CHAPTER ONE
Phantom comes to the Theatre
Madison High is a school. It is a school, possessing as few distinguishing qualities as most schools. It has many classrooms, many teachers, and a student population of a fair and modest size. It boasts, if nothing else, a well developed theater department. This department was responsible for, once a year, producing a new and exciting musical production. The student actors performing in these plays are honored at a small banquet at the commencement of the school year. In attendance of this banquet are all the actors, technicians, teachers and parents that will, with any luck, make this year's production a success.
This is also the place, and time, when the new year's production is announced.
Standing at the podium, in front of the crowd, George Lupin stood, a thin piece of paper imperceptibly quivering in his hand. To his right sat his fellow teachers, excitedly awaiting the announcement of the new year's production.
One of these teachers, a Mr. Steven Diamond, sat comfortably in his chair. His eyes danced wildly around the many features of the stage, and the many lights that shone brightly whilst suspended from the ceiling. As he admired the canvas upon which it would he his job to build a set for this year's production, he almost noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A bare movement, the subtle quiver of black on black, had seemed to appear, just for an instant. Surely, he thought, this was simply a figment of his imagination. As he started deeper into the bright lights, his watering eyes forced him to look away. He gained focus only to hear George Lupin announcing the decision which everyone had been second guessing for months. What would this year's play be?
"Hello everyone," began Lupin, "And thank you all for attending this years Theatrical Arts banquet. I would especially like to thank all of you, as well as the parents which have helped make all of this possible. Now I know you have all been waiting to hear what this year's musical production will be. Allow me to say that the entire department is very excited about this decision, and we have full confidence that, with your help, this may be our schools most successful production ever. I speak for all of my colleagues in announcing that this year's production will be, Andrew Lloyd Weber's The Phantom of the Opera."
The crowd burst instantly into a chorus of approval. It was perhaps due to all of this excitement that no one noticed the cord slowly unraveling from one of the lights hanging above. And still, perhaps no one noticed as the bolt slowly loosened from the pipe to which the instruments were attached. At first, perhaps no one really noticed as the instrument fell. But as it struck the podium in the loudest and most visually stunning way possible, the crowd suddenly realized in an outburst of silence that a terrible incident had occurred.
Luckily no one was hurt. It was perhaps fitting then, for an understandably startled George Lupin to take to the shattered remains of the podium, forcing a smile as the sentence, "It looks like the Phantom is here already."
It certainly did.
And indeed, the Phantom, of the High School, as it were, was no figment of anyone's imagination. The unaccountable quiver of black on black was real in both flesh and blood, not, as assumed, the mere daydream of a few perceptive teachers.
No indeed, the Phantom was here. And the Phantom would continue to be here for quite some time, by approval of the occupants of the school or otherwise.