces has already ruined

Ione's sensitive brother Apaecides by luring him to join the

vice-ridden priesthood of Isis. The blind slave Nydia is rescued

from her abusive owners, Burbo and Stratonice, by Glaucus, for

whom she secretly pines. Arbaces horrifies Ione by declaring his

love for her, and flying into a rage when she refuses him.

Glaucus and Apaecides rescue her from his grip, but Arbaces is

struck down by an earthquake, a sign of Vesuvius' coming

eruption.

Glaucus and Ione exult in their love, much to Nydia's torment,

while Apaecides finds a new religion in Christianity. Nydia

unwittingly helps Julia, a rich young woman who has eyes for

Glaucus, obtain a love potion from Arbaces to win Glaucus's

love. But the love potion is really a poison that will turn

Glaucus mad. Nydia steals the potion and administers it; Glaucus

drinks only a small amount and begins raving wildly. Apaecides

and Olinthus, an early Christian, determine to publicly reveal

the deception of the cult of Isis. Arbaces, recovered from his