Stars May Collide
-Until My Dying Day-
"The end."
Christian sat back, a new wave of emotions swept over him.
It was done, he had poured his soul, cried his eyes, a wracked his brain. All at tremendous effort on his part to not fall apart, but now he could rest.
He lifted the final page out of the typewriter and placed it on the now finished stack with the rest. He had fulfilled his promise, Satine would be happy.
"Satine", suddenly that name brought the ever-true words to his ears, he closed his eyes.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return"
Christian's eyes snapped open, something was odd. He didn't think those words, he heard them. There was music coming from somewhere. He turned around and felt a wash of bright white light pass through him.
Suddenly, he was back at the Moulin Rouge, watching the curtains close and the lights dim. What was Satie doing there?
Something was happening that shouldn't. Was he hallucinating? What is going on?
Again the blinding light spread its warmth throughout him and he was taken to another place. This time he did not know where.
Had he died? Was this heaven? If so, was his love here waiting for him?
He looked around, all he saw was a desk with a man sitting at it in a brown uniform.
As Christian approached the desk he saw something familiar in the way this man looked. He was strikingly similar to himself, only with lighter hair, and maybe a bit younger.
The man spoke up, he was American but his voice was also very familiar. "Hi, there. You must be Christian. I'm Martin. Now, you must be wondering where you are, am I right?"
Christian nodded. "Is this Heaven? Am I dead?"
Martin smiled "Ah, the usual questions. Well my friend, you're not dead, but the thing is you were never "alive" in the first place."
Christian's eyes narrowed and a confused look spread over his face. What was this man talking about, how could I have never been alive in the first place? "What do you mean?" he asked.
Martin took out a clipboard and pen and handed them to Christian. "Yes, well, that will all be explained to you in good time. For now, however, could you please sign your name here next to Moulin Rouge."
Christian scanned the paper he was given, it was a list but what did all these names mean? He guessed they were titles of books because his was called Moulin Rouge but he had never heard of any of the others. The one right above his own was called Eye of the Beholder and signed next to it was The Eye. Was that a pen name?
Martin took back the clipboard after Christian had signed it and placed it on the desk. He then rang a bell and a man appeared in a bright yellow and black striped jacket. "Right, now you are all set to go, Mr. Leeson will show you around."
The man in the jacket put out his hand, he also bore an amazing resemblance to Christian. "Hi there, my name is Nick and I'm going to help you find your way around."
Christian shook his hand a bit hesitantly. "I'm afraid I still don't know what's going on. Where am I?"
Nick laughed. "So Martin wouldn't tell you eh? I guess he figures he better take this watch duty seriously after he goofed off on his last one."
Christian gave him a puzzled look. "Sorry?"
Nick slapped him on the back. "Don't worry, you'll learn all about everyone here soon enough. Now follow me."
Christian did as he was told and followed Nick out a door that seemed to appear out of the emptiness of the bright white room. The next sight that caught his eyes was something extraordinary. There were many more people in this next room that all looked almost just like him. He didn't know what was going on.
Nick turned to him. "Christian, I'd like you to meet your fellow characters."
Christian looked back at him. "Characters? What do you mean?"
One of the other men in the room with a camera in his hand stepped forward. "Can I tell him?"
Nick gestured him forward. "Go ahead Eye."
Eye smiled. "Thanks."
He turned to Christian. "Well Christian, bare with me because I'm a little new at this idea as well but let me try. All the people here are characters from movies that a single actor has played." He looked up at Nick who nodded and encouraged him to continue. He turned back to Christian, "After the movie is finished, the character comes to this place of limbo in case they are ever needed again. Most of us, however, will not be, because usually sequels aren't made out of our types of films. However, I know for a fact that Obi-wan over there has another two films to do before he is done. He got lucky and was signed to a big director."
A man in a long brown robe raised a strange glowing sword. "It wasn't luck that helped me Eye the spy. It was all the force!"
The Eye rolled his eyes at Christian. "With him it's always the force."
Christian wasn't paying any attention, though, he was still trying to take in all that he has been told. "Are you saying that all I experienced, all the pain I had to endure, that was for nothing? I never existed and nothing I hold dear is true?!"
A skinny, sickly man who, out of all those present, looked the least like Christian, stepped forward. "I know exactly where you are coming from mate. I went through hell, and finally thought I was going to be able to make something of my life, when I was put here. I was just as upset as you are."
An other Scottish man piped up. He had longer hair than most of the others and he looked to be about the youngest. "I agree with Rents over here. I had just come into a sizeable amount of money that was no easy task to get away from my roommates, when I arrived, and I was not pleased."
Christian didn't want to believe what he was being told. He had found meaning in his life with Satine, and after she seemed to be lost forever, he had found it again in his book and his promise. Now that is being taken away as well, but he would not go down without a fight. He pledged to himself that he would not give up his reality or Satine so easily.
(Not quite the ending I was going for in this first chapter, but I wanted to get this up so I could motivate myself to finish it. So far it has been sitting, taking up space on my hard drive and I need to get the ball rolling. More to come soon, hopefully)
-Until My Dying Day-
"The end."
