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The Dancers of Phantom – Part 05

Saubreme’s cityscape, where the old and new coexisted like longtime enemies, was a mix of majestic buildings adorned with sculptures of medieval knights and mythical goddesses overlooking the streets, and shiny new buildings made of glass and steel.

Roofed carriages and state-of-the-art automobiles passed each other on the huge intersection in the middle of the city, whistles blowing and horns blaring.

A two-seater motorbike sped through the road, weaving to the right and then to the left. Startled, the officer standing in the middle of the intersection forgot to blow his whistle, and just stared at it for a while.

“Be careful, Mademoiselle,” he warned diffidently.

The driver was a young, red-haired woman with a voluptuous body. A worn kitchen apron was peeking out from under her coat for some reason. The young boy behind her, completely still like a wax sculpture, seemed to be East Asian, with jet-black hair glistening under the winter sun. His eyes were tightly shut, his lips pale. He was holding a pure-white rabbit in his chest for reasons unknown. Like the boy, the creature too had its eyes closed. Ears folded, it was curled up and frozen like a stuffed animal.

The odd motorbike meandered through the intersection and slowly disappeared in the direction of the Phantom Theater.

The baffled officer sighed, his shimmering breath turning pure-white.

---

“We’re here! That was a long ride.”

“Yeah. Thank you, God, Buddha, and my ancestors across the sea, for keeping me safe! I thought I was a goner. Over and over.”

Pressing his palms together, praying, making the sign of the cross, Kazuya got off on the pavement, not in front of the Phantom Theater, but a little past it, as the driver was a little late in applying the brakes.

Sophie, the dorm mother, dismounted gracefully. “I can’t believe we made it in one piece!” she said proudly.

“First, I would like to ask the government of Sauville why they gave such a reckless driver a driver’s license. Next, the owner of the motorbike shop why they sold you one. While a capitalist society is prosperous, it’s also full of inconsistencies.”

“License? What’s that?” Sophie placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath.

“License? What’s that?” Kazuya parrotted. He turned to Sophie, and with the same sternness as his father, he said, “So you don’t have a license.”

“And I’m asking you, what’s a license?”

“Listen carefully. You need government permission to drive this thing.” Pointing at Sophie and the motorbike, he began giving her a lecture, waving his forefinger around. “You study, take the written exam, take driving lessons, and pass the practical driving test. You skipped over everything.”

“Oh, stop being so finicky.” Sophie rubbed the little imperial soldier’s head. “I used to ride my father’s mules when I was young, and I’ve driven wagons and carriages. Sure, there were some injuries involved, but nobody died. And besides, this motorbike isn’t even mine.”

“What?!” Kazuya shrieked, pressing his hands on his cheeks. “Who’s the owner, then?”

“The school chairman!” Sophie scratched the back of her head. “He was so happy that he finally got a motorbike last week. He drove it around the campus during class hours. Oh, it was class hours, so I guess you don’t know about it.”

“Of course not! So you stole the bike. Oh, no. What do I do? I’m an accomplice. I’m definitely getting deported this time. I’m supposed to be carrying my country’s reputation, but I keep getting involved in all sorts of incidents, the latest one being theft.”

“As long as I return it to his garage tonight, he won’t notice. Now let’s go to the ticket office!” Sophie broke into a run.

Kazuya, still holding the rabbit, ran after her. “We’re not done yet!”

Just then, two middle-aged men alighted from an elegant carriage parked along the road.

One was classy, dressed in a fine cashmere coat, hat, shiny shoes, and holding a walking stick. He wore his hat so low that it was difficult to make out his features. The other man had the air of a government official. He was wearing a functional coat and shoes. As they walked towards the theater, the classy man and Sophie bumped into each other. The government official pushed Sophie away with a bark, and she yelped.

“Oh, it’s just a woman.”

Sophie got up grumpily.

“I’m sorry about that,” the classy man said. “Are you all right, Mademoiselle?” He smiled, extending his hand.

Sophie smiled back. “I’m fine. It was also my fault for running. Sorry, gramps!” She sprinted away again.

“Wait up!” Kazuya called after her.

“Whaaat?!” Sophie exclaimed, sinking to the floor by the theater’s ticket window.

Startled by her voice, the two men, who were about to enter the theater, stopped in their tracks.

“What’s the matter?” one of them asked.

