Chapter 2: Curtain Rise
A powerful wind could be heard past the two windows on the back wall of the stage. Outside one of them which was left open, branches of a large tree swayed greatly in the storm. Above hovered a large, painted full moon. On the far right side of the stage was a fireplace, a small glass table in front of it, three armchairs around that, and two three-seater sofas.
A giant crystal chandelier hung from the center of the semi-cylindrical ceiling, but less than half of its many candles were lit. The light from two candlesticks beside the fireplace and a small standing lamp on a table under a large window just barely lit the room. The gloomy living room was enshrouded in a decadent, melancholy air unique to twilight.
The room was filled with expensive Adam-style furniture, but it was all ancient and weathered. The master of the mansion sat in the most luxurious armchair, wrinkled his brow, and looked up from his newspaper toward the window behind him.
"Tonight's full moon is more beautiful than ever... I feel as if the moon goddess herself could visit on this night."
"My, it's gotten so dark already. We should prepare for dinner."
The master's wife sat in the opposite armchair, sipping tea. Standing up, she went to the windowsill behind him, and with a vague glance into the deep woods beyond that may or may not have been looking anywhere in particular, gently closed the window.
"The wind is wet... The kingfishers were making such a clamor all day. It was just like this the last time we had a storm, too; they were chirping like mad..."
The stagehand Mayu stooped down behind the papier mache window and slowly swung a large fan to create artificial wind, shaking the curtains. Seeing them billow, the mistress headed over to the other windowsill and shut it tight.
The maid appeared from a door on stage right holding a tray, proceeded to the table in front of her, and refilled the empty teacups one by one.
"The weather was so nice until just a moment ago. Not to mention, I polished these windows until they sparkled today! What a shame they've been dirtied again!"
She spoke in a very cheery tone, very much in contrast to her "what a shame" line.
"Close all the windows around the mansion, and be sure to lock up. There could be a storm tonight."
"Understood, master!"
The moment the master spoke the world "storm," two dolls neatly positioned on one of the sofas moved as if just waking up from a deep sleep.
Rin and Len, who played the parts of the dolls, were both around 5 foot 3 inches, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and well-formed facial features that really could be described as doll-like. But even so, they were too big to be life-size dolls. As such, the entire set employed a trick of perspective; the further back an actor was, the smaller they appeared to be. Rin and Len were always positioned toward the back, so from the audience, they appeared to be smaller than usual.
"YahaHAHA! A storm? It's been SO long!"
"It HAS... AHAhaHA!"
"Ah, so you've woken up."
"Good day, maDAM!"
"GOOD day, MAdam! Will there REALly be a STORM? For SURE?"
"Why, we won't know until it comes. No one ever knows what will happen next, you know?"
"Oh, but it's so boring. Father, if you're done with the paper, could you lend it to me?"
"Very well."
The Lady, the daughter of the family, relaxing by herself in the three-seat sofa opposite the dolls, reached over to the table for the newspaper the master tossed there. She began to read it with a look of boredom. But not long after, she spoke up with interest piqued.
"My, what's this! A murder incident...? So things are getting dangerous even here. Nemo Village, why, that's just through the forest, isn't it? A tranquil village like that... could it be true? Let's see, the murderer killed eight people with a knife... Er, hm, how do I read this? What a strangely-written name... It says the killer escaped with the murder weapon, and is still on the run. How frightful!"
"It's only natural that there are dangerous occurrences where people gather. Another mundane day."
"But, father... I wonder why this is? I would normally pay the deaths of people I never knew no heed. Yet why does the simple fact of knowing that it happened in a village that by chance I knew of... indeed, a very nearby one, instill in me such fear...? No... such excitement."
Truly bewitching - Luka tossed the newspaper to the floor, and with a faint smile on her lips, lowered her eyebrows and spoke as if confessing her love to someone sitting right beside her. Even up on stage, the attentive audience could be heard letting out a sigh at her tremendous charm. For a moment, their gaze was inseparable from her.
"Will a STORM come to the FORest, TOO?"
The doll girl sitting on the sofa opposite the lady hopped in place - retaining her sitting position - as excited as a child finding a toy. The butler spoke while polishing a knight sculpture on the mantelpiece.
