Cursed

by Smith, Ava

  “I just want to say that I’m... really...”

  Claudia raises an eyebrow.

  “Thank you for my birthday present. It’s truly wonderful.”

  “Actually it was your father who bought the tickets, not me,” Claudia replies.

  Daniel hardly bats an eyelid at the revelation.

  They make the 20 minute journey from Daniel’s London home to The Odette Carmichael Theatre. This is the first time he will see the theatre, yet he is patently indifferent. In a break with tradition he even drives below the speed limit which makes Claudia sigh.

  It is mid-afternoon by the time they reach the theatre and Daniel gets out of the car along with Claudia and stares up at the impressive edifice before them. The grand Odette Carmichael Theatre, with its long flight of steps, was built over 200 years ago and has seen many great dancers grace its stage. It has survived two world wars and two fires and has earned a reputation for being the ‘Bolshoi of London’. It is said that Tchaikovsky himself once watched a performance here.

  A swarm of modern folk in formal clothes walks up the steps that lead to the entrance. Daniel takes Claudia’s hand and crosses the road to join them. Getting up those steps in heels is a challenge for Claudia. When she finally makes it to the top the first thing she sees are the words, “‘The Odette Carmichael Theatre”’ lovingly engraved on the stone above the entrance. Daniel is also staring up at the words when a middle-aged woman urges from behind,

  “Please hurry along. The ballet does begin in 15 minutes, you know.”

  Daniel doesn’t get angry or even upset and just moves along as he’s been told. Claudia immediately runs off to powder her nose, leaving Daniel to relish the place on his own. He stands among other patrons in a well-lit foyer and observes the hundreds of people who have come to see the ballet. The patrons twitter amongst themselves and it seems as if all of society is there for the occasion.

  “So many excitable people,” he says quietly.

  “You’re a fan. I can tell,” he hears someone say.

  He turns to a woman in her 80s.

  “Yes I am. Very much so,” he replies.

  “I haven’t seen you here before. Is this your first time?”

  “I’m sorry?” he asks quickly.

  “In the theatre,” The old woman adds.

  “Oh. No, this is my second.”

  “I first came here 50 years ago, when Laurel was dancing Giselle,” the lady comments, gesturing to the wall.

  Daniel turns and walks slowly to the wall where he sees a hundred photos of dancers from past performances. He looks at the photographs one by one; Sleeping Beauty 1934 - Romeo and Juliet 1978 - The Nutcracker 2012. He stops when he comes across - Swan Lake 2001. His eyes narrow as he sees a picture of ‘Rothbart’ the evil sorcerer from Swan Lake casting a spell on a cowering ‘Swan Queen’. He wasn’t that familiar with the story of Swan Lake, yet something about this photo makes him gawp. He traces the expressions on their faces and the feeling of dread in the poses.

  “Know how you feel, dear. I’m also paying the price for all my evil deeds,” he says, shaking his head.

  “Will you relax?” Claudia remarks having arrived back from the powder room. She grabs his arm, “All these people can sense fear.” She spins from the photo and spots an usher selling programmes. “Ooh, I want one!” she exclaims and before Daniel can say a word he is pulled toward the usher.

  Daniel pays for the programme and Claudia immediately snatches it from him and starts flicking through.

  “I don’t think you’ll find any lottery numbers in there,” Daniel remarks.

  “I’m looking for someone,” Claudia replies as she continues to flick through the pages.

  Claudia doesn’t find what she’s looking for and a few minutes later she and Daniel take their seats in a grand auditorium. Everything about it screams decadence. There are bright red curtains, gold plated handrails and an enormous chandelier that rivals the one at the Paris Opera House. Claudia looks up at the chandelier, but, blinded by its glare, she immediately looks down and blinks repeatedly. As she recovers she glances across, but can’t help noticing the place is only half full. In spite of the hundreds of people Daniel saw in the foyer, the theatre is clearly below capacity.

  Soon the lights dim and the orchestra start to play the overture. It is a rousing piece and everyone in the room stares ahead with anticipation; everyone except Daniel, who is looking through the programme. The curtain rises and a woman dances with her back to the audience, but Daniel just fidgets. He kicks the seat in front and the man turns round and glares at him.

