Unforeseen

An Empty Stage

"Of course. Lead the way." The Allfather agreed.

The lords then led us around the rows of seats, leading us back up the auditorium along one of the far walls. Halfway up the aisle, I got distracted by one of the columns that was shaped like a woman. Something about her seemed kind of familiar... I let my arm slip from the king's elbow as I stared up into her face. What was it about her... oh! Her lips! Their shape and their cunning quirk reminded me of Natasha!

"Lady Penelope, if you would join us?" Lord Baldur's call from the doorway of the auditorium brought me out of my musings again.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I got distracted!" I flushed pink. How had I fallen behind so fast?

"Would you prefer to wander around here and admire the work?" Odin-Loki asked, chuckling at my surprised blush and catching me off guard. He then looked over at Bladur and Bragi as if asking if that would be okay.

"If the lady is so inclined, how could I deny her to admire the beauty we have worked so long to create?" Baldur replied in his usual cheerful way.

I looked between the lords and the king, still feeling a bit sheepish. "Are you sure, Allfather?"

He waved away my worries, "This will be the dry, business end of the theater's workings. I think you will have more fun here."

I thought about it for a moment or two before making my decision, "Then I'll stay."

With nods and quick bows, the lords led Odin-Loki away, leaving me to explore the majesty of the auditorium. I felt like I was in some kind of art museum as I strolled along the walls, looking up at the metallic beasts and the expressions of the column statues, marveling at their detail. I then gathered up the skirts of my dress to sit in one of the velvet-covered theater seats, tilting my head up to watch the ceiling painters work.

After maybe twenty minutes of me just watching them, the painters started putting away their supplies and climbing down from their web of riggings. It seemed to me that they were all going off on their lunch break. They rubbed their necks and cramping hands and rotated shoulders, sore from the awkward angles their work forced them to contort into, and yet as they passed me they all bowed or curtsied, each repeating a polite, "My lady."

The sound of the auditorium doors echoed slightly in the huge room as the last artisan left and I found myself to be completely alone. It was a bit unnerving how silent the auditorium was, like it and all of its statues and the metallic bears and lions decorating the walls were all holding their breath waiting for a performance. I stood up silently, almost afraid to break the silence, and strolled down to the edge of the orchestra pit, running my fingers over the rail lining it. My eyes trailed up towards the stage and soon my feet followed them in curiosity.

I hesitated for just a second before I stepped onto the stage, unsure if I was allowed up here or not. The heel of my boots clacked slightly on the polished wood. Looking out into the seats I marveled at how the auditorium somehow seemed even larger from this perspective. I could see how the chandelier's light made everything seem to glint and glow, its light reflecting from the bronze and gold lions and bears and the flowery torch holders and the metallic paint of the unfinished night sky depicted on the ceiling. Truly, it was breathtaking, and I sighed in wonder.

What would it be like for the actresses and singers who would be coming up here for their performances? Would all the glittering metal be faded to black, the darkness hiding the sea of faces watching them until their final bows when the lights would be restored over the auditorium? Stopping at center stage, I looked out over the seats again. My mind flashed to performances of 'The Phantom of the Opera' and 'Les Misérables' and 'Wicked' that I had seen growing up. Is this what it felt like for those actors and actresses to stand on stages of grand theaters? Is this what the character Christine Da'ae from 'The Phantom of the Opera' felt when she first sung 'Think of Me'?