"PANTING" "SHE GASPS FOR BREATH" "SHE CRIES OUT" "HE GROWLS Aaargh!" "Quick!" "Come back here!" "MUFFLED:" "I'll get you!" "You!" "BANGING Hey!" "Hey!" "Thank you." "You saved my life." " Who was that?" " I didn't stop to ask." "My father says robbers live in the graveyard." "That's why I'm not allowed." "You won't tell him, will you?" "Tell him what?" "That I was out there, alone." "Not when I saw you!" "My name's Jonathan Ben Mordecai." "You're Flavia." "Yes." "But how..." "You've moved in next door." "I hear your mother." ""Flavia, slow down." "Don't do that..."" ""Flavia, are you reading again?"" "That's Alma, my old nurse." "She keeps house now." "My mother's buried out there." "My mother died... when I was two." "I was three." "Catch anything?" "A big rabbit." "Well, she's quite big and she rabbits on." "Sorry about my brother, he's an idiot." "He saved my life and I do talk a lot." "I'm Flavia Gemina." "I'm Miriam." "Welcome to our house." "FLAVIA GASPS" "So, what was a well-born girl doing running around a graveyard?" "I was taking an offering to my mother's grave when this... when..." "I fell over and Jonathan helped me." "You should be careful out in the graveyard." "There are..." "Robbers and bad men, I know." "I was going to say wild dogs." "The men are poor creatures." "They steal from the graves." "Should the dead grudge food to the living?" "You have some funny ideas, Dr Mordecai." "JONATHAN SNIGGERS THEN COUGHS Perhaps I do." "There..." "Can you walk?" "Yes." "Thank you." "I've sent Miriam to fetch your father." "Don't you have a door slave?" "That's another funny idea." "No slaves." "Really?" "I'm sure you could afford one." "HE COUGHS" "We don't believe one human being should own another." "Father!" "Flavia." "What have you been up to?" "Nothing." "This is Dr Mordecai and Jonathan." "They don't believe in slaves or grave-robbers." "Mordecai Ben Ezra." "Marcus Flavius Geminus." "I hope my daughter hasn't been a nuisance." "She is very original." "The gods willing, tomorrow we'll have you safe in Pompeii for summer." "MOANING" "Please!" "She's sick, she can't move." "Don't you jabber at me!" "Get down there." "MOANING" "Move yourself." "Fish food." "Let's get this one up." "Slaves, when I think of the trouble and expense..." "Get over there." "300 a head." "Wash 'em down." "Let's get ready for Ostia." "CHILDREN SHOUT" "Please." "Please, give an offering..." "All right, all right." "Worse than seagulls!" "Here you go." "Fetch those." "FLAVIA CLAPS" "Couldn't you stay in Pompeii for a few days?" "Don't you want to see Uncle Gaius?" "I use the sailing season for trading." "What would we live off in winter?" "Careful!" "Take me with you then." "We've been through this before." "Please!" "A long sea voyage is no place for a girl." "ON THE FLOOR!" "Here, this should keep you out of mischief." "300." "For the last scrolls of Pliny's National History." "It's what you wanted, isn't it?" "You're the best father in the whole empire!" "By the time you come back..." "If the gods are willing." "I'll know everything." "They say Pliny studies all the time, even in the bath!" "You know Uncle Gaius is your legal guardian?" "Just come back and don't worry." "Nothing ever happens on the farm." "You did what?" "!" "Dung beetle." "What if somebody saw you?" "I'd beat your brains out, if you had any." "Next time I'll sell you to the pirates!" "Oh, Captain Geminus." "This is a pleasure." "Who is that monster?" "Venalicius they call him." "The worst of a bad lot." "Never buy a slave off him." "Why not?" "He tries to break their spirit." "Take the fight out of them." "And the hope." "I don't want this gold any more." "This is valuable selling time here!" "Move down." "Come on, hurry it up." "Forward now." "The cream of North Africa, for your delectation." "Oh yes!" "A lady's slave." "Look at this, can work all day, all night too..." "Hurry!" "You wouldn't have a lady's slave because you weren't a lady!" "Girls grow up fast." "Leave this to me." "Only the best quality." "Fit for the finest