"Not a storm, but an incident, perhaps? Indeed, the moon tonight is eerily red, and shines mysteriously. I sense something will happen. Something not good..."
"Now this is momentous!"
The troublesome maid made a declaration, always wont to make the slightest things out to be major incidents. With three empty teacups on her tray, she approached the butler, and her voice filling with anticipation and excitement, went on in an increasingly dramatic tone.
"In a forest eerily lit by the full moon... The birds squawk in fear of something, and the people fear the signs of a storm. In a nearby rural village, an unheard-of case of serial murders! Is this all just coincidence? ...No, something dreadful is brewing. Is it the decadent wish of the twilight? Do the threads of fate reach even to this bored mansion, desiring something strange to happen? A wandering vampire in search of blood... A werewolf transforming under this full moon and baring his fangs... A Frankenstein's monster, soundlessly crawling up from the grave... Yes, when incidents occur, there is always..."
"An uninvited guest."
Knock, knock, knock.
As soon as the butler spoke, the sound of a door knocker echoed from the front door, through the plain entrance hall that was on stage left. The audience could see past the doors, and thus could just barely see someone's hand on the knocker. The seven on stage instantly turned toward the door with a start.
"Was that the wind...?"
The butler left the living room to head toward the entrance. The wind being made behind the window by the stagehand Mayu continued to blow fiercely, without end.
Knock, knock, knock. The rapping on the door echoed louder than before.
"Who could it be, so late at night...?"
The butler slowly approached, and opened the door with a cautious motion.
The door opened with a long creak. The entire mansion set was fully equipped with antique yet high-quality fixtures and furniture. But the front double doors in particular were so rotten and rusted, they seemed ready to fall off their hinges. They had, in fact, been made out of rotten wood by the setmakers. Stepping out through the doorway from the wing of the stage, entering the mansion on this ominous night, was a mysterious visitor.
"Good evening... I'm sorry to bother you at such a late hour."
Just then, a clap of thunder roared from the ceiling above the audience, loud enough to shake the tops of their heads. For a moment, the minimal stage lights went out, and a flash of lightning could be seen through the windows. The perfect sync of the lighting and acoustics added a ghastly fear and sense of presence to the enigmatic visitor's entrance scene. The audience held their breath, waiting on the visitor's next word.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Behind my eyelids, I imagined another me. She was walking alone through the deep, dark woods... suddenly, she came to a stop at an antiquated mansion. I had become lost in this forest by sheer chance on this night threatening to rain - a simple villager. ...Ah, so cold. The rain began to drizzle down... I opened my eyes.
"Um... If, if it's all right, would I be allowed to stay here for the night? It seems I got lost walking in the woods..."
"...That's quite unfortunate."
The butler swiftly turned his head to the still-open door between the entrance hall and the living room, glancing at his master. What shall I do?, he was asking.
The master closed his eyes and thought. Opening them back up, he nodded ever so slightly.
"Indeed, it must be dangerous to be alone so late at night, mustn't it? Please, come inside."
"Thank you."
The villager came inside the mansion, and with another loud creak, closed the busted door. Proceeding through the entrance hall, the two walked into the living room where the others resided.
The lights faded.
"It was cold outside, wasn't it? Let me serve you some tea! It'll warm you up!"
The maid put milk tea on the beautiful little table in front of the crackling fireplace. Thanking her, the villager nervously reached for the teacup, and slowly drank it down. A rich aroma like flowers and the mild sweetness of the tea passed through her nose, and after one sip, she sighed with bliss.
"Delicious...", the villager remarked with eyes closed. Lost in the forest, unable to get home, the girl had finally found a place to stay the night - her relief was evident as the word rang through the room.
"Our maid's tea is truly superb. It just calms your heart, doesn't it?"
"By the way, we haven't heard your name yet, young lady."
The villager's eyes flew open in reaction to the master's words.
"...Do I need to tell it to you?"
She wrinkled her brow, and looked ready to cry at any moment, as if thinking back on a tragically sorrowful past. Seeing this, the master was silent, and stared at her suspiciously. As the silence persisted, the others present quietly watched the interaction between the two.
