Calliope Euterpe
Paris' streets were busy as always. The wonderful autumn leafs fell around me like snowflakes, every single one different from the one before it.
The biting breeze reminded me a little of the Madame Giry, she was smooth, and every move she made was choreographed to a certain natural perfection, but she was also harsh and unforgiving if you didn't do what she told you to.
I marvelled at the beauty of the Opera Populaire. The impressive building stood proudly, it's marble columns and architecture demanding you take second glances as you passed it in the 9th arrondissement.
I had suffered an injury three years earlier. A crushed ankle. As a ballet dancer an injury like that was a certain death sentence to your career, no matter how good you were, that ankle would never be the same.
It would ache every time I dared just thinking about putting on my pointe shoes, but I did it every now and then anyway when the stage wasn't used for practicing some ridiculous play.
I kept myself busy by watching different operas and theatre plays all over Europe, I even got to help choreographing ballet pieces sometimes. I loved to travel, though I always returned to the Opera Populaire.
Calliope Euterpe. My names are both names from the Greek muses. Calliope is the leader of the other muses, the muse of epic poetry and song, and Euterpe is the muse of music.
Surprisingly enough most of my friends and coworkers just call me Clio, a clever abbreviation of Calliope since Clio is yet another one of the nine muses.
"Ms. Euterpe! They are practising for an opera called Hannibal on the stage at the moment, but I am sure you are welcome to watch. Madame Giry always seem to enjoy your visits immensely!" I smile at the old stagehand Joseph as he opens the door to the theatre's auditorium for me.
"Thank you Mr. Buquet." He had worked as a stage hand for as long as I could remember, which was a little over ten years.
"Oh my, —Calliope! You're back! How was London my dear?"
"Madame Giry! It was lovely, so many new things, a whole city to explore, and their opera was amazing! Such a beautiful building." I had been gone for a whole month this time. Usually I kept it to two weeks, but this time I'd stayed a little longer to help out with a ballet they were performing for her majesty the queen.
"We missed you. A lot has changed in the last month, two new owners, Richard Firmin and Gilles André. I believe Lefèvre is showing them around as we speak." Madame Giry says as she leads me onto the scene.
"Girls! This is Calliope, some of you may know her, some of you may not. For those of you who do not, Calliope is the best leading soprano the Opera Populaire has ever had, she was also exceptionally good at ballet." I felt blood rush to and heat up my cheeks as Madame Giry praised me.
"Thank you Madame."
"Oh. Calliope is back." Upon hearing my name spoken with such distaste and strangely enough at the same time respect I turn around with a huge smile on my face.
"Carlotta! Beautiful as ever! Hearing my name fall from your lips is like a long lost love finally returning home." Carlotta rolls her eyes and smile at my sarcasm.
"It is good to have you back, I must admit I've missed your unladylike behaviour and mischievousness." She says quietly for only us to hear as we greet each other with a short kiss to the other's cheek.
Carlotta and I had against all odds formed some sort of mutual respect through the years of working together and I had come to consider her as a friend.. —or at least an acquaintance of sorts.
I moved to the side of the stage as everyone began practising Hannibal again.
"Calliope! At last the angel of music has returned to us, the Opera Populaire's muse of all muses." I turned surprised at the sound of the familiar voice.
"Vicomte de Chagny, is there no end to your flatter? What would William not have said if he'd heard you." I humorously scolded the man kissing my hand and bowing for me like was I some sort of royalty.
"William, did not mind my mindless flatter and flirt, my brother knew you belonged to him as long as he lived and after that too, wedding or naught. Your late fiancée was the only man ever worthy of you. He is greatly missed. Without the two of you running around the house, it seems so lonely. It's like even the building itself is mourning."
"Raoul it has been years.. I doubt-" I began, but the Vicomte softly cut me off. "Three years next month Clio." I freeze, shocked by the reminder of the anniversary of my love's death and shocked by the use of my nickname.
"Calliope, will you sit over here please, I had one of the girls go fetch you a chair dear." I tear my eyes from Raoul's, full of naught but sympathy, and look to the madame Giry with soft eyes trying to not think about my William. "You didn't need to Madame, I am fine standing."
"Nonsense! Come, sit down girl." I smile and chuckle as she insists and pulls me away from Raoul and sits me down in a chair, resting my cane against it. "If you want to dance on it, you have to rest it." Giry instructs me pointing to my foot before returning to her ballet dancers and the rehearsal.
All the colours swirling by, the song, the dance, it was truly beautiful, but I found myself not able to focus at all.
