Chapter 10
“He’s trying to KILL you!”
“He’s got a gun!” he cried out in panic. A gun lay
on the stage, but was quickly snatched by the Duke’s servant.
There was a mass frenzy on the stage, while the
audience played along, and assumed it was all part of the production. They
laughed uproariously while pure panic occurred in the front of the theatre.
Finally, half-dressed because of Christian “borrowing” his costume while he lay
unconscious backstage, the Argentinean emerged from the doors upstage center,
and said in his distinct Argentinean voice, “No problem, go back to work!” He
was an odd fellow.
But at that moment, Toulouse Lautrec turned around, and launched into a song
that had originally been in the production, and everyone in the cast
immediately knew what to do. Satine stood with her arm tightly wrapped around
Christian’s waist, singing her heart out.
“Children of the revolution…One Day I’ll fly away…”
Christian answered her.
“My gift is my song…”
They continued to express their pure happiness by singing with more passion and
love than they’d ever experienced. But while this was happening, the Duke’s
servant had been traveling as sneakily as possible to different areas of the
stage, aiming his gun at Christian, under direction of the Duke’s not-so subtle
glances in his direction. The manservant finally found a secluded area, in
perfect range of Christian, who was still in heaven, singing next to his love.
“My GIFT is my song…”
The manservant slowly placed his finger over the trigger, and raised the gun to
eye level.
“Children of the Revolution…”
Just as his finger started to tighten over the trigger, a purely Bohemian
can-can dancer, from directly above the Duke’s manservant, dropped a sandbag
onto his head, changing the gun’s angle to aim at the lights above the stage.
“Come what may…”
The light burst into a thousand pieces, sending sparks and a bright glow
throughout the entire theatre. This happened just as the Duke began to leave,
for he couldn’t take anymore. He had lost.
Christian and Satine reached out to each other, as they were lifted onto the
shoulders of the players in the show, and were slowly being walked in a circle
in the center of the stage. They stared into each other’s eyes, and into each other’s
hearts, believing each and every word they sang.
“I will love you…”
The gun went flying, and landed in the aisle down the middle of the theatre.
The Duke seemed to be the only one that noticed this, as his back faced away
from the stage. He heard it land, and he had one last urge. He turned around,
with pure rage, pain, loss, but above all, jealousy plastered on his face. The
Duke lifted the gun, and held it up at eye level, walking with tears streaming
down his face, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“My way…my way!”
The stage was still full of song, as Christian and Satine sang out to each
other.
“I will love you…until my dying…”
The Duke reached the stage, and put his finger on the trigger, aiming directly
at Christian’s back.
“My way…my…way!”
“Day!”
Harold Zidler punched the Duke hard in the face, sending the gun flying out the
window for another fate. He sat, defeated on the floor of the aisle, helpless.
Onstage, the atmosphere was of pure truth, beauty, freedom and love definitely
prevailed. The audience roared and jumped to their feet, screaming for more.
The curtain closed, and for a few moments, everything was the way it should
have been. Christian and Satine had no words, they
simply leaned in to each other’s waiting lips, too breathless to speak. When
Satine turned around to smile and congratulate everyone else, something
horrible happened.
The smile faded from Christian’s face, as he suddenly went pale. The burning
sensation had returned, however it was different than before. It wouldn’t go away
with a few gasps and a heavy cough. His breathing grew short, and he stumbled
backwards. Satine sensed something wrong, and turned back to her love, still
holding his shaky, cold hand.
“Christian…Oh God…Christian, wha-…no, what’s the m-matter?”
He could not respond to her, for he had too many thoughts running through him.
It was too early. He couldn’t leave Satine…not yet. Oh God, this life…this
love…what happened? Why…no…
Christian stumbled backwards, his eyes wandering, trying to find something, anything
to prevent himself from falling. He leaned his back onto the platform behind
him, and slowly slid down to the stage floor, still breathing in short, quick
bursts.
Satine still held onto his hand, and kneeled down next to him, almost as in
shock as Christian was.