  “I’m sorry,” Daniel tells him.

  He squirms again and Claudia says sharply, “For heaven’s sake, stop fidgeting!”

  He looks at her and repeats, “I’m truly sorry.”

  Daniel looks to the stage again. The music ascends and the dancer turns; it’s none other than the beautiful mysterious woman from the lake, and he promptly sits forward and yells at the top of his lungs.

  “Oh my giddy aunt!” Claudia and the others glare at him and Daniel appears coy. “She is really good!”

  Claudia turns frowning to the front. It’s not clear whether she suspects anything. Several minutes pass before Daniel glances discreetly at the programme to finally see her name “‘Sarah Mitchell, Prima Ballerina”’. He looks back up and whispers the word, “Sarah”, and although Claudia hears him, she chooses not to comment.

  CHAPTER 8

  After the ballet the journey back home is a frosty one to say the least. Claudia usually likes to critique creative pieces and considers herself to be an expert on the subject, but tonight, all she can manage is silence. She asks Daniel to drop her off at home, which he doesn’t mind doing, but her house is a good 40 miles outside of London and with the road works and detours, it is likely to take him an extra hour to reach her house. Daniel finally arrives at the idyllic mansion where Claudia resides and parks his car. She looks at him longingly and utters,

  “Remember, I am always thinking of you.”

  Daniel nods and watches Claudia leave but the instant she shuts the car door he thrusts his foot on the accelerator and zooms off.

  He could have returned to his London home that night but he chooses to go back to the manor instead. His father isn’t home this evening, which means there would be no ‘ballet quiz’ session. It is only seven and yet Daniel walks straight into his bedroom and acts really oddly for the next five minutes. For a start, he locks his door, even though there is zero possibility of him being disturbed, and then he walks over to the writing desk and pulls out the programme for Giselle from his back pocket before he sits down. He starts flicking through the pages until he sees her picture.

  Tracing the paragraph directly under the photo he learns that Sarah Mitchell was a dance prodigy and was invited to dance for the Bolshoi at the age of 15, but turned it down, and that her dream is to dance the role of the Swan Queen in Swan Lake on opening night. He thinks nothing of the last sentence and carefully closes up the programme and sits back. He glances at the clock which now shows it is approaching 8.15pm.

  “Just 12 more hours until we meet, Miss Mitchell,” he says, calculating the time in his head.

  Later, Daniel finds himself driving his car down narrow country roads and once again it is pitch dark. As the car manoeuvres round a corner he sees Sarah standing in the middle of the road. She turns as the car headlights shine on her and whispers, “See you soon.”

  Daniel wakes with a jolt and breathes rapidly. He glances at the programme for Giselle which now lies on his bedside table.

  “It’s just a silly dream,” he tells himself even though it seemed anything but.

  He returns to reality when he realises it is Monday morning and he has to get up and go to work. So he stumbles out of bed and makes his way to the bathroom. As he shaves he ‘sees’ images of Sarah on the misted-up mirror and he cuts himself. He quickly washes his face and manages to compose himself before he finishes get
ting dressed. In contrast to yesterday he chooses a smart dark blue Armani suit and looks gorgeous in it. Any woman would fall for him... and many have.

  He leaves the house through the back door and walks past the pool area to find Ethan, Luke and Annabelle frolicking in the water. They have been coming to the house more frequently of late. The perks of the swimming pool, fine cuisine and general spa-like conditions are a real attraction. Of course they aren’t exactly invited, but since Ethan and Luke are chums of Daniel’s from university they assume they have a free pass. Daniel makes his way quietly to the short cut between the garden and the courtyard and tries his best not to be seen. He’s almost free when he hears,

  “Not joining in?”

  Daniel turns to Ethan and replies, “No, I have a theatre to run.”

  “Are you OK?” Ethan asks, seeing the cuts on Daniel’s face.

  “I’m fine,” Daniel replies.

  “No rest for the wicked!” Annabelle declares loudly.

  Luke pushes her into the water and Annabelle screams.

