aligncenteri"Why you ask was I bound and chained in this cold and dismal place?
Not for any mortal sin,
but the wickedness of my abhorrent face!"/align/i
aligncentersize7Prologue: Paris, 1911/size/align
A weather-beaten sign hangs askew over the dilapidated theater. By squinting his eyes, a man of his 60's can see that the chipped white paint reads PUBLIC AUCTION TOADY. The abandoned theater seems quite un ideal for a public auction, but the man feels a strange allure to the place. He tentatively moves towards the theater across the vacant, dismal streets of Paris. Before the theater caught fire, he remembered, this had been a bustling spot for thrill-seeking travelers and work-weary locals alike. In fact, this once-premier opera house had been among the most acclaimed in the world.
As he continued into the foyer, he can hear the distant billowing of the auctioneer banging his gavel on wood and people bidding on items unknown to him.
"Lot 664!" shouts the auctioneer as the man emerged into the foyer, occupied by a small group of brave souls who dared venture in such a loathsome place. "Five real human skulls used in the 1881 production of iHannibal/i. Might I start the bidding at 30 francs?..."
The man has no interest in this lot. He seeks something much more profound, perhaps as a reminder of the incident...iWas it thirty years now/i He shrugs it off and awaits the next lot. While waiting, he observes the room around him. It appears as though no one had made any effort to revive the Opera House since the fire. Beautiful stained glass still lays shattered all over the creaky wooden floor. Once prominent marble statues are chipped and lay in ruin on the floor, and he swears he just saw a mouse scurry away. This place brings back memories, he thinks. Some of them the most horrible memories of his life, and others the most joyful.
"…Sold for thirty Francs, then. Thank you, m'am," the auctioneer said tapping his gavel and handing the skulls to a middle aged woman dressed in black.
"Now…Lot 665," the auctioneer began. "A toy monkey in a box dressed in Arabian attire found deep in the catacombs. By winding the lever, he plays a song while crashing the cymbals," he continued, as he wound the toy for a demonstration.
This is an object the man desires. Watching the monkey and listening to the song gives him an incredible amount of emotion. He doesn't know weather to cry, laugh, or shout, so he just stares and remembers and closes his eyes.
Strolling down memory lane in a trance-like state, he is completely oblivious to the fact the bidding has begun.
"…20 francs, do I hear 20 francs?" The auctioneer bellows, his deep voice echoing through the vacant foyer and the intertwining catacombs below.
The auctioneer's voice wakes the man from his trance, and he abruptly raises his hand to bid. The auctioneer acknowledges him.
"20 francs, thank you sir. Do I hear 25 francs? 25?"
The man prays that no one would try to win the toy from him. He exchanges a few glances with those around him, hoping that no one would try to win it form an old man.
When it becomes apparent that no one intends on bidding on the object, the gavel was pounded, and the toy given to the old man. He gently grasps the antique toy in his large, gentle hands. The box is playing a tune that the man scarcely remembers, but the effect remains just as powerful. He sighs deeply and ponderously at the mysterious object.
"Ah….Lot 666…"the auctioneer interrupts. "An interesting one indeed…" he tails off. He leaves his podium and ventures to his left to a very large object the man hadn't noticed before. The item was covered by a sheet, and it had no definite shape. The man wonders what could possible be underneath it.
"Some of you may remember the strange case of iThe Phantom of the Opera/i…" he says as he lifts the sheet, revealing a dusty chandelier that once hung prominently in the theater.
The man gasps. Partly because the auctioneer had startled him, but mostly because of what it was. You see, the man most definitely remembered iThe Phantom/i. But his memory of the incident was much more vivid than that of the others…