"I'm Flavia and this is Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus." "Isn't that the man who chased you?" "Who is that monster?" "Venalicius." "What were they saying about pirates?" "I've never been to a farm." "You'll love Uncle Gaius's." "It's just a tremor." "There is a volcano!" "Everyone's in danger!" "Everybody in the water!" "He is in a coma." "Will he wake?" "It is in God's hands." "WOMEN SOB" "Who's dead?" "Is it Jonathan?" "No, someone else." "Thank the gods." "Is land of dead." "Half the mountain's gone!" "Where is everything?" "Uncle Gaius's farm?" "What about Pompeii?" "Is harbour?" "There's nothing." "Nothing left." "The whole city...gone." "The gods were with us, Nubia." "DOG BARKS" "Tigris, no!" "Don't go into the cave!" "There might be wolves!" "Nipur!" "Tigris!" "SCREAMING Hello?" "Who's there?" "It's all right." "They're only puppies." "They won't hurt you." "Where's Rufus?" "Who's Rufus?" "My brother." "He said he'd come back but he never!" "It's all right." "Why were you in the cave?" "Were you playing?" "Men chased us." "Rufus said hide in the cave and he'd make them go away." "What kind of men?" "Scary men." "What did they look like?" "Scary faces." "It's all right." "They've gone now." "Come on." "Grandma!" "Julia!" "There you are!" "Did you see Rufus, my grandson?" "Sorry." "Herb you asked for." "Is there any change?" "If anything can help him..." "Do you think he can hear us?" "Jonathan!" "His sleep is like water, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow." "I think he's waking." "Don't stop." "Your music's calling him." "SHE STARTS TO PLAY AGAIN" "Jonathan, come back to us, please!" "Help us!" "Jonathan!" "Help us!" "Father!" "Father!" "Where am I?" "Father!" "HE COUGHS He's awake!" "God be praised." "He has brought you back!" "IN AMHARIC:" "runaway slave." "There's a group of us hiding in the hills." "Lost or abandoned by our masters." "We're going to escape." "We have friends, a ship." "I have been planning this for months." "The volcano was the perfect opportunity." "Admiral Pliny died of inhaling the sulphur fumes - like you." "I'm sorry." "If we'd only left sooner..." "Don't speak like that." "We're safe now and you're getting better." "Try and drink some more." "HE COUGHS" "The water still tastes bad." "Like camel poo!" "How would you know that?" "No, don't answer." "You ARE getting better." "What about the others?" "Frustilla?" "Frustilla...among the shades." "I think she was worn out." "Your father says people don't have the will to go on." "He and Miriam have been looking after so many people." "What about your father?" "He'll be..." "safe across the sea in Alexandria." "I don't suppose he even knows anything's happened." "SHE WHISPERS" "I'll come in a moment." "There's something strange, Jonathan." "Children keep going missing." "Venalicius?" "I don't know." "I dreamt about the children." "I had to help them." "Thank you, my dear." "We'll take over now." "Greetings, good people!" "What brings you out to the beach on this dark night?" "Don't tell me" " Vulcans farted." "LAUGHTER" "Or was it you, sir?" "Well, weren't those kiddies sweet, with their little pipes and drums?" "But now make way for the professionals!" "CHEERING" "I introduce to you The Pirates Of Pompeii," "Sorex and Actius!" "CHEERING AND APPLAUSE" "GIRL SCREAMS" "They're scary men!" "They're scary!" "HIGH-PITCHED SCREAMS" "It'sthemask." "I've been in..." "Sorry." "Excuse me." "It's all right." "I'm here." "It's all right." "I want Rufus." "Look, here's Grandma." "I want my mummy and daddy!" "'You didn't miss much.'" "Same old story about clever slaves, and stupid rich people being captured by pirates." "Maybe Pirates Of Pompeii wasn't a good idea " "Pompeii is destroyed and children keep going missing." "You don't think that's the play's message?" "You mean the pirates could be taking the children?" "Of course!" "We're off the Pirate Coast now." "We should stick together." "You keep an eye on the children." "I'll fetch the water with Nubia." "People are starving." "There's been no fresh food since the eruption." "We're so cut off." "Vultures." "Scraius." "This is my spring." "Here, give me that." "Thank you." "You're very kind, letting everyone drink for free." "I don't believe in profiting from other people's misfortune." "Lupus was asking me about missing children." "Friends of yours?" "Have you seen anything?" "Watch out - you don't want to be next." "No." "But