The Sandman - Issue 31- Fables and Reflections - Distant Mirrors - Three Septembers and a January

At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of this Sandman Page, I, Linda Thackeray, formerly of Woy Woy, New South Wales and now for the last 5 years of Morayfield, Queensland, declare and proclaim the recap for 'Three Septembers and a January - Issue 31 of the Sandman series in virtue of the authority thereby in me, on this first day of October in the year of our Lord, two thousand and twenty-three, open.

Gotta say, this one sits in my Top 10 favourite Neil Gaiman stories.

The issue is a delight, not only because of its whimsical nature but also because it is based on a real person, Joshua Norton of San Francisco, who for a time was the Emperor of the United States and the Protector of Mexico. Folks who have not experienced The Sandman Audiobooks, I recommend you do so immediately. Actor John Lithgow voices Joshua Norton in Volume 3, and it's just lovely. As one who dreams big and tries to give those ideas form, Three Septembers and a January is a testament to the infinite possibilities ahead when you let go and let a dream sweep you away.

This third act in Gaiman's Scheherazade device, Distant Mirrors, begins in the least likely place, at the scene of an impending suicide. With a cut-throat razor in hand, Joshua is about to check out, cajoled by Despair, who is hammering home his failure and helplessness as the walls of his world collapse around him. However, at the 11th hour, she senses something in Joshua that might be potential and summons Morpheus to Joshua's seedy flophouse.

Morpheus arrives, uncertain at first why he has been called. Despair wastes no time revealing how much her creature Joshua has become, even though he still lacks the courage to kill himself. She challenges her older brother to redeem the despondent man with dreams. Initially, Morpheus is reluctant to participate in the games played by his younger siblings, Desire and Delirium. To convince him, Despair then accuses Morpheus of having a superiority complex, thinking himself better than the rest of the Endless. She further blames Destruction's departure on his indifference.

Somewhat provoked by this accusation, Morpheus picks up the gauntlet thrown at him. He puts Joshua to sleep and walks through the man's life in the Dreaming, seeking to better understand him. In the dreamscape, Joshua recounts his life as a failed merchant who lost a shipment of rice that proved to be his financial ruin before returning to his boyhood dreams in Africa. In America, Joshua sought a land with streets paved with gold but found a country still wracked with growing pains, trying to decide what it would be. A country without a king.

This retrospective puzzles Despair, who sees no purpose in the journey. When Morpheus tries to explain, she scoffs at the notion. She sees nothing but a broken man doomed to fall into her arms before the end. What can Morpheus do to prevent that?

What indeed?

When Joshua returns to the waking world, he is invigorated. He emerges from his room and proudly announces to his landlady that he has made a proclamation and needs to get it to The Evening Bulletin. Mrs Routledge is understandably confused.

At the said newspaper, the Editor-in-Chief and who I'm assuming is the Managing Editor review Joshua's rather grandiose proclamation with a mixture of amusement and astonishment.

At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now for the last 9 years and 10 months past of San Francisco, California, declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these United States; and in virtue of the authority thereby in me vested, do hereby order and direct the representatives of the different States of the Union to assemble in Musical Hall, of this city, on the 1st day of February next, then and there to make such alterations in the existing laws of the Union as may ameliorate the evils under which the country is labouring, and thereby cause confidence to exist, both at home and abroad, in our stability and integrity.

It's all nonsense, of course, but this so-called drivel is intriguing enough to publish. After all, when did sanity get in the way of a good story?

Meanwhile, Death questions Morpheus why he is indulging Despair in this foolishness. She believed him above the schemes of her younger siblings. Morpheus confesses he's taken up Joshua's cause partly because of Despair's provocation that he didn't do enough to help Destruction before the prodigal's departure. Death dismisses this immediately, reminding Morpheus Destruction is the architect of his own fate, just as he is the master of his own. She only hopes he knows what he is doing and questions what Morpheus has done to Joshua.

Morpheus explains he's given Joshua what most mortals wish. He's made Joshua a king.

Five years later, Joshua has yet to be dethroned, regularly attired in a donated uniform complete with impressive epaulettes. On the street, he encounters a frustrated and down-on-his-luck Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, who's having trouble finding his voice. After their greeting, Clemens invites Joshua to lunch, but the Emperor declines. He won't accept charity but will accept Clement's payment of unpaid Imperial taxes. The writer agrees with this without question, even receiving a receipt for his payment.

At lunch, both men discuss jumping frogs, story ideas and bridges across San Francisco Bay. Morpheus sits at another table, observing. The Lord Shaper is soon joined by his sister Delirium, who's had an exciting day with the unfortunate Chinese girls known as Two-Bit Tricks, giving us a sad preview of their lives. Meanwhile, Joshua encourages Clemens to write what he knows and gives him a boost in confidence by appointing him the Officer Royal Spinner of Tales and Teller of Stories.

Amidst these dual exchanges, we get a sense of Delirium's relationship with Morpheus and how she sees him as the scary older brother, a theme further explored in Brief Lives. She also realises while Joshua suffers his delusions of royalty, he is not under her thrall. It's his madness that keeps him sane. Morpheus doubts Joshua is unique in this way.

