prima
Marcellus is a painter who lives in the attic room above a French restaurant. He loves nothing more than painting. There is a cat called Pico hanging out on his roof. We cut to the roof of the bank, where a ninja-like woman dressed in black is looking down through the skylight.
secunda
Augustus is the manager of the bank. Miranda lives in the room under Marcellus - she is asleep at 3 in the afternoon. Why? Because she works all night. She awakes and meets her amica, Claudia, in the Montanus, a tavern or pool hall. Claudia talks about her love of ancient monuments. They get lunch at the French restaurant, and Miranda goes home to prepare for work. She is a police officer! We cut back to Augustus, as he reads a memo reporting that Marcellus owes the bank a lot of money and needs $100, stat. He has a painting hanging in the Montanus, which he hopes to sell for that exact amount.
tertia
Pico the cat has a nice life. He hangs out in the laundromat attached to the bank building, stands for a while in the sun, then goes into the French restaurant where the cook gives him some food. Pico then walks out to the back and chases a mouse around the dumpster. Marcellus turns up at the restaurant’s back door, and the cook gives him a pizza. Pico climbs onto the roof and sees the woman in black surveying a small room. There are two people in the room - a woman and a man - who do not know they are being watched. Pico imagines that he is a dragon.
quarta
A sailor arrrives in town carrying a suitcase. Claudia - the woman with the interest in ancient monuments - is on her way to the barber for a haircut. Alan - the barber - is cutting an old man’s hair. The sailor wanders in and recites a rude verse. Claudia gets a haircut, which she admires while Alan is sweeping her hair into a sack which he dumps it in the dumpster. Claudia pops into the Montanus where she finds the sailor admiring Marcellus’ painting. He gives her $100 which she takes straight to the artist. The sailor heads up to the roof and the small room the woman in black was watching. He gives the two people there a suitcase in return for a precious diamond. They go to open the case, but it is the end of the episode.
quinta
Marcellus wakes up, relieved that he has $100 in an envelope. He plans to get a haircut then visit the bank. Alan’s son Scipio turns up during the haircut and asks for money to see a film. Marcellus walks to the bank, heads upstairs, finds Augustus’ office, reaches into his pocket and… the money is gone! He rushes back to the barber shop. Alan has not seen his envelope, but it’s possible that he may have swept it up with the hair and thrown it (within a sack) into the dumpster. Marcellus rushes to the dumpster and dives in. He feels something and tugs on it. It’s a suitcase. He opens it! Its full of money! I bet you are wondering how it got into the dumpster, the narrator says. Come back for episode six.
sexta
This episode begins with Claudia and Miranda having breakfast at the French restaurant. You can see Marcellus walking by, still holding his envelope full of money, to get his haircut. Claudia says that she is off to Pompeii to visit ancient monuments, and that she will send Miranda a letter. Meanwhile, the woman in black, who is finally identified as Jessica, sneaks into the room on the roof and steals the suitcase. Throwing a rope over the edge of the building, she begins climbing to the street beneath. But she is spotted by Miranda - the police officer - who yells up at her. She falls, but is fine. Miranda asks about the suitcase, but Jessica just wants to get out of there. I am not your enemy! she says. The two from the roof run around the corner, pursuing Jessica but distracting Miranda. Jessica runs. She sees a drainpipe, but can’t climb it carrying the suitcase, so she hides the suitcase in the dumpster and climbs. Miranda gives chase but she has disappeared! Meanwhile, cut to Jessica resting on the roof. She returns to get the suitcase but arrives to see Marcellus has already found the money.
septima
Miranda is sitting in her apartment, worried by the previous day’s events. There is a knock on the door. The postman brings her a letter from Claudia. Miranda reads about Claudia’s exploration of the ancient city of Pompeii. She falls asleep in her chair.
octava
This episode introduces Monas Brickvir (Ace Brickman), the Private Detective. Ravena (one of the couple from the roof room) asks him to find her missing suitcase. He takes the case. Meanwhile, Alan the barber is taking his son Scipio to the pictures to celebrate his birthday. They see The Empire Strikes Back. After the movie, Alan leads his son to the pet store and gives him a small rescue dog. There they meet a talkative parrot, who repeats snippets of whatever he hears around him. Cut back to Monas, who is sitting on the balcony of the French restaurant figuring out how he will find the suitcase. He reasons he needs to find someone with more money than they had previously. Genius! Marcellus leaves his attic room in a new and expensive outfit.
nona
A quick flashback to Alan and Scipio leaving the pet store. The shopkeeper waves goodbye, says goodnight to the parrot and locks up the store. The parrot repeats much of it. The shopkeeper heads home (she has an apartment overlooking the Forum, although the entrance is in the back) and cooks herself dinner. Finally, she changes into a hidden outfit, revealing her true identify - she is Jessica, the woman in black! She heads off to find Marcellus and the suitcase, but sees Monas Brickvir watching him and determines him to be in trouble. She leaves a note, that he finds and brings to the pet store. Miranda, meanwhile, is having a sleepless night, worried about the woman who fled from her. The next morning, she returns to investigate the area the woman escaped from. Finding two feathers - one green and one red - she heads to the pet store! Arriving at the pet store, she interrupts Marcellus and Jessica - but they fall silent before she can hear anything. The parrot, however, blurts out something about the suitcase. Episode Ends.
Be well reader. How do you have yourself today? We are already approaching the end of the story about the suitcase. But, as I think, the best part of the story has not yet been told.