we want to help." "If you know who..." "Listen carefully." "There's a man of great power." "Nothing moves between Neapolis and Paestum without his say-so." "He's like a spider with a big web." "Anything wrong, look there." "In spider web?" "Watch yourselves." "He's not afraid to bite." "But who is this spider?" "A very lucky man." "And another thing." "There's a gang of runaway slaves on the loose, stealing chickens." "They'll be desperate." "You know what happens to runaways if they get caught." "What?" "Crucified." "Oh!" "Excuse me - this is my tent." "Don't you know who I am?" "Flavia Gemina, daughter of Captain Marcus Geminus and niece to Gaius Flavius Geminus." "Stand aside, Lucius Brassus!" "Didn't you hear who it is?" "Patron, this is my niece, Flavia." "Gemina." "I know." "Honoured to make your acquaintance." "My patron, Pollius Felix." "He's a friend of the emperor, and he buys most of my wine." "BOUGHT most of my wine." "That's why I'm here, my friend." "To help those struck by disaster." "The emperor has charged me to supply all that is needed." "Your uncle tells me you warned of the eruption." "Are you a seer?" "No, sir." "We worked it out." "Jonathan Ben Mordecai - the son of the doctor I was talking about." "Jonathan, be sure your father knows that the Emperor Titus thanks him personally, through me." "His good work has not gone un-noticed." "Uncle Gaius, shall we go and find Dr Mordecai?" "Thank you, Flavia." "Pollius Felix - the emperor's best friend, a very powerful man." "I know "Felix" means "lucky", but..." "I don't know." "He seems really nice." "Nice on the OUTSIDE." "Everyone except you thought Vesuvius was just a mountain." "We should follow him." "Hmm..." "I suppose there might be a way." "But it could be very dangerous." "What's the matter?" "Isheill?" "Poor Jonathan almost died from the sulphur fumes." "You have had a rough time." "I told him to go where the air is clearer, but he wants to stay and help his father." "Water..." "Hewon'thelphim bybeingill." "Flavius Geminus, you're doing so much for others and ask nothing for yourself." "Why don't I take the children back to my villa in Surrentum?" "There is plenty of room and the air is much better." "You are very kind, Patron, but I promised Flavia's father that I'd keep her with me." "FELIX LAUGHS" "You don't trust me?" "Hah!" "Hah!" "Hah!" "Oh..." "Hah!" "Who are those men?" "They might be runaway slaves." "Hah!" "Agh!" "Faster?" "Hah!" "Oh-h-hh..." "Ha!" "Ha!" "Ha!" "Ha!" "There she is - the Villa Limona." "Hah!" "Whoa..." "At last!" "I've been so bored." "There was a lot to do, darling." "All those poor people lost everything in the eruption." "I know." "I know." "But I missed you." "This is my daughter, Pulchra. .." "I've brought you some new playmates " "Flavia, Jonathan, Lupus, and their dogs!" "And this is Nubia." "Aren't you gorgeous?" "I could eat you up." "Pulchra, why don't you take our friends to the bathhouse?" "Your slave can bring your things." "He's not my..." "Lupus isn't a slave." "He'll come with me." "All right." "But you can't have Jonathan - he's mine." "We had the bathhouse redone last year." "I chose everything." "You have to see." "PULCHRA LAUGHS" "Look for your opponent's weakness." "Take the arm..." "My friends, this is Lupus, a young man of rare courage and quickness." "He doesn't talk, but with us, that's not a disadvantage." "These are my deputies, and this is my right-hand man, Crispus." "Stick with him - you'll learn fast." "Oh, this is wonderful." "Thank you." "I can hardly believe we're here." "It's not too bad." "Nearly finished?" "Spoke too soon." "You've gone very pink, Fulvia." "It's Flavia." "Are you sunburnt?" "I just came in to say, hurry up, it's time to eat." "WHAT are you doing?" "You can't let your slave girl bathe with you!" "Can't I?" "But she needs..." "No, no no." "You obviously haven't had a body slave very long, have you?" "You are funny." "I thought Father said you lived in Rome." "Ostia, actually." "That explains it." "Coo-ee!" "Is it nice, Jonathan?" "Hey!" "Don't be silly, I can't see anything through the steam." "Well, not much." "I've brought you some towels." "Stupid!" "Clumsy!" "I'll tell Father." "She did not do it." "What?" "!" "Did you really design all of this on your own?" "Of course." "Daddy trusts MY judgement absolutely!" "Be quick." "You have to do my hair before we dine." "You must watch that complexion, Fulvia." "You'll be as