Hi, this is my first piece on fanfiction. Just a few quick things, this was originally written for my AP English class and it is in Rhyming free-verse; modeled after the Canterbury Tales. Reviews would be greatly appreciated. Disclaimer Things I do not own: The Phantom of the Opera, The Canterbury Tales, and the Decameron. Nor is Gerard mine. Sigh. Enjoy!
The Beginning
It is the summer of 2005 and traveling the world together are four friends. Each of them is different, so totally and absolutely that one would never guess that the band of travelers were going to the same place. Be it as it may, none of them really knew where they were going. They were simply traveling the world looking for what all people search and strive all their lives to find; happiness..
Prologue
I forget my manners, I fear I have been rude; Let me introduce you, to a miserable brood.
First we have Marie, a girl of excellent breeding.
However, appearances can be deceiving.
A "high class" girl from New York City-
Talented, clever and witty.
She knows where to find the best shopping places,
Has one hundred million different names and faces.
Nobody was beneath her,
Marie was a beautiful dreamer.
Been all over, you name it, she's seen it.
Yet she's still not your average New York cynic.
She's never content with what she's got,
Hence she'll compensate with the things that she's bought…
Vaccaro 2
Tale of a Beauty and a Beast
This tale begins with a girl named Katrina,
Whose only aspiration in life was to be a singer.
Yet she worked in a city, full of people and light.
The music was lost, when she could not write,
Could not create the notes, nor pen the words.
So she kept the voice that could charm even the birds-
Silent and unused. A sin that made even the angels weep.
Her voice was her secret which she would keep.
No one would hear her voice, for years to come.
Though one day, the arrival of a stranger would cause her world to come undone.
He moved into the apartment across the hall,
And they would meet at a masquerade ball.
Katrina clad in a misty blue, stood on a terrace,
Noticed the handsome man in a mask, with a single glance.
Something moved in her and moved her to him,
Something other than her will, but Fate on its whim.
She opened her mouth as if to speak,
Yet she held her tongue in her cheek.
There they stood, lost in each other's eyes,
Standing like the only people under starry skies.
The man was clad in black and red,
Seemingly standing for hours; still not a word was said.
When he finally spoke, in such a musical voice,
Katrina knew she was going to fall, without a choice.
They danced and swirled, dipping and turning,
Barely speaking yet all the while learning.
Katrina went home that night, never learning his name,
But she knew her life could never be the same.
Several days after the ball,
Vaccaro 3
She ran into her neighbor in the hall.
They struck up a conversation, of the strangest kind.
It ended with him asking " Would you be mine?"
The answer on the tip of her tongue,
He quickly rephrased, with gasping lungs,
" Would you be my student? You have promise, I can see.
I could teach you, everything you need to be-
That shining star up on the stage,
A reality. No more dreams, trying to live on minimum wage."
Perplexed, she questioned, " How do you know?"
" It's a gift. Music is in your soul."
He proved to be a great teacher, young and wise.
Katrina often thought Gerard was an angel in disguise.
She was never happier in the months that followed,
Than when she was in the apartment, now hollowed.
He was her match in every way.
Gerard was inspiration, the light in her day.
Of course he had his faults; no one is perfect.
But if there are no challenges, a relationship isn't worth it.
They worked together, ate together, sharing everything,
Leaving Katrina dreaming she might one day wear his ring.
Eventually Gerard felt she was ready to audition for a part,
In a play of musical score- she was advanced enough in the art.
She went to the audition; nervous I am sure.
What happened next, is remembered as a blur.
Katrina put her entire being into the song which she sang.
Upon the cadence, the audience was astounded, and sprang,
Up from their seats with thunderous applause.
As Fate would have it, a wealthy states-man, Jean Pal, was there just because…
He needed a charming wife, the girl on stage would do.
Vaccaro 4
She would greatly improve his reputation, and she had not a clue-
Katrina, though twenty years old, was still innocent,
After hearing her sing, the cad was hell-bent
On making her his wife; like a lion
He stalked his prey- the siren.
He courted her, yet Gerard did not worry.
Jean Pal would never be worthy.
Time passed however, and the states-man was like the plague;
Ever lingering, intentions far from being vague.
Katrina slowly became aware, and was flattered.
Yet she had her tutor, so no one else mattered.
A winter evening came, snow falling fast,
Walking home from rehearsal, she began to think upon his mask.
That was the one thing which she had never seen.
The only thing if she inquired about, would he become mean-
Cruel even, to a point where she would come to tears.
Then Gerard would apologize, and sing, and allay her fears.
Curiosity killed the cat, or so they say.
Katrina suddenly knew, she could not rest until she had her way.
That night she went to Gerard's home for their lesson,
Breathing deeply, pushing the guilt down, readying for this session.
She tried to rationalize, as a friend, he would understand.
Little did she know, after, she would think of him as less than a man.
Katrina thought" They had no secrets, save for this".
So when Gerard came close, the mask came off with a single twist.
What she saw, one cannot describe.
One can only imagine it, if they dare, in their mind;
A broken man, a beast, a monster.
Katrina promptly forgot, that this was also a man who loved her…
Vaccaro 5
Closure
" What ever happened?" the crowd that gathered asked.
" Did she remember ?" " Was she able to move past the mask?"
" No" was the answer that dear Marie gave.
" Even after that humiliation he still tried to save
What he had with Katrina, though I don't know why.
She decided that it would be better to die,
Than to live with a man so disfigured.
Oh she still became a famous singer,
Married Jean Pal, who turned out to be quite the winner.
Eventually a scandal arose, and he left her.
The saddest part is, she had something resplendent.
It would have been beautiful, if she could have transcended it.
All in all, Katrina was shallow.
She simply sunk so low.
She sold her soul for appearances, and money.
Ran away when life's storms appeared, and the day was no longer sunny.
Katrina would never be happy until she knows what she wants,
As for Gerry, he still has his haunts-
He wanders the streets, still mourning,
The loss of the life he could have lived; that was ripped away without warning.
Katrina destroyed them both,
Like so many of us in life, we have to learn to pick up the pieces and cope.
Yet learn when, you know yourself you will be happy.
I am well aware that my story was sappy.
But it made the point clear, I know
Money is worthless compared to your soul."
Tale based off of Phantom of the Opera