Phantom of the Cabaret
Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I do own Phantom of the Opera! I mean, so many people have made up different ones, it's hard to tell who owns what. Just take my word on that...
Once outside, Erik breathed in the cool night air, free to walk around the city, free from smoke and shouts, and alone to do what he liked. For Erik was alone. The street was deserted, as all the men were inside the cabaret, and all the women were at home, not aware that their husbands were in fact, not working late. Ignorance is bliss.
Erik's hood was up, to deflect any curious stares, but as the street was empty, he lowered it, walking briskly, not entirely sure of his destination. The snow was melting, and it looked a forlorn place, Erik thought as he dodged a puddle the size of the Atlantic Ocean.
Erik walked briskly, but after a while his footsteps lagged, and he began to think about that girl on the stage.
'She was quite pretty,' Erik thought, 'And if she would dedicate her time to something more worthwhile, she could be an excellent dancer.'
He couldn't believe he was thinking this, and he shook his head, as if to see if the forbidden thoughts would fly out his ears. The only thing flying was the slush on the ground, as Erik kicked it, angry with himself.
'But she was pretty,' he managed to think.
Then he stopped, for he realized that he was standing back in front of the cabaret. He stepped back against the wall of the pawnshop opposite the street, as he realized someone was coming out of the side door of the cabaret. It was said 'pretty' dancer.
She scuffed at the ground with her feet, and looked around the street. She didn't notice Erik, and, thinking she was alone, she began to sing softly.
I'm just a girl who can't say no.
I'm in a terrible fix!
I always say 'c'mon, let's go!'
Just when I oughta say nix!
Erik suddenly realized she was singing from the musical, Oklahoma. How befitting that she sing that song.
When a fellow tries to kiss a girl,
I know she oughta give his face a smack!
But as soon as someone kisses me,
I kinda sorta wanna kiss him back!
She had a lovely voice, Erik had to admit. Wonderful tone quality and beautiful pitch. She was perfectly in tune. She continued to sing other songs from other musicals. It was almost as if she was warming up. The girl still did not know that Erik was following her.
Suddenly, she took an abrupt change from singing from musicals, and began to sing from Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance.
Erik could tell she really loved to sing. She gave it her all, and she sounded magnificent, even in the cramped street, where she was singing to the night sky.
How beautifully blue the skyThe glass is rising very high
Continue fine I hope it may,
And yet it rained but yesterday
Tomorrow it may pour again
I hear the country wants some rain
And people say I know not why
That we shall have a warm July.
This part was sung fast, and the girl took a deep breath when she was done. The next part was slower, and expressive.
Did every maiden wake from dream of homely dutyTo find her daylight break with such exceeding beauty?
Did ever maiden close her eyes on waking sadness
To dream of such exceeding gladness?
She switched her voice again, to sing the next line, which was sung by a man.
Ah yes! Ah yes! This is exceeding gladness.
Then, yet again she switched, back to the fast part.
How beautifully blue the skyThe glass is rising very high
Continue fine I hope it may
And yet it rained but yesterday
Tomorrow it may pour again
I hear the country wants some rain
And people say I know not why
That we shall have a warm July.
Erik realized that he was humming along with her on the next line, which was the man singing again, Frederic.
Did every pirate roll his soul in guilty dreaming,
And wake to find that soul with peace and virtue beaming?
Erik realized that he had started to sing along softly with the girl.
Then she changed back to the twittering part.
How beautifully blue the skyThe glass is rising very high
Continue fine I hope it may
And yet it rained but yesterday
The girl stopped, at the part where Mabel and Frederic sing together, and deciding to sing Mabel's part, continued. Erik was softly singing Frederic's part with her.
Did ever maiden wake from dream of homely dutyDid ever pirate loathed forsake his hideous mission
To find her daylight break with such exceeding beauty?
To find himself betrothed to lady of position?
The girl had not yet realized that Erik was singing, not realized that he was there.
Ah, yes! They both sang.
Ah, yes! Ah, yes!
Erik and the girl both sighed deeply when they were done. Then, Erik slipped away, leaving her standing there, unaware of the masked man whom she had sung a duet with.
XoOxXoOx
Raoul sat at a table with Philippe and a few of his other friends. They were all guzzling beer (except Philippe, who was daintily smoking a cigarette), and making bets about absolutely nothing rational at all.
"I'll bet you ten bucks that you won't ask that girl over there for a lapdance," Raoul's friend, Gregory slurred.
"You're on." Raoul lay the money on the table and went over to the girl. They talked for a few minutes, and she smiled, leading him back to his seat and sitting on his lap, as she picked up his beer and drank from it.
Gregory reluctantly handed over the money, and the girl smiled.
"What's your name?" Gregory asked her.
"Meg." She replied, almost shouting because of the noise in the room. She stayed sitting on Raoul's lap (although she didn't give him a lapdance), and hung out with all the guys, smiling, and talking, and drinking all their beer in turn. More bets were made, and more bets were won.
Soon Meg laid down fifty dollars on the table.
"I bet you fifty dollars that none of you can seduce my friend, Christine." She winked.
All of the men promptly declined the bet, but Raoul. He thought about it a few minutes, and said "Done."
Meg smiled and pecked him on the cheek. She took her fifty dollars back, and said, "You have one month."
With one last wink, she left.
My Domain
I tried really hard this time to make this longer. I don't know how many of you are familiar with G & S, but I love them! Especially the Mikado, but I'll put that in later...
