Calliope music played: a Strauss waltz, stirring and occasionally discordant. The wall as they entered was hung with antique carousel horses, hundreds of them, some in need of a lick of paint, others in need of a good dusting; above them hung dozens of winged angels constructed rather obviously from female store-window mannequins; some of them bared their sexless breasts; some had lost their wigs and stared baldly and blindly down from the darkness.
And then there was the carousel.
A sign proclaimed it was the largest in the world, said how much it weighed, how many thousand lightbulbs were to be found in the chandeliers that hung from it in Gothic profusion, and forbade anyone from climbing on it or from riding on the animals.
And such animals! Shadow stared, impressed in spite of himself, at the hundreds of full-sized creatures who circled on the platform of the carousel. Real creatures, imaginary creatures, and transformations of the two: each creature was different. He saw mermaid and merman, centaur and unicorn, elephants (one huge, one tiny), bulldog, frog and phoenix, zebra, tiger, manticore and basilisk, swans pulling a carriage, a white ox, a fox, twin walruses, even a sea serpent, all of them brightly colored and more than real: each rode the platform as the waltz came to an end and a new waltz began. The carousel did not even slow down.
“What’s it for?” asked Shadow. “I mean, okay, world’s biggest, hundreds of animals, thousands of lightbulbs, and it goes around all the time, and no one ever rides it.”
“It’s not there to be ridden, not by people,” said Wednesday. “It’s there to be admired. It’s there to be.”
A place of power and possibility, of gods diabolical and celestial: glowing amber and heady cinnamon, the green of growing things and the white of thunderclaps, sweet myrrh and sacred styrax, forest moss and blood-soaked battlefields, papyrus and clay, rose petals, wildflowers, abbatoirs, and honey.
The Gris Grimly Poe Collection.
Elizabeth –
I am glad I got this, since it is such high quality, complex, and unusual, but it did not give me the nose-gasm I get from other BPAL scents. This fades quickly on me, which could be my dry climate, and it reminds me too much of Halloween trick or treat dregs. I keep thinking of the Good and Plenties that seem to be the very last treats leftover. But I will enjoy it while I have it.
prettyinpunkriotgrrl –
Absolutely amazing. This scent really is the best of its descriptive tags; for me, it was the perfect balance of spicy cinnamon, cherries, and licorice. I was devastated when the first time I used it, I knocked the bottle over and spilled most of it! 🙁 🙁 🙁 On the bright side, it made my room smell wonderful for a couple of days 😉 but seriously this is a divine scent if you love cinnamon. It’s definitely one I will buy regularly so that I can wear it constantly, it’s right up there with Snake Oil for me.
Rachel –
I love this scent, and I’m very happy with its versatility! I wore it for Halloween because it smells like brite, shiny cherry hard candies and red & black licorice, and I’m also going to wear it for the Thanksgiving/Christmas season because of the whiffs of cozy cinnamon you get when you first put it on. I hope I can make it last until summer because it will make a delicious summer scent: juicy cherry Popsicle! If it runs out before then, I’ll definitely have to get another bottle. Absolutely delicious and evocative.
QueenieBee –
“Hideous Heart” smells like tasty “Hot Tomales” candy! So sweet and spicy! Lots of cinnamon and cherry at first, but mellows to a softly sweet, slightly licorice scent. This doesn’t come off as a typical Autumn scent, even though it is very cinnamon-y. And it’s not a thick, cloying type of gourmand, either. Very crisp, I would say. Love it!
infinityaex –
One of my favorites. It smells like marrichino cherries and Red Hots had a baby. I can’t stop smelling myself, resisting the urge to taste it. I’ve had it occasionally turn to a light bubblegum in the end note. However, it smells so good I don’t mind.