WELCOME TO THE NOCTURNE THEATRE, WHY DON'T YOU TAKE A SEAT?
It's only now that you realize that they were all children
That time, you were a traveler.
Your natural sense of curiosity had led you down towards the ancient history of the underground. Of course, why wouldn't you be interested when all the itty-bitty pieces of information you could possibly get out of it was all... well, ugly?
Regardless, you still winded up impossibly lost in spite of all the maps that occupied all your free hands.
"Bummer," you had sputtered, which was only followed by a series of incomprehensible curses muttered under your breath. That day certainly wasn't your best day of the year. Firstly, your torch had been on the verge of sparking out of power in the next... well, five minutes or so. Secondly, if there was an award for the place with the most disturbing array of odours those tunnels would have won with no challenge. For third and last, you were dying for a cup of coffee.
Oh, and of course you wanted to get out of there as soon as--
Wait. No. By this time, you could have sworn you saw something moving down the other pathway.
You had immediately whipped out your torchlight at where your sight lingered. Yes, it had most definitely been a person, and more surprisingly, a finely dressed one too. You were quick to believe that they must have known their way around, you were sure of it.
"Hey!" you had shouted. "Excuse me, down there! I could make do with a little help here! I'm lost! Do you mind showing me the way out?"
For a brief moment, you had almost given up hope - hastily running to the conclusion that the stranger's ears were not able to meet your frantic voice when they continued on for a few more steps. However, soon their eyes did eventually meet yours - most probably irritated by the source of the random spotlight more than anything - and pointed nastily at you and then the road in front of them before moving on. You had assumed that the gesture was to follow him (or her, you weren't entirely sure at this stage) so you quickly scampered up the action in little time at all.
What had happened next was something you still fail to register as good or bad today.
The first thing you realized was that you no longer required your torchlight upon entering the new corridor. Why? Simply because you were finally able to see a light at the end of the tunnel - strangely so. You were this close to the exit all along and yet you were too blind to see it! You couldn't have helped but bounce in excitement back then. Fortunately, the guide in front of you had failed to take any further notice of you.
But, once you had finally reached the end... all your merry expectations had flown out of the figurative window.
You were immediately greeted with a new, odd set of lights. Thus, your first action was to flinch in your first few steps in. Not only that, but you were quite sure by the end of it all your poor ears were thoroughly deafened (at least, temporarily) by the exotic sounds; that is, the sounds of wild cheers, money being tossed back and forth and even a roaring fire in the distance. You had only hoped that no flames were licking at your feet back then.
You then opened your eyes, and were consequently bewildered by an entirely different reason.
"It's..." you had struggled for the word, the right term to explain the dazzling masterpiece that glimmered before you... and no, it was not enough to call it just that. It was...
"They call it the Nocturne Theatre, mind you," your guide said, who was more or less calmly paying what had appeared to be his (yes, you notice the slight hint of stubble now and lack of chest) entry fee beside you. "Although we're a little late I can tell it's still only the beginning... so pay up, take a seat and enjoy the rest of the show, hmm?"
You were caught in the snare of the circus' beauty. You had taken a seat, and you didn't notice the suffering shown on the children's faces before it was too late. By then, you were already out of the country extending your travels. You had already forgotten where the Nocturne Theatre was.
Your natural sense of curiosity had led you down towards the ancient history of the underground. Of course, why wouldn't you be interested when all the itty-bitty pieces of information you could possibly get out of it was all... well, ugly?
Regardless, you still winded up impossibly lost in spite of all the maps that occupied all your free hands.
"Bummer," you had sputtered, which was only followed by a series of incomprehensible curses muttered under your breath. That day certainly wasn't your best day of the year. Firstly, your torch had been on the verge of sparking out of power in the next... well, five minutes or so. Secondly, if there was an award for the place with the most disturbing array of odours those tunnels would have won with no challenge. For third and last, you were dying for a cup of coffee.
Oh, and of course you wanted to get out of there as soon as--
Wait. No. By this time, you could have sworn you saw something moving down the other pathway.
You had immediately whipped out your torchlight at where your sight lingered. Yes, it had most definitely been a person, and more surprisingly, a finely dressed one too. You were quick to believe that they must have known their way around, you were sure of it.
"Hey!" you had shouted. "Excuse me, down there! I could make do with a little help here! I'm lost! Do you mind showing me the way out?"
For a brief moment, you had almost given up hope - hastily running to the conclusion that the stranger's ears were not able to meet your frantic voice when they continued on for a few more steps. However, soon their eyes did eventually meet yours - most probably irritated by the source of the random spotlight more than anything - and pointed nastily at you and then the road in front of them before moving on. You had assumed that the gesture was to follow him (or her, you weren't entirely sure at this stage) so you quickly scampered up the action in little time at all.
What had happened next was something you still fail to register as good or bad today.
The first thing you realized was that you no longer required your torchlight upon entering the new corridor. Why? Simply because you were finally able to see a light at the end of the tunnel - strangely so. You were this close to the exit all along and yet you were too blind to see it! You couldn't have helped but bounce in excitement back then. Fortunately, the guide in front of you had failed to take any further notice of you.
But, once you had finally reached the end... all your merry expectations had flown out of the figurative window.
You were immediately greeted with a new, odd set of lights. Thus, your first action was to flinch in your first few steps in. Not only that, but you were quite sure by the end of it all your poor ears were thoroughly deafened (at least, temporarily) by the exotic sounds; that is, the sounds of wild cheers, money being tossed back and forth and even a roaring fire in the distance. You had only hoped that no flames were licking at your feet back then.
You then opened your eyes, and were consequently bewildered by an entirely different reason.
"It's..." you had struggled for the word, the right term to explain the dazzling masterpiece that glimmered before you... and no, it was not enough to call it just that. It was...
"They call it the Nocturne Theatre, mind you," your guide said, who was more or less calmly paying what had appeared to be his (yes, you notice the slight hint of stubble now and lack of chest) entry fee beside you. "Although we're a little late I can tell it's still only the beginning... so pay up, take a seat and enjoy the rest of the show, hmm?"
You were caught in the snare of the circus' beauty. You had taken a seat, and you didn't notice the suffering shown on the children's faces before it was too late. By then, you were already out of the country extending your travels. You had already forgotten where the Nocturne Theatre was.
