Calliope found herself wandering about the streets of Paris. She had no idea where she was going or how she was going to take care of herself. All she knew was that she couldn't go back to her father as long as he was going to force her to marry Edgar.
Edgar was the only son of her father's business partner. Every since birth, plans were made for their union. He was short and she never found him to be kind or nurturing. Once, when they were children, they were playing together in the garden at her father's home. They had found a baby sparrow that had fallen out of its nest. Calliope wanted to put the bird back. She decide to find her brother, Phillip, so that he could lift her up so that she might reach high enough to put the bird back in its nest. She had returned with Phillip only to discover that Edgar had smashed it with a rock. She was completely and totally heart-broken. After that she vowed that she would never marry someone so unfeeling and cruel.
On her seventeenth birthday, her father announced the date of their impending union. Calliope was devastated. Time and time again, she had voiced her dislike of Edgar to her father, and now he had betrayed her. That night, she had decided to run away.
Now she was roaming about aimlessly. Some time close to midnight, she had decided that she would need to find shelter. She found herself arriving at the village of Montmatre. She had heard many terrible things about this place. That it was the township of the devil, and that many heathens roamed about tempting you with their flesh. But she was very tired. She decided that she would look for shelter here and leave immediately the next morning.
As she entered the village, she saw women half-dressed and drunken men stumbling about. There was faint music a little off in the distance. Her curiosity made her wonder what kind of celebration might be taking place. She followed the music until she came to the center of town and there she found a nightclub, and above the door was a sign that read "The Moulin Rouge."
Her brother's friend, Michel, had mentioned this place to her once. He described the colorful costumes of the dancers and their flirtatious behavior. He had also described how the rich men would offer the dancers gifts of jewelry and sweet-smelling au de toilettes. She often liked to listen Michel describe his adventures and the story of this place was one of her favorites.
She peeked into a small window nearby. Her eyes grew wide with shock. There were so many people. All the men were dressed in tuxedos and the ladies on stage were twirling about with the skirts flying above their knickers.
Just then a face popped up on the other side of the window. It was a middle-aged man with a full face and curly orange hair. His eyes got very big. "Well hello-o-o," he said grinning. "Who are you?"
"M-my name is Calliope." She said stammering.
"Well, what are you doing outside, my dear? Why don't you come in? Wait there. I will send Marie out to get you."
Then he turned and shouted. "MARIE...MARIE!!!"
An older, stout woman came in from another room.
"Yes, yes, i'm here. What is it Harold?"
"There is a young woman outside this window." He pointed towards Calliope. "Go fetch her so that we might share some brandy."
Calliope started to protest but Harold cut her short.
"Now, don't argue my dear. You look afright. Have you been wandering about all night?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"Well then, come inside and we will get you cleaned up."
"Alright, I suppose I can come in for a minute."
"Excellent," proclaimed Harold as he danced about the room.
Just then Marie appeared from around the corner. She stopped for a minute and gasped.
"Oh, mon petite chou, you look so tired. Come inside and Marie will take care of you."
She wrapped her arm around Calliope's and escorted her into the club. Inside, there was a bustle of activity. People were dancing and singing and laughing as they sipped their wine. A dwarf was dancing on a table top and glitter was falling from the ceiling. Calliope had never seen a place like this.
They entered a room where Harold was waiting. He was standing there with a glass of chardonnay.
"Ahh," he remarked as he picked up a bottle of brandy and poured it into a glass. "Sit down, my dear, and relax."
He handed her the glass. She was so thirsty that she drank it all in big gulps. She blushed for a minute because she realized how unlady-like she was behaving. Harold sat down next to her.
"Tell me, Calliope, do you know how to dance?"
"Yes, I do. I love to dance."
"Perfect," he shouted as he jumped out of his seat. "Then you will be Satine's new backup dancer. She wants to do a routine about a dollhouse. Oh, she will just lo-o-ove you."
"But...," Calliope began to protest.
"She is performing now. Come see and afterwards I will introduce you to her," he interrupted. He grabbed her by the hand and rushed her out the door. In the main hall, she saw a gorgeous woman dressed in a white corset sitting on the shoulders of a big, bulky black man. Her red hair was placed on top of her head with long, soft tendrils falling around her neck. She was singing. Her voice was so melodious and Calliope thought to herself that this was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
"Oh...I forgot." Harold exclaimed. "Satine must meet with her suitor, the duke, after her performance. Why don't you go with Marie and get cleaned up? Marie, do you think you can find something for Calliope to wear?"
"I'm sure that there is something around here," Marie said as she took Calliope's hand and lead her away.
Marie led her to a room with a large, four-poster bed, with satin sheets. There was a table across the room with a wash basin. Marie walked over to it poured some water from out of the pitcher.
