The Adventures of Mumford & Daughters

Broken Tiara

"Broken Tiara"

by LittleLionLove

Next stop, paradise... Or something like that.

It's nearly night time; the sun is setting over the far off horizon, over the green pastures of the Plains. A single, bumpy, rudimentarily paved two-lane road winds its way through the infinite green prairie.

The sole vehicle on this road contains a quartet of cackling girls, speeding and winding and enjoying life. Margaret Mumford, Winifred Marshall, Belle Lovett, and Theresa Dwane. Four band mates, four best friends, four girls who live to have fun.

"Are you sure you know where you're going!?" Margaret shouts over the wind roaring in her ears. She wanted to roll the windows up for fear that the wind would mess up her long, sleek, black hair. However, every time she tried, Winifred would take it upon herself to use her driver's seat controls and roll it back down. Win found this hilarious, but Margaret, not so much.

"I'm pretty sure I remember," Winifred shouts back without reassuring anyone else in the car. Theresa reaches from the passenger's seat and turns up the volume of the music blasting out of the speakers.

"IT FELT RIGHT, IT FELT RIGHT!" the four belt out. Nothing like HAIM after a long day of interviews.

"I FUMBLED AND WHEN IT CAME DOWN TO THE WIRE!"

Winifred continues driving as the girls sing. For the first time in what seems like forever, a sign of life starts creeping up on the horizon, which results in cheering (especially from Belle, who's been incessantly complaining that she needs to pee for the past half hour). A small cluster of lights gets bigger and bigger as the car approaches.

What Winifred has led them to is a poor excuse for civilization. A T-intersection with one busted traffic light, to the left a small country shop and gas station. To the right, nothing but another winding road winding into the infinite land, spotted here and there with farm houses and cows.

"Is this the place you were all excited about?" Theresa asked skeptically, pointing her thumb at the shop.

"I'm telling you, this place has history," Win reassures. "I've come here no telling how many times when we've toured this area.

As she approaches the turn, she takes it to tight and runs off the left side of the road before swerving back into the right lane.

"Damn Americans," she swears under her breath, "Why do they insist on driving on the right side of the road?"

Even though the area surrounding the place is dead , the parking lot surrounding the building is packed. The are even cars parked in the grass that encircles it. There is caution tape wrapped around the only two gas pumps, but there are cars still parked beside them. After spotting an open space next to one, Winifred whips the wheel and parks the car.

The girls pile out of the car and start hesitantly making their way towards the front doors of the building. There is a thick but exciting scent of smoke and alcohol lingering in the air. And the noise of music and voices could probably be heard for mile in every direction. A sign over the doorway read's "Big Tom's".

"'Big Tom's' what?" Belle questions. "What the hell is this place?"

"Big Tom's dick," Margaret responds quietly and chuckles at herself, though no one else heard what she said.

"It looks kinda sketchy," Theresa adds. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was a meth lab in the basement."

"So what if there is," Win coyly says as she grasps the door handle. "This'll be fun." The second she opens it, Belle rushes inside, not caring who or what is inside--all she cares about is where the bathroom is. Theresa follows closely behind Winifred, afraid that she might lose her. Margaret, however, decides to stay outside, as she spots a leather-clad figure roaring up on a motorcycle.