Christian sat back, a new wave of emotions swept over him.
It was done, he had poured his soul, cried his eyes, a wracked his brain. All at tremendous effort on his part to not fall apart, but now he could rest.
He lifted the final page out of the typewriter and placed it on the now finished stack with the rest. He had fulfilled his promise, Satine would be happy.
"Satine", suddenly that name brought the ever-true words to his ears, he closed his eyes.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return"
Christian's eyes snapped open, something was odd. He didn't think those words, he heard them. There was music coming from somewhere. He turned around and felt a wash of bright white light pass through him.
Suddenly, he was back at the Moulin Rouge, watching the curtains close and the lights dim. What was Satie doing there?
Something was happening that shouldn't. Was he hallucinating? What is going on?
Again the blinding light spread its warmth throughout him and he was taken to another place. This time he did not know where.
Had he died? Was this heaven? If so, was his love here waiting for him?
He looked around, all he saw was a desk with a man sitting at it in a brown uniform.
As Christian approached the desk he saw something familiar in the way this man looked. He was strikingly similar to himself, only with lighter hair, and maybe a bit younger.
The man spoke up, he was American but his voice was also very familiar. "Hi, there. You must be Christian. I'm Martin. Now, you must be wondering where you are, am I right?"
Christian nodded. "Is this Heaven? Am I dead?"
Martin smiled "Ah, the usual questions. Well my friend, you're not dead, but the thing is you were never "alive" in the first place."
Christian's eyes narrowed and a confused look spread over his face. What was this man talking about, how could I have never been alive in the first place? "What do you mean?" he asked.
Martin took out a clipboard and pen and handed them to Christian. "Yes, well, that will all be explained to you in good time. For now, however, could you please sign your name here next to Moulin Rouge."
Christian scanned the paper he was given, it was a list but what did all these names mean? He guessed they were titles of books because his was called Moulin Rouge but he had never heard of any of the others. The one right above his own was called Eye of the Beholder and signed next to it was The Eye. Was that a pen name?
Martin took back the clipboard after Christian had signed it and placed it on the desk. He then rang a bell and a man appeared in a bright yellow and black striped jacket. "Right, now you are all set to go, Mr. Leeson will show you around."
The man in the jacket put out his hand, he also bore an amazing resemblance to Christian. "Hi there, my name is Nick and I'm going to help you find your way around."
Christian shook his hand a bit hesitantly. "I'm afraid I still don't know what's going on. Where am I?"
Nick laughed. "So Martin wouldn't tell you eh? I guess he figures he better take this watch duty seriously after he goofed off on his last one."
Christian gave him a puzzled look. "Sorry?"
Nick slapped him on the back. "Don't worry, you'll learn all about everyone here soon enough. Now follow me."
Christian did as he was told and followed Nick out a door that seemed to appear out of the emptiness of the bright white room. The next sight that caught his eyes was something extraordinary. There were many more people in this next room that all looked almost just like him. He didn't know what was going on.
Nick turned to him. "Christian, I'd like you to meet your fellow characters."
Christian looked back at him. "Characters? What do you mean?"
One of the other men in the room with a camera in his hand stepped forward. "Can I tell him?"
Nick gestured him forward. "Go ahead Eye."
Eye smiled. "Thanks."
He turned to Christian. "Well Christian, bare with me because I'm a little new at this idea as well but let me try. All the people here are characters from movies that a single actor has played." He looked up at Nick who nodded and encouraged him to continue. He turned back to Christian, "After the movie is finished, the character comes to this place of limbo in case they are ever needed again. Most of us, however, will not be, because usually sequels aren't made out of our types of films. However, I know for a fact that Obi-wan over there has another two films to do before he is done. He got lucky and was signed to a big director."
A man in a long brown robe raised a strange glowing sword. "It wasn't luck that helped me Eye the spy. It was all the force!"
The Eye rolled his eyes at Christian. "With him it's always the force."
Christian wasn't paying any attention, though, he was still trying to take in all that he has been told. "Are you saying that all I experienced, all the pain I had to endure, that was for nothing? I never existed and nothing I hold dear is true?!"
A skinny, sickly man who, out of all those present, looked the least like Christian, stepped forward. "I know exactly where you are coming from mate. I went through hell, and finally thought I was going to be able to make something of my life, when I was put here. I was just as upset as you are."
An other Scottish man piped up. He had longer hair than most of the others and he looked to be about the youngest. "I agree with Rents over here. I had just come into a sizeable amount of money that was no easy task to get away from my roommates, when I arrived, and I was not pleased."
Christian didn't want to believe what he was being told. He had found meaning in his life with Satine, and after she seemed to be lost forever, he had found it again in his book and his promise. Now that is being taken away as well, but he would not go down without a fight. He pledged to himself that he would not give up his reality or Satine so easily.
(Not quite the ending I was going for in this first chapter, but I wanted to get this up so I could motivate myself to finish it. So far it has been sitting, taking up space on my hard drive and I need to get the ball rolling. More to come soon, hopefully)