dark as a field slave." "Can I have a towel, please?" "So, who were they?" "12 strong men." "Do you think they might be pirates?" "What did you do?" "Maybe we're wrong about Felix." "He did bring all that help to the camp, and he appreciates Lupus..." "And his lunatic taste for danger." "This ill-fated place and bad man." "Well, you'd better stay with the men since you seem to be his favourite." "And we all know who Jonathan gets." ""Jonathan, sit by me, you're mine."" "My irresistible charms." "I brought this." "Sleeping powder." "I took it from my father's capsa." "It might be useful." "Good thinking." "Keep it safe." "Nubia, you can listen to the slaves' gossip." "And I'll nose around." "I think they divide us." "After what we've been through, no spoilt cow..." "She's not so bad." "You don't like her laughing at you." "That's not fair!" "Look, we're here to find out about the missing children." "The best way is to split up." "For now." "Agreed?" "There's a gang of runaway slaves been spotted a mile from here." "We need to round them up." "Just because he's taken a liking to you doesn't mean I have to put up with you sneaking about." "Keep away from me, or you'll be sorry." "No guesses at all?" "Hello, Pulchra." "What were you goggling at?" "What is it?" "It's a limona." "Daddy's planning a whole orchard." "It's worth ever so much." "Where is he now?" "Seeing boring old clients, I expect." "It's all he does." "I thought he was supposed to be powerful..." "He is." "I'll show you." "All these people are here to ask for my father's help." "There's a senator, a banker, legionaries from his army days, they're always looking for a job." "Father's bodyguard, Lucius Brassus." "They say he's killed men with his bare hands." "Come on!" "Patron, for ten years I've brought you the first pressing from my olives." "Now I beg you to find my daughter, Maia!" "I'm glad you came, Rusticus." "Tell me." "Another missing child?" "Quintus saw it all." "He was playing hide and seek with his sister in the old olive grove before they came." "Two men." "She tried to lead them away from him!" "CLICKS FINGERS" "HE SNIVELS" "I'm sorry, Patron." "There's no shame in crying for your family." "But Crispus is the best man-hunter there is." "He'll find your daughter." "Did the boys see which way they went?" "No." "But he did say one thing." "Sounds a bit odd but he's no liar, my boy." "Go on." "He said the men had these scary faces - like at the theatre." "Masks." "This is Pulchra's room." "What is here?" "Shh." "I'm not sure." "We might find something about Felix." "By all the gods!" "What are you doing in there?" "!" "Come on, out you get." "Mistress will be angry." "Pulchra told you to hide in there?" "She makes me when I do something wrong." "Please come out." "She'll be angry." "Leave Pulchra to me." "Come on...er..." "Leda." "You'll be gone soon and then it'll be even worse." "We'll see about that." "Won't your mistress be angry?" "She commanded." "She..." "She doesn't beat you?" "No." "She is..." "She is kind to me." "Leda..." "Do you ever think to run away?" "Me?" "Run away?" "No." "Why not?" "For one thing, I'd be caught." "And then I get three meals a day and a safe place to sleep." "Why would I leave?" "To be free." "Not to wake every day as a slave." "Not worth the risk." "What do I do with these?" "Chain them up with the other runaway slaves." "Go up the mountain." "You two, take the coast road." "I'll take the bays and the grottos." "She's about nine years old." "Remember, this is a client's daughter we are talking about." "Not a runaway, so no rough stuff." "Go on!" "Hmm." "Don't worry, that'll do." "Are you planning to wear THAT tunic?" "I think you should wear yellow, like the other..." "It looks good on you." "It's all you need?" "Yes, for now." "Thank you for letting us dine with you, Father." "It's a great honour." "Are you feeling better, Jonathan?" "HE COUGHS" "Yes, thank you." "Much." "And how have our guests spent the day?" "Did you stay with Crispus?" "We've been wondering." "Since this is the Pirate Coast, do you ever see any pirates?" "Pirates?" "Yes." "All the time." "They're right behind you." "On the walls!" "I don't need you to tell me what to do." "Have you seen Nubia?" "She's run away." "That's a good haul." "Can your parents pay ransom?" "My father would never do anything like this." "I've been expecting you." "You are my friend." "I trust you." "No." "Not Venalicious!" "Not now!"