  Meanwhile, Daniel squeezes through the shortcut and makes his way to his car, but his face drops when he sees that the front tyre is flat. He strides forward and kicks it hard.

  By the time he changes the tyre he is running 30 minutes late so he drives through London at an insane pace gaining a few stares from onlookers. He ignores their sneers and grasps the wheel tightly, telling himself.

  “Daniel MacGregor you are a force to be reckoned with. Let them know who’s in charge and you’ll be fine... Good.”

  He arrives at the theatre relatively on time, parks his car opposite the building and steps into the road, but he steps back again as a car zips by. Taking greater care he crosses the road safely and trudges up the long flight of steps. As he strolls into the auditorium he steals a better look at the interior. There’s plaster peeling off the walls and a large chunk of it lies in the corner. The carpets aren’t too great either and look like they’ve been purchased in a long ago sale.

  Daniel continues to examine his birthday present in great detail and stops when he reaches the middle row. He puts his hands on his hips and tilts his head right back to get a better view of the chandelier. The lights dazzle him just like it did with Claudia, it’s then that he hears a shriek of laughter and stands up straight. As he looks ahead he sees two dancers practicing on stage and he walks up to them slowly. Robert Whitmore is a six foot tall “‘Coryphée,”’ and Isobel James is a five foot one inch member of the ‘“Corps de ballet”’. This means they are both part of the Odette Carmichael’s back-up team. Right now they are deep in conversation and oblivious to everything around them, including Daniel.

  “This place is a shack! I hate it here,” grumbles Robert.

  “No use complaining. Soon we’ll all be out of a job,” Isobel replies.

  “And you know whose fault that is?”

  Isobel thinks for a moment. “The owners?”

  Robert nods. “They sit in their nice, cushy mansion, servants tending to their every whim and they forget about us. The hard working little people who put them there in the first place!”

  “Oh, we’re not that bad,” Daniel comments approaching the stage.

  The dancers turn to Daniel and Isobel asks, “Who are you?”

  He holds out his hand to Robert. “I’m Daniel MacGregor, new owner of this ‘shack’.”

  Robert looks sheepish as he walks over and shakes hands with Daniel.

  “And ... I’m Robert Whitmore. One of the dancers. And this is...”

  “Isobel James. One of the theatre’s assets,” she states proudly.

  But Daniel can’t resist. “So tell me, why is it a shack?”

  Isobel speaks with confidence. “Because we’re dying, Mr MacGregor. What you see is the Titanic waiting to hit the iceberg.”

  “And there are definitely no more lifeboats,” adds Robert.

  A woman’s voice shrills from the back of the auditorium. “Isn’t it time for rehearsal, Robert?”

  Daniel and the other two turn sharply to see 42-year--old Felicity Powell, a short woman in a red suit with dyed platinum blonde hair, walking up to the stage. Beside her walks her 24-year-old apprentice, Andre. Isobel and Robert leave the stage together and Felicity shakes hands with Daniel.

  “I’m Felicity Powell. Welcome to your theatre.” Felicity gestures to the now empty stage.“Don’t mind them. They just talk.” She then gestures to Andre who is standing beside her. “And this is Andre. He’s here to help.”

  “Nice to meet you, sir. Hope you can save us,” Andre comments.

  Felicity glares at Andre and her behaviour forces Daniel to ask, “I know they talk, but what exactly did she mean by ‘dying’?”

  Andre answers meekly, “We’re in a bit of a cash crisis. We only have enough money for one more production. And if it’s a flop, we close.”

  “Something my father forgot to mention,” Daniel says quietly.

  “We’ve decided on Swan Lake this time,” Felicity informs him, “Timeless classic and always been popular!”

  “Well maybe we should put it to a vote? See what everyone else thinks?”

  “Everyone else is busy. But trust me, they’ll be thrilled.”

  Daniel stares at this bossy woman, wanting nothing more than to tear her down. Instead he finds himself uttering,

  “Well you’re the veteran. But there is one more thing... Sarah Mitchell?”

  Felicity remains silent. She’s heard of Daniel’s reputation with girls which is one of the reasons she’s not forthcoming. Young Andre fills the void.

