1 Bonne Nuit Amoureux
1.1 Suddenly The World Seems Such A Perfect Place
Valerie couldn't sleep. It was the spring term of her freshman year in college and already she had an immense fear that she would not be able to make it afterward. She didn't have a job at school and she didn't have any money saved for the future. All the money she had earned, had gone towards her recent obsession; Moulin Rouge. She felt so ignorant having spent so much of her time and money on a movie. A piece of fiction based on bits of fact, but not in itself a true story. What was she going to do with an almost infinite amount of knowledge about a fantasy time and place?
She sat up and sighed as she studied her darkened room. Images of movie stars and famous people smiled statically back at her. Although real in the most basic sense of the word, also paper in relation to their presence in her life. She felt as if she knew them but she would only be kidding herself if she really believed that she had a real relationship with any of them. These people, who she knew everything, and yet nothing about, were her life. They were the ones she would want to confide in, not her friends, not that any of them were as close as they should be. It seemed like she would never be close to anyone she spent so much time in the movie theater. Her eyes fell on her clock, it was eleven forty. Valerie squinted her eyes and took a breath in as she thought for a moment. She arrived at her conclusion with a nod of her head, tossed her sheets off and crossed to her dresser to search for a comfortable pair of pants. Unsatisfied with the results she went to her hamper and rooted through till she found her favorite pair of jeans, threw them on as well as a pair of sandals and slipped a red tank over head. The fact that she wore the same outfit the night before didn't faze her as she grabbed for her keys. Shoving a few bucks in her pocket, Valerie quietly opened the door and was out into the warm April night. She quickly made her way to her car, she didn't want to miss the movie.
Pulling into the parking lot Valerie's heart sank, she was almost positive there was a midnight movie tonight, but the lot was empty and the theater was dark. In a last desperate attempt to make sure there was no film, she slowly drove her car around the back. A faint glow to her right caught her eye and she slowed down to almost a stop. It looked like there was a theater down the alley, Maybe the midnight movies have been moved over there she thought. She parked in the lot for the bigger theater and turned off her car.
"The Stairways up to La Bu-"
Her car went silent mid song, and suddenly Valerie was quite aware how loud keys could echo in the absence of other noises. She stepped down from her car and shut the door behind her. Taking a quick look around, the lack of other patrons was a bit unnerving, but then it was very possible she was just a little late. Perhaps everyone is already inside she thought, as she began to walk quickly up to the theater. Then she noticed something she hadn't before, the movie on the marquis was "Moulin Rouge" Valerie stopped dead and drew her breath in a quick and quite audible gasp. She then threw her hands over her mouth in fear that she would do it again and bring the attention of an unwanted stranger. Her eyes quickly darted around in search of any shady characters but none were to be found and she dropped her hands to her side to reveal the smile on her face. She laughed quietly to herself, and in almost a jog, started toward the theater again.
Then it started to rain.
In the distance of a few steps it went from a light sprinkle to a heavy down pour. Tilting her head down and covered it with her hands, Valerie broke into a full run. Her eyes carefully studying the ground as she made her way up to the theater with out looking up. After running for what seemed like too long, Valerie finally stopped and looked up expecting to see the back of the alley after passing the theater but the sight that greeted her eyes was very different. This can't be real she thought Why does the theater look so run down?
But glancing around she noticed she was not where she had been the last time she checked.
1.1 Suddenly The World Seems Such A Perfect Place
Valerie couldn't sleep. It was the spring term of her freshman year in college and already she had an immense fear that she would not be able to make it afterward. She didn't have a job at school and she didn't have any money saved for the future. All the money she had earned, had gone towards her recent obsession; Moulin Rouge. She felt so ignorant having spent so much of her time and money on a movie. A piece of fiction based on bits of fact, but not in itself a true story. What was she going to do with an almost infinite amount of knowledge about a fantasy time and place?
She sat up and sighed as she studied her darkened room. Images of movie stars and famous people smiled statically back at her. Although real in the most basic sense of the word, also paper in relation to their presence in her life. She felt as if she knew them but she would only be kidding herself if she really believed that she had a real relationship with any of them. These people, who she knew everything, and yet nothing about, were her life. They were the ones she would want to confide in, not her friends, not that any of them were as close as they should be. It seemed like she would never be close to anyone she spent so much time in the movie theater. Her eyes fell on her clock, it was eleven forty. Valerie squinted her eyes and took a breath in as she thought for a moment. She arrived at her conclusion with a nod of her head, tossed her sheets off and crossed to her dresser to search for a comfortable pair of pants. Unsatisfied with the results she went to her hamper and rooted through till she found her favorite pair of jeans, threw them on as well as a pair of sandals and slipped a red tank over head. The fact that she wore the same outfit the night before didn't faze her as she grabbed for her keys. Shoving a few bucks in her pocket, Valerie quietly opened the door and was out into the warm April night. She quickly made her way to her car, she didn't want to miss the movie.
Pulling into the parking lot Valerie's heart sank, she was almost positive there was a midnight movie tonight, but the lot was empty and the theater was dark. In a last desperate attempt to make sure there was no film, she slowly drove her car around the back. A faint glow to her right caught her eye and she slowed down to almost a stop. It looked like there was a theater down the alley, Maybe the midnight movies have been moved over there she thought. She parked in the lot for the bigger theater and turned off her car.
"The Stairways up to La Bu-"
Her car went silent mid song, and suddenly Valerie was quite aware how loud keys could echo in the absence of other noises. She stepped down from her car and shut the door behind her. Taking a quick look around, the lack of other patrons was a bit unnerving, but then it was very possible she was just a little late. Perhaps everyone is already inside she thought, as she began to walk quickly up to the theater. Then she noticed something she hadn't before, the movie on the marquis was "Moulin Rouge" Valerie stopped dead and drew her breath in a quick and quite audible gasp. She then threw her hands over her mouth in fear that she would do it again and bring the attention of an unwanted stranger. Her eyes quickly darted around in search of any shady characters but none were to be found and she dropped her hands to her side to reveal the smile on her face. She laughed quietly to herself, and in almost a jog, started toward the theater again.
Then it started to rain.
In the distance of a few steps it went from a light sprinkle to a heavy down pour. Tilting her head down and covered it with her hands, Valerie broke into a full run. Her eyes carefully studying the ground as she made her way up to the theater with out looking up. After running for what seemed like too long, Valerie finally stopped and looked up expecting to see the back of the alley after passing the theater but the sight that greeted her eyes was very different. This can't be real she thought Why does the theater look so run down?
But glancing around she noticed she was not where she had been the last time she checked.