ladies in the empire, oh yeah." "Fully trained..." "No time wasters." "That one." "Very special, that one." "Nubia, a princess among her own people." "300 sesterces." "To you, captain, 600." "You can't do that." "That's not fair!" "400." "Don't insult me..." "Home leave from Britannia, eh?" "400 now, 200 when I sell my cargo." "When will that be, Captain?" "The ides of never?" "Cash buyers only." "I'm sorry, Flavia." "HE SHOUTS Vicious little..." "No, wait!" "Take this." "It's worth more than 600." " No, not that." "That was your mother's." " Done." "Nice doing business with you, Captain." "HE LAUGHS Come on, then." "Venalicius, you hold on to it." "By Castor and Pollux, I swear I'll buy it back." "One of these days I'll catch you on your own, Flavia Gemina and when I do, then we'll see what your father's made of." "The cream of North Africa for your delectation!" "Alma!" "Alma!" "You can drink." "Alma!" "Wait here a minute, I'll go and find her." "Alma, where are you?" "Where do you think you're going?" "I know what's in your head." "Forget it." "You don't like being a slave." "Who does?" "But a runaway's much worse." "Believe you me." "No food." "No money." "No-one to look out for you." "You won't last a day out there." "Alma!" "Alma!" "There you are at last." "Lucky for you." "She was all for running off, your fine new body slave." "She's frightened, that's all." "Let's clean you up." "You're safe." "We're going to look after you." "She's a slave." "The sooner she gets used to it the better." "What's your name?" "She's called Nubia." "This is Alma." "I'll take you to the baths later." "Are you hungry?" "She can't understand a word!" "Yes, she can." "You do speak Latin, don't you?" "There!" "You see." "Don't worry, I'm going to read you lots of poetry." "Poetry?" "!" "What good's poetry to her?" "So she speaks the most beautiful Latin." "Come on, Nubia, we'll find you a tunic." "It isn't easy raising children by oneself - especially daughters." "Stay here, ready to attend her." "No." "Nubia, sit by me." "QUIET CHATTING" "Sea snails, with garlic and oil." "Father, is it allowed?" "Yes, Miriam." "God has made all things clean." "Won't it be very crunchy?" "You don't eat the shell." "Look!" "Miriam is a good girl but I ask too much of her - with the house and my patients." "I like to help." "Not bad at all." "Can I have another?" "I worry about Flavia." "I can lock her in or she's out getting into scrapes." "At least she's a scroll mite." "A reader!" "Good." "Jonathan's asthma keeps him indoors more than he likes." "Did you buy this child as a companion for your daughter?" "I thought it time Flavia had a body slave." "I was hoping the responsibility might steady her." "To own another person." "It's a heavy weight to carry." "Next course is going to be my favourite - dormice with chopped sow's udders." "Flavia!" "Sorry, your faces!" "Do you like chicken?" "Well, after this, I don't know what you'll think of my proposal." "What's your uncle's farm like?" "I've never been to a farm." "We've always lived in cities." "After Jerusalem, Babylon, Rome and now Ostia." "You'll love it." "There's lots to do." "The Bay of Neapolis and Mount Vesuvius." "What a funny cloud." "Where's your uncle's farm?" "You see those red roofs?" "That's Pompeii." "The farm's down the coast, near Stabia." "Pliny says this is the most fertile region in the world." "Isn't it beautiful?" "Behold!" "Unhappy man." "Father!" "Man in the water." "Can you still see him, Nubia?" "No..." "Yes!" "Sextus, lower the skiff." "Right, sir." "Hey!" "Come here." "Stowaway!" "We'll pick him up later." "Behold, boy and man." "MAN GROANS" "Too late." "He tried his best." "SPLUTTERING" "My..." "Don't try to speak." "Let the air return." "Are you all right?" "What's your name?" "Have you got asthma?" "My bag!" "HE GASPS" "Neptune be praised." "Safe!" "What is it?" "My notes." "Is that all?" "I must write this down." "In some sources it is said that when a man drowns, his whole life passes before him." "All I was aware of was a growing