"You wash up in here, dear," she said as she turned and walked towards the door. "I will be right back with some fresh clothes." She left the room, closing the door behind her.
Calliope began to undress. She reached into the basin for the sponge and dabbed at silky, olive-colored skin. She heard a man and a woman laughing in the next room, and then they got quiet and the woman let out a very a loud groan followed by giggling. In the next instance, Marie returned. She was carrying a bundle of garments which included a lacy, cream-colored corset. Calliope blushed again.
She laid the bundle on the bed and picked up a beautiful off-the-shoulder hunter green dress. Calliope had never worn anything like this before and she started to wonder what she had gotten herself into.
"Put on these things," Marie stated. "When I come back I will take you to meet Satine and she turned and left.
Calliope walked over to the bed. She could still hear the music and the laughter out in the main hall. She admired the dress. She suddenly found herself wondering what Michel might think if he saw her in this dress. Then she shook the thought out of her mind, and began to dress again carefully.
After a very long while, Marie returned. Harold entered behind her.
"Oh, my dear, you look ravishing," Harold stated as he walked around her studying her carefully. "Satine is available now. I will take you to her."
Harold took her by the hand and led her out of the room. They walked down a dark corridor with several rooms on each side. They finally came to the end and inside Calliope saw several of the dancers that she had seen earlier, twirling around on stage. Many of them were half-dressed.
"Satine," Harold shouted as he entered the room. "Satine, I want to you to meet Calliope. I have hired her to dance in your new dollhouse routine."
The dancers parted as Harold entered the room. Satine looked slowly over her shoulder.
"Harold," she began as she stood and turned around. Her dress made a rushing sound as it fell around her. "You don't have to shout. Now who is this that you have here?" Satine looked closely at Calliope and then approached her. She reached up and took Calliope by her chin. She turned her head from side to side.
"Harold," she exclaimed, "she is so lovely." And then she paused, "somewhat innocent looking though." She thought for a minute. "I think, Calliope, that you will be my China doll. You have the most exquisite white skin."
One of the other dancers ran over to them. She was not exactly beautiful. She had dark hair and rather awkward-looking features and she was slightly frumpy.
"But, Satine," she whined. "I thought I was going to be the China doll."
"Roxanne, I have already told you that you are going to play the rag doll. Now, go away." Roxanne stormed away.
OK. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions for the next part in Calliope's story?
Edgar was the only son of her father's business partner. Every since birth, plans were made for their union. He was short and she never found him to be kind or nurturing. Once, when they were children, they were playing together in the garden at her father's home. They had found a baby sparrow that had fallen out of its nest. Calliope wanted to put the bird back. She decide to find her brother, Phillip, so that he could lift her up so that she might reach high enough to put the bird back in its nest. She had returned with Phillip only to discover that Edgar had smashed it with a rock. She was completely and totally heart-broken. After that she vowed that she would never marry someone so unfeeling and cruel.
On her seventeenth birthday, her father announced the date of their impending union. Calliope was devastated. Time and time again, she had voiced her dislike of Edgar to her father, and now he had betrayed her. That night, she had decided to run away.
Now she was roaming about aimlessly. Some time close to midnight, she had decided that she would need to find shelter. She found herself arriving at the village of Montmatre. She had heard many terrible things about this place. That it was the township of the devil, and that many heathens roamed about tempting you with their flesh. But she was very tired. She decided that she would look for shelter here and leave immediately the next morning.
As she entered the village, she saw women half-dressed and drunken men stumbling about. There was faint music a little off in the distance. Her curiosity made her wonder what kind of celebration might be taking place. She followed the music until she came to the center of town and there she found a nightclub, and above the door was a sign that read "The Moulin Rouge."
Her brother's friend, Michel, had mentioned this place to her once. He described the colorful costumes of the dancers and their flirtatious behavior. He had also described how the rich men would offer the dancers gifts of jewelry and sweet-smelling au de toilettes. She often liked to listen Michel describe his adventures and the story of this place was one of her favorites.
She peeked into a small window nearby. Her eyes grew wide with shock. There were so many people. All the men were dressed in tuxedos and the ladies on stage were twirling about with the skirts flying above their knickers.
Just then a face popped up on the other side of the window. It was a middle-aged man with a full face and curly orange hair. His eyes got very big. "Well hello-o-o," he said grinning. "Who are you?"
"M-my name is Calliope." She said stammering.
"Well, what are you doing outside, my dear? Why don't you come in? Wait there. I will send Marie out to get you."
Then he turned and shouted. "MARIE...MARIE!!!"
An older, stout woman came in from another room.
