Journey to Psitharis

Chapter 14

            On my fourth day in the music box I noticed an unusual flurry of activity that had never taken place before. None of the patrons had come by to activate me, and it had been two hours since I had taken my place. I stayed alert, watching for a sign of life. The door to the music box jerked open suddenly, and Calperal rushed in, looking panicked. He was holding a beautiful pink and green mask, which was connected to a long stick decorated with green and pink ribbons. He shoved the mask in my hand. "Quickly, we haven't much time. The queen is coming." He was out of breath. "The next person to start your music box will be the queen. She already watched Anastasia and it didn't go well. You're going to have to be spot on to keep your head attached to your body. I'm running damage control, trying to keep your fellow dancer alive. I can't replace another exceptional now!"

"What about the princess?" I asked.

Calperal snorted as he fluffed the tulle on my skirt. "No one has ever seen her face. All we know is there is a princess. Her mother keeps her locked away, out of fear of assassins, maybe she's ugly, who knows. Anyway, she never ventures into the park. You won't have to worry about her." He stood up to inspect his handiwork. As he started out the door he hesitated. "You remember to keep that mask over your face at all times. If you are a fugitive as you say you are and the queen discovers it, I won't be worrying about Anastasia's life half as much as I'll be worrying about mine!" He slammed the door behind me.

Crap. The queen was coming. I didn't really know what was expected of me when I was giving a royal performance. Would the routine I had come up with be enough to please her? I was starting to sweat; now was not the time to screw up. I tied the laces on my toe shoes tight to make sure they would not slip. I adjusted my bodice and fluffed my skirt again. I shuffled through several poses before I came up with one that would afford me full view of the kiosk with the mask over my face. Finally a huge procession of soldiers dressed much like the way I had seen Roland dressed on my first return encounter, when all I could see of him was his uniform and a furrowed brow. They stopped at the button, and a lady in a long, green gown stood back out of my line of vision. I could make out her motioning to one of the soldiers to activate my attraction. He stepped forward, pushed the button and the light illuminated my little prison. Showtime, I thought.

The dance went better than expected. I managed to stretch the limits of my imagination to stand en pointe in several short instances. I thought adding a little pizzazz to the act might earn me a few points. It hurt like hell because I'm sure I didn't do it properly, but it had the desired effect. At the end of the dance I paused, standing where I could watch the procession pass. They had to completely disappear before I could move, and I didn't want to move a muscle until they did. They stood there, the soldiers clapping at the queen's command, so I relaxed ever so slightly realizing my life was probably going to be spared. The men moved as her royal highness stepped out of the shadows and into the light so she could reward me with the highest honor, a slight bob of her head that indicated her appreciation.

Suddenly it seemed as if all of the oxygen had escaped the room. My limbs felt as heavy as lead bricks. The mask I had held onto during the entire performance involuntarily slipped as I let it drop to the floor. I struggled to breathe, to find some way to keep my composure, as the woman outside came into view. It was my mother.

I regained my composure and stood stone still, as if the entire floor was covered with poisonous vipers, and one false move would hasten me to an early grave. The queen gave me her nod, apparently not noticing the faux pas with the mask and began to turn to leave. But before she did I could have sworn I saw her pause, I could have sworn I saw her squint her eyes as if to get a better look at my face. Nevertheless she soon waved the procession forward, and I stood there in that now agonizing pose for what seemed an hour after she left. I was frozen to the spot with fear and confusion. In what perverse corner of my mind would I ever allow my mom to invade my beautiful land, much less completely rule it? I didn't move an inch until I heard the door behind me open.