"This way, gentlemen, this way. Rehearsals, as you see, are under way for a new production of Chalumeau's 'Hannibal'." Lefèvre spoke shaking me out of my daydream as he and two other men, which I assume are the new managers, step out onto the scene.
Lefèvre doesn't notice me at first which I do not really mind. He is quiet for a while until sensing a hiatus in the rehearsal, where he then attempt to attract the attention of everyone on stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Some of you may already, perhaps, have met Monsieur André and Monsieur Firmin.." The new managers politely bow, until M. Reyer the chief répétiteur interrupts annoyed.
"-I'm sorry, M. Lefèvre, we are rehearsing. If you wouldn't mind waiting a moment?"
Lefèvre bows apologetically. "My apologies, Monsieur Reyer. Proceed, proceed.."
"Thank you, monsieur." M. Reyer says before turning back to Piangi.
"M. Reyer, our chief répétiteur, rather a tyrant, I'm afraid." Lefèvre starts listing and pointing out different people to the new directors.
I can't help but smile as he points to Piangi next, eager to know what adjectives he will use to describe the chubby little man.
"Signor Piangi, our principal Tenor. He does play so well opposite La Carlotta."
I flinch as Madame Giry, exasperated by their presence, bangs her cane angrily on the stage.
"Gentlemen please! If you would kindly stand to one side?" She points over to where I sit and I politely smile at them.
"My apologies, Madame Giry." Lefèvre says leading André and Firmin over to me. Raoul joins them, walking slowly behind.
"Madame Giry, our Ballet Mistress. I don't mind confessing, Monsieur Firmin, I shan't be sorry to be rid of the whole blessed business." He says keeping his voice low so she doesn't hear him.
"I keep asking you, monsieur, why exactly are you retiring?" Firmin asks puzzled.
I notice Lefèvre's eyes get distant for a second before he moves on ignoring the question completely and instead calling his attention to the continuing ballet.
"We take a particular pride here in the excellence of our ballets." Right as he says it I look and notice Christine out of step. Madame Giry taps her cane harshly into the floor having noticed the girl too.
"You! Christine Daaé Concentrate girl!"
I carefully get up from my chair, leaving my cane there as I go to the ballerina girls' spot on the stage.
"Christine, let me help you." I whisper standing beside her. She looks hesitantly at me but simply nods her head yes.
"Good, follow my steps." Before I notice it everyone but Christine and I has gone to the side of the stage.
I blush before taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.
"Come here." I say waving the other girls over too.
"Ready? Just follow me." I start hesitantly but slowly ease into the smooth movements of the dance of the slave girls, showing Christine what to do. She mimics me almost to perfection, but I can see that she still struggles to keep up, though it's not as bad as before.
"Okay, now follow the music like you just followed me, you have to connect the feelings of the two. You can do it." I give her a reassuring smile before walking back to my spot by the chair again.
"Firmin, André, Vicomte, let me introduce you to Calliope Euterpe." Lefèvre says as I reach them. I smile warmly at them as I grab my cane to lean on deciding I'll stand up instead of sitting in the chair.
"It is my pleasure." I tell them with a small bow. Raoul smiles at my unusually polite tone and gesture. Normally I didn't care much for such things.
"The pleasure is all ours, believe me Ms. Euterpe."
~
The five talked quietly amongst each other for a while before Raoul helped Calliope to her chair, not liking the way she was beginning to clutch onto her cane more and more.
"What a beautiful young woman. Such an elegance when she dances too, I can't even begin to imagine what her voice sounds like. Tell me, is she married?" Lefèvre and André almost choke on their own spit as the unfiltered thoughts leave Firmin's mouth.
"She was.." Lefèvre says softly. "Or, she was engaged, to a man named William, William de Chagny."
"The count?!" Both André and Firmin looked surprised at the young woman sitting in the chair watching the rehearsal, the vicomte standing by her side watching her.
"William's title passed to his younger brother Raoul when he died making him vicomte. Calliope hasn't really been the same since, she refuses to court anyone new. It was a horrible accident, their horse carriage crashed on the way to their wedding." The two men looked like they seemed to remember the story from the newspaper. After all, the story had been all over France so it made sense.
"- The girl has been travelling Europe since, helping different theatres with ballet pieces, she has also been composing while exploring the countries. She's a wild young woman that one, and he was such an adventurous man. They were truly made for each other." Lefèvre looks over at the young woman and the vicomte again as the two laugh at something one of them had said.
"-Rumours said you could hear her cries from here and to the opera in London when William died. Watching her walking around alone after, it was like watching a ghost, her eyes were dead, she did not speak for a month."