"Yes, yes, i'm here. What is it Harold?"
"There is a young woman outside this window." He pointed towards Calliope. "Go fetch her so that we might share some brandy."
Calliope started to protest but Harold cut her short.
"Now, don't argue my dear. You look afright. Have you been wandering about all night?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"Well then, come inside and we will get you cleaned up."
"Alright, I suppose I can come in for a minute."
"Excellent," proclaimed Harold as he danced about the room.
Just then Marie appeared from around the corner. She stopped for a minute and gasped.
"Oh, mon petite chou, you look so tired. Come inside and Marie will take care of you."
She wrapped her arm around Calliope's and escorted her into the club. Inside, there was a bustle of activity. People were dancing and singing and laughing as they sipped their wine. A dwarf was dancing on a table top and glitter was falling from the ceiling. Calliope had never seen a place like this.
They entered a room where Harold was waiting. He was standing there with a glass of chardonnay.
"Ahh," he remarked as he picked up a bottle of brandy and poured it into a glass. "Sit down, my dear, and relax."
He handed her the glass. She was so thirsty that she drank it all in big gulps. She blushed for a minute because she realized how unlady-like she was behaving. Harold sat down next to her.
"Tell me, Calliope, do you know how to dance?"
"Yes, I do. I love to dance."
"Perfect," he shouted as he jumped out of his seat. "Then you will be Satine's new backup dancer. She wants to do a routine about a dollhouse. Oh, she will just lo-o-ove you."
"But...," Calliope began to protest.
"She is performing now. Come see and afterwards I will introduce you to her," he interrupted. He grabbed her by the hand and rushed her out the door. In the main hall, she saw a gorgeous woman dressed in a white corset sitting on the shoulders of a big, bulky black man. Her red hair was placed on top of her head with long, soft tendrils falling around her neck. She was singing. Her voice was so melodious and Calliope thought to herself that this was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
"Oh...I forgot." Harold exclaimed. "Satine must meet with her suitor, the duke, after her performance. Why don't you go with Marie and get cleaned up? Marie, do you think you can find something for Calliope to wear?"
"I'm sure that there is something around here," Marie said as she took Calliope's hand and lead her away.
Marie led her to a room with a large, four-poster bed, with satin sheets. There was a table across the room with a wash basin. Marie walked over to it poured some water from out of the pitcher.
"You wash up in here, dear," she said as she turned and walked towards the door. "I will be right back with some fresh clothes." She left the room, closing the door behind her.
Calliope began to undress. She reached into the basin for the sponge and dabbed at silky, olive-colored skin. She heard a man and a woman laughing in the next room, and then they got quiet and the woman let out a very a loud groan followed by giggling. In the next instance, Marie returned. She was carrying a bundle of garments which included a lacy, cream-colored corset. Calliope blushed again.
She laid the bundle on the bed and picked up a beautiful off-the-shoulder hunter green dress. Calliope had never worn anything like this before and she started to wonder what she had gotten herself into.
"Put on these things," Marie stated. "When I come back I will take you to meet Satine and she turned and left.
Calliope walked over to the bed. She could still hear the music and the laughter out in the main hall. She admired the dress. She suddenly found herself wondering what Michel might think if he saw her in this dress. Then she shook the thought out of her mind, and began to dress again carefully.
After a very long while, Marie returned. Harold entered behind her.
"Oh, my dear, you look ravishing," Harold stated as he walked around her studying her carefully. "Satine is available now. I will take you to her."
Harold took her by the hand and led her out of the room. They walked down a dark corridor with several rooms on each side. They finally came to the end and inside Calliope saw several of the dancers that she had seen earlier, twirling around on stage. Many of them were half-dressed.
"Satine," Harold shouted as he entered the room. "Satine, I want to you to meet Calliope. I have hired her to dance in your new dollhouse routine."
The dancers parted as Harold entered the room. Satine looked slowly over her shoulder.
"Harold," she began as she stood and turned around. Her dress made a rushing sound as it fell around her. "You don't have to shout. Now who is this that you have here?" Satine looked closely at Calliope and then approached her. She reached up and took Calliope by her chin. She turned her head from side to side.
"Harold," she exclaimed, "she is so lovely." And then she paused, "somewhat innocent looking though." She thought for a minute. "I think, Calliope, that you will be my China doll. You have the most exquisite white skin."
One of the other dancers ran over to them. She was not exactly beautiful. She had dark hair and rather awkward-looking features and she was slightly frumpy.
"But, Satine," she whined. "I thought I was going to be the China doll."
"Roxanne, I have already told you that you are going to play the rag doll. Now, go away." Roxanne stormed away.
OK. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions for the next part in Calliope's story?