“Tickets are sold out.”

The man laughed. “Why, of course. It’s a popular show, and it’s the first day. You should give up and come back tomorrow. They might have same-day tickets.”

“Hmm…”

Unable to bear seeing Sophie dejected, the classy man reached into his pocket. Behind his hat, his lips twisted faintly. A smile.

Kazuya braced himself, for in that moment, the man looked as cold and terrifying as a gangster taking out a gun.

Who in the world is this man?

But what came out of his pocket was not a gun, but a ticket. A gentle smile appeared on his cheeks, hidden deep behind his hat.

“I have an extra ticket, if you don’t mind sitting next to a couple of old men.”

“Really? Thanks, gramps!”

“Now listen here,” the other man said. “Do you not know who this man is? You will address him pro—”

“It’s all right, Roget.”

“But, Sir.”

“We’re undercover today. So keep it down.”

“I understand.”

The classy man smiled, tipped his hat, and walked into the theater. Roget quickly followed him.

A car horn blared in the distance. Pedestrians walked briskly, hurrying to their destinations.

The rabbit escaped from Kazuya’s arms. Scurrying across the cobblestone pavement, it went after the men, following them inside the theater.

“Wait, little bunny!” Kazuya chased after it.

The doorman blinked in surprise. He tried to stop Kazuya, but he was so overwhelmed by the sight of him chasing the rabbit that he let him through.

“Wait!” Kazuya barged into the dim theater all by himself.

---

Inside the theater was a spacious area covered with a red carpet. Actors in glamorous costumes, and busy backstage staff in dirty shirts and rolled-up sleeves made for a rather bizarre scene.

“Little bunny!”

Kazuya stumbled after the rabbit as it jumped into the dark, narrow corridor beside the hall.

Lanterns illuminated the somber corridor. The walls were filled with the portraits of dancers, women who were no longer around. It was like the theater’s past turned into a picture album. All of them were beautiful, adorned with extravagant costumes and heavy make-up, smiling in Kazuya’s direction.

As he ran further down, he spotted a figure up ahead.

A huge woman was peering at a pocket watch peeking out of her bosom. She was wearing an antiquated dress and an extravagant tiara on her head. The woman looked wonderful, but she seemed unsteady, like her feet were a few inches off the floor. Her large tiara gleamed under the light of the lanterns.

Kazuya, thinking it was the Queen Mother he had seen in portraits, stopped in his tracks. But when the woman saw the rabbit running toward her, she smiled and picked it up.

“Oh! What a yummy-looking rabbit. So round and fat. I wanna sautee it in butter.”

“Huh?” Hearing her common manner of speaking, Kazuya tilted his head in wonder.

She looks just like the Queen Mother, but maybe it’s not her. Plus, there’s no way the real one would be here.

The woman grinned. “Surprised? I’m an actress here. I bet you thought I was the real Queen Mother, huh?”

“I-I did.” Kazuya nodded as he took back the rabbit and held it in front of his chest. “You look so much alike.”

Smiling, the woman said, “Of course. I’m an actress, after all. But my plain face doesn’t look anything like her. It’s the power of make-up. Although…”

She pointed at the portrait of a woman on the wall. It was labeled 1899, with the name Nicole Leroux written on it.

She was looking at Kazuya with a big smile on her face, like she was having so much fun. The photo was so vivid that it seemed like she would come out of the portrait at any moment and pull his hand for a dance.

The woman smiled fondly. “She was different.”

“Who is she?” Kazuya asked.

“Nicole Leroux. She was known as the Downtown Blue Rose. She was a very popular dancer over twenty years ago. We’re just merry country girls, so when we talk, we reveal our true selves. But this girl actually looked like Queen Coco, the Blue Rose of Sauville, when she was silent. She could have played the role of the Blue Rose with only a little bit of make-up.”

“Is she not around anymore?”

“No. Which reminds me, I was going to talk about her to another kid earlier.”

The large woman—Ginger Pie—tugged at the rabbit’s ears, and Kazuya’s as well.

“Around twenty-four years ago, in the year 1900,” she began, “Nicole found a weird newspaper ad.”

“A newspaper ad?”

“Yes. And then…”

Sounds of a scuffle came from the shadows at the end of the corridor.

Though curious about the noise, Kazuya listened to the woman’s story.

The rabbit in his arms had its ears perked up, as though listening as well.