Saturday 30 November 2013

'Professor Unrat' ('The Blue Angel') by Heinrich Mann (Review: Part Two - Stage Fright)

Today, we continue with the second part of our story about this year's German Literature Month end-of-challenge excursion.  If you missed the first part, click here, and read that first ;)

*****
[The Doctor turns on his heel and walks back to Tony angrily.  Just as he is about to say something, the sudden sound of screaming comes from outside the TARDIS, from the direction of the dance hall.  Tony and Clara quickly run to the door and open it - the screaming gets louder.  The Doctor sighs...]

Doctor: Sorry about that.  Always seems to happen when I'm in the neighbourhood...
Tony: [Grinning] Me too, funnily enough...  [He beckons outside.]  Allons-y?
Clara: [Looking at the Doctor and stifling a giggle] With pleasure.  [She walks through the door and Tony follows her out.]
Doctor: [Angrily] That's my line! [He shakes his head and follows the others out of the TARDIS.]

*****
[As Tony, Clara and the Doctor run around the corner, they see the chaos unfolding in the dance hall.  The blue angel is moving around the hall slowly, focusing on men trapped in corners with no way out.  The air is heavy with the smell of smoke and burnt flesh.  The other performers, all with a strange gleam in their eyes, are running around the hall, blocking off doorways and directing the guests in the direction of the angel...

...from the opposite direction, Lohmann, von Ertzum and the other bloggers come running towards Tony, Clara and the Doctor...]

Doctor: [Turning to Tony]  I presume these are your friends, then.  [Bows to the ladies] Enchanté!  I'm the Doctor, and this is...
Clara: [Interrupting] Erm, shall we leave the introductions for later, yeah?  Let's get back to the TARDIS...
Tony: [Pointing to the corridor behind them] I think we might need to hold off on that...

[The angel has turned in their direction, blocking off their retreat.  She slowly moves towards them...]

Caroline: So, that running I was talking about before...
Lizzy: Yep, I'm with you...

[The group race off in search of an escape route, scattering to escape from the clutches of the performers.  As Caroline and Lizzy look for a door at the side of the hall, Stu spots a shadow of a door by the side of the stage and jumps up onto the stage.  Before he can get to the opening though, Kieselack appears, locking the door and throwing the key across the hall.  As he turns to Stu with a sneer on his face, the angel begins to climb the steps...]

Kieselack: [Running to the angel]  Fräulein Rosa!  I trapped this one - I know you're fond of tall men... [The angel begins to move across the stage.  Stu backs into the corner opposite...]

Rosa:  Thank you, little one - such devotion.  You deserve a little reward...

[As Kieselack moves towards her expectantly, the angel reaches out her hand and caresses his face.  Instantly, he collapses and melts into a puddle of grease on the floor.  The angel glides slowly around the mess and moves towards Stu...]

Rosa: Now my dear - I think it's your turn.  Would you like to dance?  I'm sure you'll enjoy i...

[Metres from Stu, in mid-step, the angel plunges through the stage floor into a hole - one which wasn't there before.  Stu hears a whistle and turns to see Caroline holding a lever for the trap door...]

Caroline: [Moving the lever again] Hopefully that'll hold her for a while - let's get out of here...

*****
[As the performers flock to the stage to find the angel, the bloggers and their companions take the opportunity to get out of the hall.  They run back down the corridor towards the TARDIS...]

Lizzy:  [Panting] Is there any point going down here?  There can't be any doors in this part of the building...
Doctor: Don't worry, I've got it all figured out.  You see, I've got a getaway car - of sorts. 

[He turns the corner and promptly comes to a stop.  This causes a chain reaction with the others crashing into the person in front of them.]

Clara: What are you doing Doctor?  Let's... [Looks ahead] Oh.

[At the end of the corridor, the TARDIS can be seen, but in front of the familiar blue box, barring entry, are the two overweight comic performers - and what looks suspiciously like a small blue angel...]

Stu: What. Is. That?
Lohmann: I believe that's the daughter - and I think she's looking for the people who messed with her mummy...

*****
Will the junior angel stop the bloggers?
How will the Doctor get his TARDIS back?
Where is mummy angel?
Find out in Part Three of 'The Blue Angel'!