Ophelia's Gold

by Susan Smith Nash

Season 1

Ophelia's Gold: Chapter 30 - Moonlight in Manaus

Stranded in Manaus after missing her flight home from South America, Ophelia reflects on the bruises from a business contact who attacked her, the Pombero incubus of Guarani legend, and the "spiderweb" lace of Paraguay that comes alive when hearts are impure.

Ophelia's Gold: Chapter 29 - Yahweh Brethren

Ophelia and Stanton eat breakfast at the Speedie Trip, now operated by the mysterious Yahweh Brethren who dress in homespun clothes and sell organic goods. The LDS missionaries on bicycles seem far more approachable than the compound's secretive inhabitants.

Ophelia's Gold: Chapter 28 - Fragile Aura

Dad's aura-detecting equipment reveals that Ophelia's personal frequency is "infinitely negative" and "very fragile." His advice—that she attracts the wrong types because of her spectral vulnerability—offers little comfort as she contemplates her pattern of destructive relationships.

Ophelia's Gold: Chapter 27 - Lost in the Spiderwebs of Night

lost in the spiderwebs of night

Ophelia's Gold: Chapter 26 - Desert Warfare

Captain Harville endures an absurd military briefing about Genghis Khan's supply-line tactics while preparing for secret missions in Laos. A plain embassy worker's biting wit catches his attention before he retreats to back alleys, shooting rats with his Walther P38 to purge his rage.

Ophelia's Gold: Chapter 25 - Secrets of the Hidden Trunk

The trunk's contents—a girl's trousseau, jewelry, and that inexplicable jeweled dagger—suggest a young woman planning to elope who never escaped. Ophelia identifies with this unknown girl's thwarted dreams while Marcus spirals deeper into grief over his mother.

Ophelia's Gold: Chapter 24 - Treasure at Living Springs

Following clues on the old maps, Marcus and Ophelia discover a small digging near a desert spring containing an old tin trunk. Instead of gold, they find women's Victorian clothing, photographs, and a jeweled dagger—suggesting an entirely different story than expected.

Ophelia's Gold: Chapter 23 - All that Glitters

Marcus and Ophelia search for Farley Kritzoff's treasure at an abandoned California mine. Marcus hammers rocks with bitter fury while telling the tale of Kritzoff, his treacherous partner Jeremiah, and the beautiful mail-order bride Destella whose death created the legend of the "cursed" gold.

Ophelia's Gold: Chapter 22 - Fugue State

In Palm Springs Regional Hospital, a neurologist rules out brain tumors but suggests Ophelia may have epilepsy—or psychological causes. The paintings on his wall, depicting fragmented figures in motion, perfectly represent her experience of time and consciousness.

Ophelia's Gold: Chapter 21 - Map Dowsing

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