Toulouse sat in his apartment alone at night, the walls were dark and glistening only by the reflection of the moon and the flashing lights from windmill from the bistro, the nightclub of your dreams, The Moulin Rouge. He poured himself another glass of Absthine, he was trying to sink himself into a drunken state; at least four more drinks and he would be asleep. He was a heavy drinker to begin with, and, for a moment, vowed to stop his soberistic lifestyle. But it was when he watched him, his best friend, his protege in the world of the Bohemian Revolution, Christian James; sink into a depressive and drunk-minded state that he had re-entered his old life and took to the bottle. But it wasn't for sheer pleasure of the idea of being so drunk that he would sleep peacefully, it was for agony! He couldn't watch Christian wither away, it stung him like a needle to a finger, he wanted to pass out so he couldn't watch Christian pass on.
"TOULOUSE!" A cry echoed out.
Toulouse was so drunk by this time that he could hardly make out the front door of his loft, but he heard the cry for help. And he recongize the voice. It was Christian!
"Chwistian!" Toulouse called back as he stumbled to his feet.
He was so use to being drunk that he was able to make it down to Christian's loft, despite his state and height. He pushed the door open slowly, he could hear it creaking and only that...the loft was filled with silence. He entered the loft and discovered blood spoured over sheets and sheets of Christian's papers. He circled around the other side of Christian's bed, and found him slumped on the floor; his wrists covered in blood.
"Help me...Please...help me." Christian whispered, Toulouse knelt next to him.
"Oh Chwistian, such a tweibble state. Did you dwop something?" Toulouse asked.
"I did this to myself." Christian said meekly.
Toulouse was not beyond stunned by his friend's shocking statement, he just simply helped him off the ground and sat him down on the bed. He made his way over to Christian's clothing jores, he tore a couple shreds off some of Christian's clean shirts. Christian watched on wearingly as Toulouse finally came back over to the bed, carrying two scraps of his own shirt.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed you." Christian stammered.
"It's allwright, I was only...dwroning my own sorrows." Toulouse joked awkwardly as he tied one of the scraps around Christian's bleeding wrist.
"I kept seeing her face, every time that I closed my eyes. I missed her so much, that I thought I could be with her on my own timing." Christian explained sadly.
Toulouse smiled and tied the other scrap around the other bleeding limb, he then stroked Christian's face and smiled.
"Chwistian? Do you remember what you twold Satine before her death?" Toulouse asked.
"I promised to tell our story. And I have, Toulouse. Look at the sheets-"
"You've told yourself, not the world." Toulouse sighed "Chwistian, wook at yourself."
Christian examined his recent slits that were bandaged by the shreds, his eyes filled with tears as he eyed the blood-stained papers.
"Wou have nearly kwilled yourself, and wou have twied to hold off the promise to fowget Satine. Don't fowget her, Chwistian. Live for wou, live for wour story." Toulouse remarked hopefully.
"I killed her. I wouldn't listen to her that night, the night that we kissed. I heard her cough so many times before the play actually opened, and I ignored them because I was jealous. I could've saved her from dying." Christian choked out.
"Chwistian...my dwearest friend. You could not have halted fwate. No wone could." Toulouse said gently.
"I keep telling myself that! Over and over, did you happen to see what was written on some of those sheets? Some of them are suicide notes, others are apologies to Satine. I cannot hold her anymore, and I blame myself for that when I know I didn't do anything!" Christian fumbled to stand on his own two feet.
"Don't I disserve to be with the person I love, Toulouse?! There are somedays when I wish I never met her, that I could be back in London with a wife and children. Not living the life of a depressing "child of the revolution!" And there OTHER times when I just want to scream out my window, curse everyone to hell!" Christian shouted, Toulouse was a bit taken aback by THIS outburst.
"And then there are other times when I smile, and just lie in bed thinking about happier times with Satine. With you at the moulin rouge. And when I have these moments are the seconds where I want to plunge a dagger into my heart. I want to be happy forever, and I felt if I killed myself that I could-" Christian suddenly collapsed to floor, woozy from the blood that he lost.
Toulouse smiled gently and helped Christian to his feet and back to the bed, he tucked him under the covers.
"Wone day, Chwistian. Wone day I promise wou'll with be Satine. But not twoday." Toulouse whispered comfortingly.
Christian nodded in agreement and lifted his weak arm, he wiped the tears away as best as he could. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the pillow, trying to fall asleep wasn't going to be easy this dreadful night. Toulouse got up to leave, Christian quickly caught him at the arm.
"Toulouse, I don't wish to be a problem, but...Could you stay here the night?" Christian asked modestly.
"Of course." Toulouse grabbed a chair and sat himself in it.
"Thank you, friend." Christian grabbed Toulouse's hand and held it gently.
"Where's the Absthine?" Toulouse asked.
"Um, I believe it's..in that pantry. Pour yourself a glass anytime." Christian said weakly as he began to doze off.
"Thank wou." Toulouse said with a smile.
It took a few moments before Christian finally fell asleep, Toulouse carefully removed his hand and snuck over to the pantry. He found at least two half-empty bottles that carried Green Fairy Absthine. He removed them from their shelves, with some help by his cane. Christian flinched a little as Toulouse stumbled in the dark over towards the window, he carefully slid it open and raised the bottles.
"Here to's wou, Chwistian." Toulouse flung the bottles out into the open streets of Paris.
"Here's to the woth of us." Toulouse finished.
"Toulouse, what are you doing?" Christian asked dazingly.
"Just getting rid of a problem, Chwistian. A very cruel problem." Toulouse stated softly.
FIN