“Chri-…Christian, please, tell
me wh-what’s happening…”
She moved forward closer to his face, and lifted up his head, staring into his
dazed eyes. But she was distracted by something red, trickling from his mouth.
Her finger brushed his lips, and she stared in shock at Christian’s blood on
her finger. The words then exploded from her mouth, as she looked around, her
eyes looking franticly for someone to hear her.
“Somebody get some help!”
Tears flooded her eyes, as all the horrible possibilities flew into her mind. Chrisitan finally spoke, and weakly touched her cheek, and
lightly turned her head to face him.
“Satine…I-I’m sorry…I’m…”
“Shh…n..no..shh…”
“I’m dying…”
“Shh…Ch-Christian, no you’ll be alright…you’ll mm…you’ll be alright,” Satine
whispered, mostly comforting herself. She whimpered, as tears uncontrollably
fell down her cheeks, as they began to fill her entire face. Christian squeezed
out through the tiny hole he was breathing through that he was cold. Satine
took her true love’s shaking, cold head into her arm, and wrapped her other arm
around his shoulders tightly, to cradle him back and forth. She shook with
sobs, as his breaths became shorter.
“I love you…”
“Satine, you…you have to go on.”
“No…” Satine sobbed loudly, slowly leaning him back against the platform. Her
skin creased as her face involuntarily scrunched up, with pain and agony.
“Can’t go on without you, though…”
Christian smiled weakly, and reached out to touch
Satine’s quivering hand. She took it in her own, and stroked his cheek softly,
wiping away tears. She fell off her knees, and let herself
get as close to Christian’s glazed over eyes as she could.
“Tell our story, Satine. Promise me…”
Satine cried harder than ever now, her head shaking so much from sobs, that she
leaned forward even more, so her forehead touched Christian’s lips. He kissed
it once, twice and three times.
“Promise me…” he whispered into her hair.
Satine nodded as best she could, so confused and torn by the emotions flying
through her. She picked up her head, and looked into her love’s eyes that were
looking back. Inside them, they held the words Satine believed in, and wished
could be said by Christian to her on a starry night when they were elderly
people who had lived their full lives. The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is
just to love and be loved in return. But instead, he said something to Satine
with his last breath that she would never forget.
“That way…I’ll always be with-you…” Christian said with his last strength. It
took everything inside Satine to bend and reach Christian’s lips with hers, and
kiss him goodbye. She kissed him again, deep down, hoping she would wake up
from this nightmare, in Christian’s arms. Christian, thinking of how wonderful
life was when Satine was in his world, slowly closed his eyes full of hope and
peacefulness. They left Satine’s longing, and pain-stricken face, and closed
for the last time.
Everyone behind the red curtain of the Moulin Rouge felt the wave of grief flow
to every single silent person. The only sound in the room was Satine’s blood
curdling scream that pierced the silence with such anguish, that no one could
move. She sat buried in Christian’s chest, as he leaned lifeless against the
platform. Her hot tears fell continuously onto his clothes.
Her sobs ceased for a brief moment, as she looked up at Christian. Her hand
brushed his cheek, and moved across the outline of his face. Satine tilted her
head slightly, her eyes squinted, as she cleared the watery, blurry image of
the love of her life.
“Christian,” she whispered, barely even realizing she was speaking aloud. Her
eyes flooded once again, and she fell back down to bury her head into
Christian’s chest. He was gone. The words echoed in her head. You have to go
on…tell our story, Satine…promise me…promise me…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. And then, in a dark nightclub
in
“There was a boy…a
very strange enchanted boy…they say he wandered very far, very far, over land
and sea. A little shy, and sad of eye, but very wise was he…And then one day…a
magic day he passed my way…and while we spoke of many things, fools and kings,
this he said to me…The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be
loved in return.”
The small smoky room filled
with polite applause, and a few whistles from rowdy men. The spotlight had shut
off, and Satine walked off stage, her chin quivering, but her head held high.
She would never stop telling their story. A story about a
time, a story about a place, and a story about the people. But above all things, a story about love. A
love that would live forever. The end.