On January 19, 1793, revolutionary fervor and turmoil took over the city of Paris. A cold city, blanketed in a sheen of snow, and beggars covered the pavement marked by the bicycle tracks of the paperboy. Though he was malnourished he harshly slapped the newspaper on the doorstep of the wine shop belonging to Mr. & Mrs. Dubois.
The jangling of the bell echoed through the closed wine shop as Madame Dubois flipped the closed sign on the door, indicating the shop was open, and lurched forward unlatching the door and holding the newspaper, just inches away from her face-clear enough for her to read it. An ecstatic gasp left her mouth as she went to tell her husband.
On January 21,1793, Madame Dubois grabbed her chair and her knitting kit before walking towards the guillotine, fixating her chair on the sidewalk and settling down to witness the beheading of Louis XVI. From the side of her chair, Brainstormy, an avatar-like creature, peeked her blue head out to witness the gruesome beheading. After doing so, she stood up and dashed through the stony streets of Paris before pausing in front of an alley.
She slowly scrolled through the alleyway, stopping at a pile of cardboard boxes, and pushing them aside to reveal a hidden tunnel leading to the sewages underground. Feebly lifting the tunnel lid and sliding inside, Brainstormy climbed down the slimy ladder eventually reaching Problem Solving Papri and some other impoverished people.
Upon her arrival, she mentioned the beheading, the room was quiet, and the atmosphere-tense-and everyone’s eyes were dark pools filled with fear. By spring, turmoil overtook Paris and the French were now openly protesting against their flamboyant widowed Queen, Marie Antoinette. The sudden uproar led to the Queen’s trial on the 14 of October. Although her death seemed inevitable, somewhere in the shadows, under the city of Paris, a few hoped this bloodshed would be avoided and that the ‘reign of terror’ would finally end.
It wasn’t that they adored their Queen or supported the monarchy but rather believed that her death would lead France into a bloodier abyss. Being disillusioned by the chaos in their country, Papri and Brainstormy sat, in the smelly sewers, immersed in thought, trying to come up with an idea. Suddenly a lightning bolt emerged from the cloud on Brainstormy’s head and zapped her, “I have an idea,” she exclaimed. The idea was simple yet complex: Papri and Brainstormy had to execute Marie Antoinette’s jailbreak. Papri sternly said “, No! There has to be another solution, something that isn’t so perilous.” However, Brainstormy was persistent on her decision and avowed that “This is the only way to save France and expose the true cruelty behind the Revolution leaders.” She exhaled sharply, further adding “, this is the only way we can end the killing spree before it tears France apart.”
Convinced and determined, Papri teamed up with Brainstormy to initiate a strategic plan. The first step of their plan was to gain access to Marie Antoinette’s prison. The Conciergerie, which was originally a fortress to house royalty, was now a grim symbol of people’s triumph over the crown. Getting inside was far from simple. Papri and Brainstormy hoped that there was a forgotten tunnel, some sort of secret entrance that they could use to slink inside. Luckily there was a forgotten underground tunnel opening exactly beneath the prison and Brainstormy being eidetic knew exactly which one it was, the only thing left now was to carry out the jailbreak and expose the leaders of the Revolution-mainly Robespierre. Robespierre was the face of the revolution who became increasingly ruthless and more corrupt day by day, being a man of power and authority he had unjustly accused the French Queen of treason, resulting in her people revolting against her.
The night before Marie Antoinette was scheduled to be guillotined, Brainstormy and Papri broke into The Conciergerie, through the tunnels. The night was quiet, the full moon bathed the city in a dim glow. They moved swiftly, each step had been carefully calculated and the only noise that could be heard was the pounding of their nervous hearts. Standing behind a wall, Brainstormy silently observed their surroundings trying to locate the Queen while Papri made sure no guard could catch them.
At the rear end of the prison, hidden from the public, she noticed a small window. Through it, they saw the silhouette of the Queen in her cell. She sat, hunched over her reflection in a bowl of water wondering where she had gone wrong. Her regal posture had been broken due to months of imprisonment, ridicule and mockery.
They waited until the cell was left unoccupied and then rushed towards the cell. Brainstormy exhaled sharply before speaking through the small gap. “Your majesty… I am Brainstormy and this is Papri. I know you don’t know us but we are here to help you escape. Now before you ask any questions, I need you to listen.” The Queen, still evidently disturbed by the recent riots and the news of her being guillotined, stood still unsure of whether she should trust them, or whether they could actually help her. A while later she responded with a quiet nod, she rose from the ground and now her face was visible. It was pale, eyes sunken, her hair had been let loose, and it seemed as if she had lost all hope. In a thick French accent she asked “, and how can you help me?”, “By exposing the truth,” Brainstormy replied. “What truth do you speak of?” she asked again. Papri and Brainstormy exchanged glances before Papri said “, the truth that this revolution is not for the people of France but for those who want to acquire power. Robespierre and his supporters are only using the public’s rage to solidify their own rule. The revolution is nothing more than a new tyranny.”
A soft sob escaped Marie Antoinette’s lips, “And if I trust you, then what? My people have already given up on me and I have no authority left”. “We’ll take you to a place which is safe then we will reveal the truth”, exclaimed Papri. Whilst Parisians marched with their torches. Towards the prison Papri and Brainstormy nervously fled through the isolated streets of Paris, hoping that Robespierre and his men wouldn’t catch them, knowing they only had one chance to save France and one chance to expose the greedy revolution leaders. That night Brainstormy’s efforts didn’t go unrecognized as not only did the French revolution end but the Queen was saved, Papri made Brainstormy her sidekick and they went down in history.