"...All right. I didn't mean to make you so sorrowful - I wouldn't force you to say. But I was just... wondering what I should call you, you see."
"..."
The villager kept quiet, still sorrowful. This time the doll twins, moving in their unnatural way, came up to the villager and stood before her.
"Hey, LISten, I had a GREAT ideA!", the doll girl spoke, spreading out her arms.
"OOH! What? WHAT's your IDEa?", the doll boy interjected with good timing.
"D-D-Dolls...?!"
"WelCOME!"
"To our WONdrous manSION!"
The villager's mouth hung open in shock as she stared at the moving dolls.
"That's RIGHT! Nice TO meet you!"
"You... talk...?"
"Of COURSE, OF course! We're dolls, BUT we're aLIVE and KICKing! AhaHAHA!"
"YES, yes! In this MANsion, even DOLLS are free TO talk if they WANT to TALK! YahaHAHA!"
The dolls moved and spoke. Seeing this wholly unnatural sight, the villager's face filled with fear, and she shuddered. The master explained without hesitation.
"These doll twins were passed down to me along with this mansion by my grandfather. Do you know the legend about the witch who used to live in these woods? It's said that these children were her creations. The land here has been the property of my family for generations. When my great-grandfather passed the title down to my grandfather, he received this mansion to use as a villa. These dolls have been around ever since then... I too was greatly surprised at first, but they're not bad children. They love to play pranks, but they're kind and honest souls. But indeed, it's difficult to curtail your surprise, I'm sure. Please, don't be so afraid."
"...Sorry. I've never seen anything like this before... Um... I'm sorry."
The villager apologized, still staring at the dolls.
"We'll FORgive you! BeCAUSE, dolls are MADE to be NICE to huMANS!"
"Even THOUGH we're dolls, we MOVE, and TALK, and eVEN eat. Oh, BUT we don't GO to the bathROOM! Why IS that? BEcause... We're dolls! AHAHAha!"
Still overwhelmed by the eeriness of the moving and talking dolls, the villager just kept listening in hopes of better understanding their existence.
"But FORget that! What WAS your iDEA?"
"If this girl WON'T tell us HER name, WE don't have TO either!"
"AHA, I see! You CAN be friendLY without KNOWing someONE's name! Just like US!"
The doll boy stared at the villager appraisingly, like a customer trying to decide which item to buy from a store counter.
"People WHO don't know EACH other's names CAN get aLONG just FINE! I read a BOOK just THE other day, that said PARties are more FUN when you don't know ANYone's name!"
"Parties?"
"Yes! Parties where NO one knows WHO anyone IS but themSELVES!"
"Do you mean... a masquerade?", the butler asked, putting his left hand to his chin.
"Ding DING! Correct!"
"Hmm. Why, that sounds like fun."
The lady smiled and glanced toward the villager. The maid went around refilling everyone's cups and spoke excitedly.
"It won't be quite like a true masquerade, but in the sense of us and her not making any inquiries of each other and just celebrating all night... That does seem like more fun than a normal party! And perhaps something might happen..."
"A party in which she is the star...? No one even knows her name, and she knows nothing of us. That does seem rather interesting."
"Yes, very interesting. And I assume we'll be able to drink?"
"I'm in favor of that!"
"HooRAY! We can DRINK wine!"
"Yaaay! YahaHAHA!"
The master seemed fond of the maid's suggestion, and the mistress and lady aired their approval. Even the doll twins seemed eager to participate in the party.
"Um? Are you really throwing a party just for me...?"
"It's no bother. It isn't just for you, but for us as well. After all... we were very bored."
"Bored...?"
"We've been waiting for an occurrence to dispel our boredom - or someone to make such a thing happen..."
"We'll gladly welcome anyone who can put off the boredom in our lives. Whether it's a blood-sucking vampire, a werewolf transformed by the full moon, a Frankenstein's monster rising from the grave... or an nameless, uninvited guest privy to special information."
"An uninvited guest..." The villager lowered her head, confusedly looking away from the master.
"Say, why were you walking through those woods this late at night?", the lady inquired with a look of curiosity. "Even for a local, surely it's dangerous to be out there alone?"