"Is that how she got the cane?" André asked studying the girl curiously. It didn't look like she relied too much on it, but he had noticed that she'd begun to lean on it more and more when she stood and spoke with them before.
"Her ankle was crushed in the accident yes, for a ballet dancer that is certain death for your career. The rumour says that the foot that was crushed is covered in horrible scars. She says that she still dances, but no one has actually seen it yet, not more than what little you saw today anyway." The three men gossip for a bit longer before beginning to discuss more important things like the opera house, unaware that the young woman they had gossiped about was very much aware of their sympathetic side glances.
"There Lefèvre goes running his mouth again. He is such a canary sometimes." Calliope scoffs annoyed. For years, sympathy was the only thing she had received from other people, and it was getting old.
Of course she was heart broken and mourned her dear William everyday. She was forced to think of him as soon as she got out of bed and her feet hit the floor, every time she took a step, she was reminded of that horrible day. The day supposed to be the happiest day in her life, was instead the worst she'd ever get to experience.
"He doesn't mean any harm Clio. You know Lefèvre was a good friend to William. He just is a hopeless romantic and a bit of a tattler too."
"Ladies and gentlemen! May I have your attention please?"
"When you speak of the sun, so it shines." Calliope whisper to Raoul making him laugh with her.
Lefèvre gives them a pointed look making them contain their laughter.
"Thank you. As you know, for some weeks there have been rumours of my imminent retirement. I can now tell you that these were all true and it is my pleasure to introduce to you the two gentlemen who now own the Opéra Populaire, Monsieur Richard Firmin and Monsieur Gilles André." Calliope can't help but chuckle as Carlotta, as the true diva she is, makes sure to make her presence known, making Lefèvre visibly sigh exasperated. "-Gentlemen, Signora Carlotta Giudicelli, our leading soprano for almost three years now."
Both André and Firmin bow politely.
"Of course, of course, I have experienced all your greatest roles, Signora." André says turning up the charm.
"And Signor Ubaldo Piangi." Firmin addresses the small chubby man. "-An honor, Signor."
"If I remember rightly, Elissa has a rather fine aria in Act Three of "Hannibal". I wonder, Signora, if, as a personal favour, you would oblige us with a private rendition?" André says, clearly keen to impress.
"-Unless, of course, Monsieur Reyer objects?" Calliope sighs as she can already see the primadonna's ego grow from where she is standing on the other side of the stage.
"My manager commands.. Monsieur Reyer?" Reyer gives Carlotta a polite bow. "My diva commands. Will two bars be sufficient introduction?" Calliope almost snorts as she notices the clear sarcasm in the chief répétiteur's voice.
"Two bars will be quite sufficient." Firmin says smiling.
"Signora?" Reyer asks ensuring that Carlotta is ready. "Maestro." She nods and Reyer plays the introduction on the piano. Calliope smiles sadly as she recognises the song as the one she chose for William's funeral, Raoul notices this and subtly squeezes her hand before quickly letting go again.
"Think of me, think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye. Remember every so often, promise me you'll try on that day, that not-so-distant day when you are far away and free, if you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me." With the anniversary of the accident and William's death coming up, Calliope found herself feeling extra hit by the lyrics of the song. "Think of me, think of me warmly--" A huge crash and being pulled harshly into someone's chest wakes Calliope from her daze.
"Can't have you breaking the other ankle, William would've killed me." In the place she stood before a heavy backdrop has crashed to the floor cutting Carlotta off from half the cast.
Calliope looks shocked up at Raoul.
"Thank you, I-I was too in my head to even notice it falling." Raoul nods looking up at where the backdrop fell from. Calliope goes to follows his example, but the ballet dancers' panicked voices catches her attention instead.
"It's the phantom of the opera."
"The ghost!"
"He's here."
"The count's ghost!"
Piangi furiously looks in direction of where the men working the backdrops should be before yelling.
"You idiots!" He rushes over to Carlotta. "Cara! Cara! Are you hurt?!" Seeing the small chubby man trying to run is a sight always able to make Calliope laugh, but she's occupied as her ears catch the mention of her former fiancée's name from some of the ballet girls.
"GOOD HEAVENS! WILL YOU SHOW A LITTLE COURTESY?" André yells at them before looking apologetically at Calliope, but the girls keep panicking, especially the madame Giry's daughter Meg seems convinced it's the count who's hunting the opera.
"Mademoiselle, please!" Firmin yells sending her a pointed look. Finally it is like the girl realises that Calliope is in the room and she suddenly becomes very quiet, so does all of the other girls.
