Love, Death and Robots. Volumes 2 & 3

Dejected, he sits near the river. Wrapped in the caparison, shivering and trembling with cold, Jibaro scans the environment on high-alert. He fights the urge to sleep but after some time he succumbs to his exhaustion and closes his eyes.

EXT. FOREST - FIRST NIGHT

A shadow watches Jibaro through the branches, it is the Golden Woman from the lake. Her

body gleams as she passes through a shaft of moonlight and drops to the ground near him. She sniffs at his body like an animal. She carefully caresses his hair and licks his face and his armor, recoiling with each lick. The Woman caresses his skull, breathing heavily as she wriggles

herself nearer, pressing closer, and sensually rubbing her body against his. Her breathing starts to accelerate. CUT

EXT. FOREST - NEXT DAY EARLY AM

The Woman sleeps tenderly hugging Jibaro’s back; her golden face reflected in the knight’s armor. Jibaro awakens and finds himself lying in a shallow pool of water. He stretches a bit, still asleep himself. Suddenly, he freezes as he sees the Woman’s golden arm hugging him at chest height! He takes a second to understand what his eyes are seeing. It is indeed the most beautiful, golden arm covered in scales, rings, and jewelry of all kinds. He turns towards her

very slowly, stealthily, and sees the Woman’s face with her eyes closed, asleep. He tries to turn completely towards her to have a clearer look but at that moment the woman suddenly OPENS her striking eyes and runs away in terror.

Jibaro attempts to hold her back, grabbing her by the arm, but her wrist slips between his fingers and cuts the palm of his hand with the sharp scales and jewels that cover it. Jibaro jerks his arm back in pain. The Woman escapes to the river and enters its waters. Jibaro, still on his knees, opens his clenched fist in pain; he observes that in the palm of his hand several shining golden scales are embedded in his lacerated skin. One by one he removes them from his wound. Jibaro realizes that the scales are identical to the one he found in the lake the day before. He bites the scale to verify— it is gold. With a thought, he looks at the Woman who is watching him from the river timidly behind a rock. Jibaro puts the scales into his pouch, along with a pair of chains and rings that are scattered on the ground.

EXT. FOREST - LATER

Jibaro is hiding behind a large tree, observing the Woman in the river. Stealthily, he follows the Woman alongside the water; passing through seemingly impossible landscapes of unusual beauty. With his sword in hand, he is like a jaguar on the lookout for a crocodile. HOWEVER, outside of Jibaro’s soundless ears, his technique is not so refined. The noise of branches splitting at every step, the rocks tumbling and splashing into the water and most importantly— the continuous screeching and scraping of his armor amuses the Woman, playing among the rocks. Every so often, she appears and then just as quickly disappears.

While stalking her, Jibaro STUMBLES on a root. He staggers and turns on himself to avoid falling, but his sword clashes to the ground. He manages to keep his balance, however as he regains his footing, he exposes himself from his hideout between the trees. He looks up to see the Woman facing him — his cover completely blown. Amused by this, the Woman, whose strange movements always seem like a dance, now imitates Jibaro, turning herself but in an elegant way. Playfully, she smiles back at Jibaro. However, he is unamused and retrieves his sword from the ground. The Woman mirrors him, returning an embellished interpretation of his clumsy and masculine movements. Then with idiotic EFFORT, Jibaro smiles.

His teeth are a total mess: there is no tooth alike, clean, or identical in color, with a few golden dental prostheses here and there. But he has a gentle smile. Excited, the Woman twirls again. Jibaro smiles. The woman turns and turns, dances and splashes, playing in and out of the water, behaving like a child. Jibaro watches the Woman dancing, aroused at how beautifully her body contorts, twists, and glistens.

Jibaro thrusts his sword decisively into the mud and gingerly approaches the water, slipping awkwardly and advancing slowly. The current is strong and Jibaro has to concentrate on not getting swept away.

But the Woman retreats and hides again, eyeing him behind a rock like a reptile. Jibaro fears the current and each step is a weighted decision— until the water reaches his waist. In an attempt to re-establish the dialogue, Jibaro turns theatrically and open-armed, slipping with each step, miraculously staying afloat. He smiles in a forced way this time. The Woman smiles back; leaving her hideout, she advances, turning and meandering little by little from rock to rock, until she reaches Jibaro. She moves effortlessly, which seems impossible due to the force of the current.