The villager reached for her left skirt pocket - to put her hand over a white envelope half sticking out. Slowly turning her head to look at every one of the seven, she finally told them only this: "I got lost on the way home." The lady seemed dissatisfied with the answer, cutting off the conversation with a "hmph."
"By the way, where did you come from? You can tell us that much, can't you?"
"Um... from Nemo Village, just east through the forest."
As the villager spoke the name of her village, the mansion residents stared at her with bewilderment.
"I see... In that case, we'll call you the Villager. Is that all right?"
"...Yes! I don't mind."
"And you may call us whatever you see fit. I believe it should be somewhat apparent from our appearances what our relations are."
"Say... You said you came from Nemo Village... Are you..."
"Hm...?"
The villager stared back at the lady as she started to ask something.
"...No, it's nothing."
She quickly stood up out of her chair and exited the living room.
"You know, um, this really is... a strange mansion, isn't it? When I saw it from outside, I didn't see any lights on, so I thought no one even lived here. The front door was dilapidated, too... Yet it's so marvelous on the inside."
"You're ONE to TALK, aren't you?"
"InDEED, INdeed! It's VEry strange to have a PARty with someONE we know NOthing about!"
"People only gather in this living room during the day, so there isn't much light here. Once night falls, we all leisurely eat dinner in the dining room next door. It's much brighter there. Now, let me prepare the wine."
The butler then exchanged a few words with his master and left out the door to the entrance hall.
"What a strange night it's become, hm?"
"Huh...?"
"We were talking about it just before you arrived. The full moon, the signs of a storm, and a grave incident at a nearby village. We thought something strange might happen here at this mansion, as well."
The maid held her hands to her chest, her eyes in a trance.
"I..."
"Oh, you're always like this, trying to make an incident out of everything. Don't worry our guest with such omens. What will you do if something really does happen...?"
The mistress gently rebuked the excited maid. But even in her mild and gentle voice, there was an unconcealable hint of anticipation.
"Come, now, don't make a ruckus. Go help the maid; it's quite an endeavor to close all the windows in a mansion this large. Once you're done, make preparations for dinner."
The master promptly began issuing orders to everyone.
"Oh, please let me help as well. If you just want all the windows closed, then the more people the better, right? It's already started to rain... We should hurry."
Everyone present turned to the windows. It had indeed begun to rain outside. The drizzling echoed, and the tops of the tree branches were wet.
"Then go assist the maid. Start with the windows in the south hallway of the first floor."
Lights fade. Set change: Hall, living room, dining room, and stairs.
With a toast, a calm yet bustling air filled the dining room. Crowded around the large, oblong table with their food, everyone sipped their wine glasses. Some had cheerful conversations, some started to sing, some stood from their seats and danced, creating an ever-changing ruckus.
The villager couldn't hide her bewilderment seeing these people enjoying themselves so, a complete turnaround from how they'd behaved in the living room; she stared at them blankly.
The doll girl soon took notice of this and jauntily came over to her. With her restrictive doll movements, she put her all into moving her little body for a short dance. At the end, she straightened out her dress and bent into a cute little bow, which earned the villager's applause. Glad to see this, the girl took the villager's hand and brought her into the circle, urging her to enjoy the party with the others.
The mistress was boasting about her unparalleled love of beer - already drinking straight from the bottle, not bothering with a glass - and started a drinking competition with the lady. The master sat politely in his seat a short distance away, and looked on at them with a sigh.
As the maid cleaned up empty plates, she was stuffing her own cheeks, already enjoying the party to the fullest. The butler going around pouring everyone wine soon became entangled with the other residents, and his extremely serious face seemed worried about not fulfilling his duty.
Soon, the doll boy began playing a lute to which the doll girl danced. Everyone seemed to know the song, as the mistress and lady joined in right after finishing up their competition. The song's tempo gradually increased, and the three singers started dancing to its rhythm. The master who had only been tapping his feet until then stood up, took the hands of the mistress and lady, and joined the dance.
