Moulin Rouge

Chapter 1

Paris, 1800.

There was a boy, a very strange, enchanted boy; they say he wandered very far, over land and sea... And then one day, a magic day, he passed my way, while we spoke of many things, fools and kings, this he said to me...

"The greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

Freddie

I came to Paris one year ago.

It was 1899, the summer of love, the world had been swept up by the Bohemian revolution and I had travelled from London, to become part of it. I'd been brought up my whole life with my mother whispering down my ear. Science, maths, logic, facts. But that wasn't my real passion. I'd always had a great interest in literature, and a true fascination with love.

"Always this obsession with love!"

She didn't approve of me leaving for Montmartre. She called it "the village of sin", but I saw it as the city of love, the spark that started the flame that would grow into the fire that burned inside my soul! A burning passion to write about truth, beauty, and love!

There was only one problem. I'd never been in love.

CRASH.

"So sorry sir, so sorry, this is my friend Brad, he is narcoleptic," said a short, chubby, shirtless man, in an inaudible accent.

"WAKE UP YOU CRAZY FOOL!" he bellowed, slapping is friend across the face.

"It is no use, we will have to use you, sir, will you be in our play?" asked the dwarf, staring pointedly at me.

"Excuse me?" I pondered.

"He would liiike to knooow if you will beee a paaart of his plaaay!" replied a man dressed in woman's clothing.

"Uhhm, yes of course I will, what do I need to do?"

"Can you aaact?"

"No..."

"Can you daaance?"

"Well, no, not really,"

"Well what caaan you do?"

"I... uuh... I write."

"YES! YOU COULD BOTH WRITE AND DIRECT THIS PLAY! IT WILL BE BRILLIANT!" shouted the dwarf.

"Excuuuse my friend Gibby, he is not in the rightest of miiinds."

"Oh Audrey, but I am! He will be perfect!" he exclaimed!

"Both? Are you trying to tell me you do not see enough talent in me that you must go and hire another to make up for my downsides? I'll have you know there is no downside to the brilliant Audrey Skdu!"

"I didn't me-" I tried to save myself, but it was no use.

"FINE! I bid you all farewell, good luck without me!" said Audrey, storming out of the room.

Everyone went quiet for a moment or two, and I had a sharp feeling of guilt. The awkward silence was broken by Gibby interrogating me...

"Have you written anything like this before?"

"Uuhm, not really, no."

Suddenly – terrifyingly – Brad woke up and exclaimed: "The boy has talent!"

"I suppose, but how will we pass the show off to Zidler now?"

"Samantha! We can dress him up in some fancy schmock, take him down to the Moulin Rouge and force some sort of meeting between the boy and Samantha! What is your name again? Ah, yes, Freddie. Then Samantha will be astounded by young Freddie here's talent, and she will insist to Zidler that he writes 'Spectacular, Spectacular'. Then we are in the money."

The only problem was, I kept hearing my mother's voice in my head:

"You'll end up wasting your life at the Moulin Rouge with a cancan dancer!"

I couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry, I can't do it, I can't write the show!" I whispered, crawling back down the whole in the floor, back into my room. "I'm sorry..."

"WAIT. Why not?"

"I'm not even sure I am a Bohemian revolutionary."

"Do you believe in beauty?"

"Yes," I nod.

"Freedom?"

"Yes of course,"

"Truth?"

"Yes,"

"Love?"

"Love?" I pause "above all things I believe in love! Love is like oxygen! Love is a many splendid thing, love lifts us where we belong; all you need is love!"

"You can't fool us, you're the voice of the children of the revolution!" said Gibby, followed by a cheer from the other actors. Gibby fumbled away excitedly and returned a few minutes' later, arms laden with small glasses and green bottles. He handed round the glasses, and I exclaimed "To my first glass of absinth!" and everyone cheered as we all downed the mysterious green liquid.

Suddenly, green sparkles invaded my vision, crawling in to my sight from the corners of my eyes, my tear ducts brimming with the strength of the alcohol. Unexpectedly, a green little pixie floated into the room, spraying glitter all over the room, and then with an evil red glint in her eye, she glowed brightly and exited the room, leaving me in a state of bewilderment... I loved it!

We were off to the Moulin Rouge, and I was to perform my poetry... to Samantha!