darkness." "I know who you are!" "You're Pliny!" "What?" "How do you recognise me?" "You have a suntanned face, like my father, but soft white hands." "As commander of your fleet you spend a lot of time on deck but don't work." "I wouldn't say that..." "Then there's where we found you... the Bay of Naples, where the fleet is." "And finally there's your bag." "Pliny is famous for writing notes." "So when I saw your most prized possessions were your notes..." "Excellent reasoning." "You know a great deal more about me than I do of you." "Sorry, I'm Flavia Gemina and this is my father's ship." "That's him steering." "This is Jonathan and his father Dr Mordecai," "Nubia and Miriam." "What about this young fellow here?" "Don't be shy." "If it wasn't for you, I'd be feeding the fish." "What's your name?" "May I?" "Please, open your mouth for me." "So you can hear me but you don't speak." "We found him on board." "I think he's a stowaway." "I'm sure I recognise you." "Maybe he's an escaped slave." "I'll buy his freedom." "Say, boy, what's your purchase price?" "There is no slave brand." "He's been living rough but he's healthy." "God might have struck him dumb or maybe he never learned to speak." "Nubia." "Name is Dog?" "He can't be called Dog." "Fierce." "Fang." "Growler." "Fox." "Howler." "Savage." "Wolf!" "Brilliant, Nubia." "Your name is Lupus." "SHE LAUGHS" "That's our word for wolf." "SHOUTING" "THE SAILORS SHOUT" "Flavia." "There's your father back from the harbourmaster already." "His hair's different." "He's changed his clothes." "That's not my father." "It's my uncle Gaius." "You could have warned us." "I forgot you didn't know." "Anyway, the name should have told you." "Gaius?" "Geminus, twins." "My family is full of twins." "My little brothers who died..." "My grandfather and his father." "What's that?" "A vase?" "Two faces, twin faces." "That's clever." "Do you have a family, Lupus?" "May I ask why you were in the water?" "I was getting reports about dead fish washed up at Herculaneum." "Hot water in the sea." "All sorts of superstitious nonsense about the anger of the gods and the end of the world." "So, I went along and tried to scoop up some water." "My idiot of a slave panicked and capsized the boat." "Scrawny fellow." "Just sank like a stone." "I, on the other hand, am more of a floater." "Poor scrawny." "The Pliny is not sorrow." "He's only a slave." "Judgment day." "Judgment day!" "Repent, before it's too late." "God's judgment is upon us." "The end of the world." "You know it, don't you, boy?" "Tell them fire and brimstone will destroy us all." "Tell them what you see." "The end of the world." "Tell them, tell them about your dreams." "Aaah!" "HE GROANS IN PAIN" "Quite mad of course." "Tell them, boy!" "Tell them about your dreams!" "Why did he pick on you?" "Search me." "What did he mean by dreams?" "Superstition and credulity are all around us." "Better safe than sorry, I say." "We farmers look to the gods for protection." "Soon we'll celebrate the Vulcanalia." "Why don't you come and watch, Admiral?" "Well..." "I have other duties." "Perhaps YOU might like to take notes for me." "My more pressing concern is fighting the pirates." "We've been getting reports they've started kidnapping freeborn children." "The final scroll of Pliny's Natural History..." "What did he give you?" "A herb bag for my asthma." "I recognise most, except one..." "I'll ask my father." "That's just like Pliny." "Superstitious nonsense!" "What will you buy, Nubia?" "No, it's for you." "Buy something you like." "..Idon'tpayyou tothink." "Nubia ?" "Nubia, what is it?" "Flavia, isn't that the man who chased you?" "Yes, with Venalicius - here." "Father, what was Pliny saying about pirates?" "Venalicius is cruel, but he's no pirate." "But... don't you think it's suspicious, him turning up here?" "Flavia, whatever you do, you keep away from him." "Do you understand?" "I will, father." "You're my only treasure in this world." "I need to know you are safe." "Don't worry, brother." "I'll take care of