The doll girl beckoned to the others, inviting them into the hall, and everyone proceeded there still singing and dancing. She headed for the piano in the hall and began providing a dynamic accompaniment unimaginable for her small doll body. The doll boy came up beside her, gave a wink, and this time played the backbeat rhythm on the lute.
All the while, there wasn't the slightest break in the song or dance, the tempo kept increasing, and the intensity climbed higher. Even the butler and maid abandoned their jobs to join the dance. Everyone looked toward the villager, who watched the wonderful spontaneous performance without a word. For a moment, the seven's movements came to a halt. And then...
The villager who remained in the corner of the dining room smiled bright, like an adventurer invited to an unexplored paradise, and proceeded toward their center. The bouncy shuffle played on the piano and lute re-established its tempo, and the mansion dwellers began their dance again, beckoning the girl approaching the center of the living room.
Dancing out into the middle of the stage, the lead role played her part in the highlight of this wondrous, boisterous party. The audience was entranced by the lines coming one after another between gaps in the song; they were given no time to even breathe.
I've never experienced such a marvelous, joyous, dreamlike celebration before...
The feelings of the villager and of Miku were in perfect sync. Like a puppet pulled about by divine strings, she moved nimbly, and raw joy poured out from her. The uninvited guest had, just like that, melted among the mansion's inhabitants, forgot the passing of time, and was swallowed up by the bustling party. At the climax of the song, everyone took a final pose and halted.
"Oh, what a magnificent night! If only this moment could last forever..."
It was the turning point of the play - the lead role's crucial line that introduced the theme. But Miku, so absorbed in "being the villager" as to forget her position as an actress, was driven by the exaltation of the moment to speak her line a moment too early. As a result, she came to a stop just a step before where she should have been standing, and her wide-opened left hand forcefully smacked into something.
With a loud sound of metal hitting metal, the hands of the clock placed in the middle of the room slipped off, bounced off the hard wooden floor, and spinning around two or three times, came to the front of the stage and stopped.
It felt as if the scene was, in that moment, cut away from reality and stopped in time. A bizarre silence. The villager, her eyes and mouth open wide, her face a mixture of ecstasy and madness, couldn't move a muscle. Because this was not in the script. It was pure accident. This situation of the clock being broken with a loud sound was non-existent in the act's finale.
...Now I've done it.
My brain went blank. I'd broken the clock prop, taken off its hands. How in the world could we reach the conclusion of the act now...? My mind desperately tried to think, but my body was rejecting any movement. Most likely, I was busy doing everything in my power to keep myself from shaking with fear. In the hushed silence, a second of real time felt like it could have been a minute, or an hour.
"AhhHH... YOU broke the CLOCK..."
Len sent me a lifeboat. With quick judgement, he came up with an adlib that the clownish doll boy might say.
"Oh NO, OH no! Time has COME to a STOP! You said IT! If ONLY this MOMENT could last FOREVER! The clock MUST have HEARD your wish! YahaHAHA...!"
Rin continued on, quickly and brilliantly tying together the broken clock with the villager's line of "this moment lasting forever."
Speedily letting the audience know the situation in the play, and doing so with the living dolls, who were in a way the creepiest characters, the course was immediately changed from wrapping up the wonderfully lively party, instead returning to the eerie night from the start of the act. Seeing this bizarre, instantaneous shift in scene, the audience would no doubt be filled with anticipation, dying to know what would happen in the second act. These two really were prodigies.
The others picked up the twins' lead and came up with their own adlibs, ending with the master naturally tying it into the end of the first act. I gave a mental sigh of relief as I watched their performances in silence.
After the master's final miraculous follow-up, the stagehand Mayu determined that his line signified the end of the act and began to lower the curtain. This was my cue as the lead role to finish up act one.
While everyone exited via the stairs to the second floor on stage right, I let the letter hidden in my skirt pocket flutter out onto the center of the stage. But the mansion denizens didn't notice it, continuing up the stairs and off the stage. All that was left in the hall was the broken clock and the letter dropped by the villager. With this unexpected cliffhanger for the second act, the curtain swiftly dropped.
Moments after that piece of cloth put the mysterious world of night to rest, unbroken applause and excitement rang out for the wonderful fictitious world behind the curtain, and the people who dwelled there.