We jumped to another September in 1875, where Joshua's fame as 'the Emperor of the United States' has made him a celebrity. While he's taking a turn through a park, wearing his uniform now complemented by a feathered top hat, he's greeted by a family from Kansas. They're thrilled to meet the Emperor, whom they've read about in their local paper and even request the purchase of Joshua's unique currency. Like any good monarch should, he sends them on their way delighted.

As they leave, the Emperor's chamberlain Ah How approaches Joshua, offering him a greeting worthy of a king. They exchange pleasantries, and Joshua demonstrates how well he knows his city and subjects, familiar with the gang wars in Chinatown. After putting off a drunken sailor with a stereotypical reply far different from his usual eloquence, Ah How reveals he sought Joshua to deliver a message. The Emperor's presence is required at the Cobweb Palace.

Ah How accompanies Joshua to the Palace, which is as close to a den of iniquity as any place could be. Complete with parrot and caged monkey, which in my head cannon are the precursor to Luz and Prinaldo, the bartender's greeting reveals that both Joshua and Ah How are known to him. Luz...I mean, Grizzel the parrot warns of the arrival of a ghost into the establishment, and indeed, the King of Pain, an equally interesting character in his own right, makes his appearance. Cryptically, the bartender tells his pet to calm down; no one will be harmed in this place at this time.

After the King of Pain introduces himself in the most grandiose fashion, Joshua, having heard rumours he committed suicide due to gambling debts, is glad to see the man healthy. The King quickly confirms this rumour to be accurate, using the aconite he peddled, better known as Wolf's bane, as the instrument of his death. However, before Joshua can question him further, the King explains that he's been sent on behalf of his unnamed principal, who is aware of Joshua's problem. This confuses Joshua who is unaware of any personal difficulties.

The King wastes no time in laying down his cards. Joshua is an Emperor without an Empress. Where are his future heirs to come from? Joshua admits that he has made offers of marriage to several women who, unfortunately, intimidated by his rank, have chosen to turn him down. The King offers him a stable of beautiful, well-bred women for the purpose. I have to admit, I don't like the implication of this offer. Do any of these women have a choice in the matter?

Perhaps Joshua can see this too because he turns down the offer, even when it comes with riches, citing that he's content with his life. He's respected, has a roof over his head and is welcomed at numerous restaurants. He's been deemed by local law enforcement as a man who has harmed no one and is happy with who he is. He needs nothing more.

Despite the King's insistence, Joshua remains unmoved and asks the bartender to see the man out. After the dead salesman's departure, Joshua wonders if the whole incident had really happened. Ah How explains that the Emperor was tempted but chose to abstain, as it was his choice.

Outside, the King retreats to a waiting carriage where his Principal is revealed. To no one's surprise, it is Desire, and with them is Morpheus. Desire is unimpressed by the King's failure, unable to understand how Joshua resisted their offer when they can sense Joshua's lust for women. He should have succumbed. Morpheus explains that Joshua is an Emperor who still has his dignity.

The infuriates Desire, who rages as Morpheus disembarks the carriage, leaving his sibling to vent their frustration on King. Before they part ways, Morpheus admits his disappointment in Desire's lack of sophistication in this attempt to seduce Joshua. The comment leaves Desire ranting with fury and a promise to destroy her older sibling one day.

On a stormy evening in January 1880, Joshua is struggling through the rain when he finally succumbs to what I'm guessing is a heart attack. He lies on the street, dying. Presiding over his impending demise is Despair, who had hoped Joshua would come back to her. Yet, despite the delusions of grandeur that left him dying in the gutter, he never despaired. Joining her is Morpheus. Despair admits that the Lord Shaper has won their challenge, and in return, Dream hands her a Joshua Norton statuette made by locals as a souvenir for those visiting the city. He hopes it will be a memento of the challenge or a valuable lesson. Despair doesn't understand.

They leave Joshua where he fell, lying dead in the gutter on a rainy night, but he isn't alone for long.

Death is there to greet him and ask him how he feels. Joshua confirms the heart attack he suffered on the way to a meeting with the Hastings Society. As Joshua's dead body is discovered, Death relates the tale of 36 Tzaddikim in the Talmud. It's the belief that the world's fate rests on the backs of 36 righteous people, the secret kings and queens of the world, and even the loss of one would spell its end. Although Joshua does not get the reference, we do. Death further adds that of all the kings, emperors and leaders she's met in her time, she likes him best.

A final epilogue reveals that Joshua Norton was buried on 10th January 1880 after 10,000 people filed by his body as it lay in state, with a ten-mile-long funeral cortege. His burial was marked by a total eclipse of the sun. Joshua died the first and only Emperor of the United States.

And there you have it, Issue 31. Next week, we begin the first part of the awesome 'Game of You.'

NEXT - Issue 32 - Slaughter on Fifth Avenue

PREVIOUS - Issue 30 - August