her." "She'll be safe at the farm." "Now, do what Uncle Gaius says and do not set a foot off the farm without him." "I promise." "Bye, Father." "Keep safe." "Come back quickly." "Come on, Lupus..." "You are coming with us, aren't you?" "That man at the docks." "Wasn't he the one that chased you?" "He works for Venalicius." "Venalicius is trying to catch you!" "If Venalicius is capturing children," "I wouldn't be surprised if he's in with the pirates." "We have to do something." "Your father said to keep away." "I'm not planning to go near him." "From the farm, we can watch the coast." "If he sails, we can tell Pliny who will catch him." "How can we tell Pliny?" "He's across in Misenum." "I'm working on it." "Until then, do we all agree to keep watch?" "Whoa!" "Whoa." "HORSES NEIGH" "Xanthus!" "Frustilla!" "Is the bath house ready?" "It's small but you can wash." "Oh, master, back already?" "It's a disaster." "The field well's run dry." "The field well?" "Are you sure?" "I'm sorry, this has never happened before." "Don't worry." "What a year!" "Someone's offended the gods." "Hello, Frustilla." "Flavia Gemina!" "You've grown." "Getting more like your mother, aren't you?" "We're observing ancient customs." "I bet you know lots." "Not so ancient, thank you very much." "Go on, run along." "Your meal will be ready soon." "Come on, I've something to show you." "It's the watchtower, to raise the alarm in case there's a fire." "You can see for miles from up there." "That's the pirate coast." "If Venalicius sails south, we'll see." "Where is Pliny?" "Over there." "Misenum is at the end of the headland and..." "Pompeii's just there." "I'll show you around." "Slave quarters." "Wagon shed." "Tool store." "Don't let Xanthus the Steward catch you in there!" "Wine cellar..." "Nubia!" "Come on." "I get a hint of woodsmoke, some grass under...and... leather?" "HE SNIFFS" "Yes, I think shoe leather." "Good shoes, mind you, not an old boot." "So you'll take it for the Vulcanalia?" "Yes." "There's a problem, it's too good!" "Tascius, this is my niece, Flavia and her companions, Lupus," "Nubia and Jonathan." "Are you the Flavia that fell into the Vulcanalia jar?" "She went head first, plop!" "Chubby little legs waving in the air." "There were fish all over the place." "HE GUFFAWS" "What's wrong?" "Fizzy." "Tastes like rusted nails." "I got leather." "Maybe rust." "It was fine a moment ago." "It's not your wine, Gaius." "It's the water." "Is the kitchen well drying up too?" "Lupus, stick out your tongue." "It's gone orange." "So's yours." "Has it?" "!" "GARBLED:" "Can you see." "GARBLED:" "What is it?" "Minerals." "In the water." "Perhaps because the level is so low." "Why are the wells drying up?" "It's all going wrong." "LAUGHTER" "You can laugh..." "I'm telling you the god Vulcan is not happy." "Isn't that why we're doing the Vulcanalia?" "To appease the gods?" "Exactly." "Vulcan wants his fish." "His stomach is rumbling and so is mine." "Who is Vulcan?" "He's the son of Jupiter and Juno, queen of the gods." "He was so ugly, she threw him into the sea." "He drown like Pliny?" "Nearly." "But a sea nymph pitied him and cared for him." "Ah, who's an ugly baby!" "He became the world's first underwater blacksmith." "He made gold necklaces and rings set with pearls for the sea nymph and her friends." "Juno demanded to see the jeweller." "Where did you get these divine pearls?" "So, he wrought her a magnificent throne." "Gold!" "My favourite." "Trapped!" "Vulcan refused to set her free unless she offered him Venus the goddess of love for his wife." "Every time Venus is unfaithful, he goes to his forge, blows on his bellows and bangs his hammers." "And we get earthquakes and volcanoes." "DEEP RUMBLING" "It's all right!" "It's all right." "It's only a tremor." "That is the worst it gets." "Many strange things have happened." "Superstition." "No." "The evidence points to a volcanic eruption." "Flavia's stories upset us." "Everyone's in danger!" "There's no volcano on Mount Vesuvius." "RUN" " FOR YOUR LIVES!"