The Strange Ghostly Tale Of Slippery Jake: Chapter 30 The Screening Went Well

Chapter 30: The Screening Went Very Well!

Prior to the release of the movie on the first of July, a special pre-screening was organized downstairs. Everybody was there that was involved had been invited. Sarah, and Jane, Beryl and Sid's daughters along with their husbands, had arranged a special buffet. An excellent mixture of Colombian and Italian, contemporary food, and Regency fare. A very interesting mixture.

There was much use of cream and milk and rich flavorings then. Sarah and Jane guessed this would be too much for modern tastes, so the bulk of the food was a light buffet.

Old Slippery, true to form, could not miss an event such as this. Just before the screening, he materialized on his 'throne'. He was very regally dressed in his actual three-cornered hat along with the real magnificent deep red velvet cape. Of course, his actual rapier sword was buckled to him. He indulged in much bowing and twirling of his hat, especially in front of the ladies.

Celebs of various kinds had been invited along. Plus carefully vetted TV crews and journalists. Those who had not any experience of Old Slippery were given strict instructions not to engage with him. Flash photography took place away from the highwayman. 'Selfies' with the House Ghost were strictly discouraged.

This is not to say some tried. Two actresses got to either side of Old Slippery's 'throne', and brought out their cell phones in front of them, producing a goofy smile each. The ghostly highwayman went along with this to start with but when several people wanted to join in the fun, the red started to flicker around the house ghost's eyes.

Luckily the Detective Chief Inspector was there.

"That's enough of that. The Right Hon Jake Horatio Higginbottom should be shown due respect." With that, the Detective Chief Inspector touched his hat and Old Slippery Jake responded with a full twirl of his three-cornered hat and a stately bow. That put an end to these fun and games.

The first showing went very well. Old Slippery watched it all from his throne very intently. He had now metamorphosed into a movie critic. It was difficult to tell him apart from the genuine article. He had read some reviews of other movies. Yes, he could read. He asked the Detective Chief Inspector to leave some 'broadsheet papers' around, Times, Guardian, Telegraph, Independent, and Financial Times. It seemed even more disconcerting to see the ghost holding up a newspaper and sitting on his chair. At times it appeared that the paper was simply suspended there in thin air. He had no time for the 'red tops'. He was still very much the Regency snob after all.

He devoured everything. He even seemed to like watching the television. His eyes soon went red if the channel was changed from BBC 2 or Channel 4. He was quickly making total sense of this strange 21st-century world.

As for movie critics, he already had a good nose for 'male cow manure'. Having been a bit of a poet and a playwright, he was much more than just a mere dilettante and aesthete. That was the vogue for many at the time. He could spot pretentiousness very quickly. During the showing, he knew who the main offenders were. These critics were getting very uncomfortable during the screening. Old Slippery's eyes flashed red when he spotted them in the audience, Sid and the Detective Chief Inspector worked hard telepathically to calm the highwayman down. If this was the Regency his rapier would have quickly dispatched them.

The movie would have got very good reviews anyway. Sid the landlord and the Detective Chief Inspector hinted to negative critics to guarantee an excellent review, otherwise never return to the Bull and hope to get out of it alive in the future. All the reviews were excellent across the board as a result!

The movie production people decamped, and everyone left. The Bull and the staff had grown used to this circus. It left Old Slippery somewhat 'high and dry'. He had wallowed in all the attention, loved every second of it. Now that had gone. He especially must realize how fleeting everything was in life. However, he was still at a loss. He would appear on his throne, in the upstairs Lounge Bar cum Restaurant, a little more than a bit perplexed.