  “She’s probably in one of the rehearsal rooms. Just go through there and climb all the way up the stairs. You can’t miss it.”

  “Thanks,” Daniel replies, walking away.

  He can feel Felicity peering at him as he leaves. She is obviously going to make life difficult, but sacking her would make him seem harsh so Daniel walks off without saying another word. Not long after he comes across the set of stairs they were talking about. It’s a very steep flight of stairs and Daniel climbs them cautiously. By the time he reaches the top he is gasping for air and he leans against the wall to catch his breath. As he looks round he begins to sway as there’s barely any light and the long corridor ahead seems endless. He is still trying to find his bearings when he is alerted to the sound of piano music just metres away.

  Following the melody, he approaches the doorway of Rehearsal Room Four and peeks inside. He sees Sarah in the midst of a dance sequence and is once again transfixed. She travels across the room with effortless grace, unaware that she’s being watched. As she starts to pirouette, she catches glimpses of Daniel staring at her and it makes her trip over her feet and tumble to the floor. He rushes over and holds out his hand, saying,

  “I didn’t mean to distract you.”

  She takes his hand and is pulled up.

  “I beg to differ.”

  She walks over to a chair and picks up a towel and Daniel follows.

  “You’re not still angry at me for the other night, are you?” he asks cautiously.

  Sarah dabs her forehead and replies, “No. I suppose walking on a deserted road at night was asking for trouble. Good thing you’ve got great reflexes.” She holds out her hand to him. “Sarah Mitchell.”

  Daniel shakes it gently, “Daniel MacGregor.”

  Sarah continues to hold his hand. “I assume you’ve come for an autograph?”

  Daniel explains, laughing, “No, I’ve come to tell you I’m the new owner.”

  She tugs her hand back. “The what?!”

  “Before you self-destruct there’s something I want to tell you.”

  Sarah can’t believe her ears. “You’re not joking are you? This is incredible! Absolutely unbelievable!”

  “Will you shut up for a second?”

  She quietens down and the tension eases.

  “I know you’re worried. A perfect stranger comes in here and does exactly as he pleases. But if you j
ust give me a chance I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

  She tilts her head to one side and enquires, “Did you rehearse that?”

  “Several times. Mostly during meals.”

  Sarah throws her towel down and states, “Well, unfortunately the theatre’s going downhill. And some would say it’s a lost cause.”

  Daniel moves a step closer and confronts Sarah directly. “Well the thing about lost causes is, they only become lost if no one believes in them.”

  They keep looking at each other until a modest smile crosses her lips, but their privacy is disrupted when a crowd of dancers floods the room for rehearsals. Daniel gets swamped making his way to the door. As he walks down the long dark corridor he realises Sarah is not quite the pushover he envisaged her to be. She is the exact opposite, a headstrong girl with a mind of her own which is not at all the way he expects a ballerina to behave.

  Meeting Sarah Mitchell proves to be of little comfort for Daniel, as the morning progresses the 26-year-old is given a detailed tour encompassing everything the audience doesn’t see, including the shoddy wiring, the faulty plumbing and the leaky roof. Not to mention the general lack of morale in the dancers. After a while he snaps,

  “I don’t want to hear anymore! We’ll continue tomorrow.”

  “Yes, sir. Tomorrow,” Andre replies shortly before leaving.

  Daniel leans against a wall and hisses, “It’ll take a miracle to save this place!” Suddenly, a horrible feeling comes over him. He knows now that his father must have scoured the whole of London to find the perfect no-win scenario, which basically means he is prepared to invest a lot of money to bring down his son. Daniel just wants to leave but the hours go by at a glacial pace and by the time 5 o’ clock comes around he looks listless. He trudges down the theatre steps while several dancers run past him.

  “Goodnight, sir,” Robert says to him.

  “See you tomorrow, Mr MacGregor!” Isobel yells a second later.

  “Goodbye,” Daniel answers long after they’ve disappeared from view. An incredibly quiet Sarah rushes past him and he perks up and yells, “Sarah, wait a second!”