"Signora! Are you all right? Buquet! Where is Buquet? Get that man down here!" Lefèvre yells. At the mention of the lead stagehand's name, Calliope springs to life quickly picking up her cane, rushing to the upstage.
"Buquet! Are you alright?" Upon hearing her voice the stagehand looks up seeming rather distraught as he holds up a length of rope, which looks mostly like a noose. Calliope quickly walks over taking the noose from his hands.
"Buquet! For God's sake, man, what's going on up there!?" Calliope goes to look over the railing and down at the scene before looking up at the ropes holding the backdrop.
There's no way Joseph could've pulled those himself.. They're to heavy. She realises studying the situation.
"PLEASE, MONSIEUR, DON'T LOOK AT ME AS GOD'S MY WITNESS, I WAS NOT AT MY POST PLEASE, MONSIEUR, THERE'S NO ONE THERE AND IF THERE IS, WELL THEN, IT MUST BE A GHOST!" As the words leaves his mouth, a small movement in her peripheral view catches Calliope's attention.
A rose petal? What is that doing up here?
"I'm telling you it's the count's opera ghost! They shouldn't be up there! He will hurt them!" The shrill sound of another one of Meg's warnings reaches Calliope's ears, and she's suddenly very aware of the feeling of someone watching her from somewhere in the dark.
"GOOD HEAVENS! I HAVE NEVER KNOWN SUCH INSOLENCE!" Firmin says shutting up Meg once again.
"Signora, these things do happen." André says helping up Carlotta. Calliope takes one more look around before she makes her way down to the stage again.
"These things do happen? You have been here five minutes, what do you know? Si! These things do happen – all the time. For the past three years these things do happen." Carlotta looks furious.
"And did you stop them from happening? No!" She glares at Lefèvre.
"-And you two.. you're as bad as him – "These things do happen!" Well, until you stop these things happening, this thing does not happen! Ubaldo! Andiamo!" She yells at the new managers.
Piangi walks up beside Carlotta, taking her arm as they get ready to leave. "Amateurs!"
"I don't think there's much more to assist you, gentlemen. Good luck. If you need me, I shall be in Frankfurt." Lefèvre says after a small pause before leaving too.
"I'll go have a word with him, will I see you at dinner?" Calliope looks surprised at Raoul.
"I-I think I'll just stay here in my old room actually. If you don't mind?" Raoul smiles softly. "Of course not, just be careful." Calliope nods and watches as Raoul quietly leaves, trying not to attract any attention to himself.
The company looks anxiously at the new managers, Calliope included. "La Carlotta will be back." André says somewhat confidently looking at the crowd.
"You think so, messieurs? I have a message, sir, from the Opera Ghost." Calliope sighs as the ballet girls once again begin to twitter and twirl in fear.
"God in Heaven, you're all obsessed!" Firmin says annoyed by them.
"He merely welcomes you to his opera house and commands you to continue to leave Box Five empty for his use and reminds you that his salary is due." Calliope furrows her brows.
Why would a ghost need money?
"His salary?" Firmin voices out her thoughts.
"Monsieur Lefèvre paid him twenty thousand francs a month. Perhaps you can afford more, with the Vicomte de Chagny as your patron." Madame Giry wonders innocently.
"Madame, I had hoped to have made that announcement myself." Firmin says annoyed, as the ballet girls mumble excitedly to each other.
"Will the Vicomte be at the performance tomorrow night, monsieur?" Madame Giry asks.
"In our box. Madame, who is the understudy for this role?" André asks concerned, and with good reason.
"There is no understudy I believe, monsieur – the production is new." Calliope says looking at Reyer who just nods confirming her words.
"Christine Daaé could sing it, sir." Meg suddenly speaks up.
"The chorus girl?" Firmin groans exasperated as he turns to André.
"Can you believe it? A full house.. and we have to cancel!"
Finally Madame Giry steps forward. "Let her sing for you, monsieur. She has been well taught."
After a small pause with no objections from the two new managers Reyer speaks up.
"From the beginning of the aria then, mam'selle. Gentlemen."
Calliope smiles as the young girl begins. Her voice wavers slightly with nerves, but she sang rather beautifully if Calliope had to say so herself.
"Fine. Ms. Euterpe will be helping you warm up and practice tomorrow before the show." Calliope looks surprised at the managers.
"Messieurs I have not been singing in three years, there is a reason I didn't just offer myself as the understudy." She says calmly.
"I beg you mademoiselle, help the girl prepare."
"Alright.. I'll do it."
~