JED? Taking another swig of the pink champagne that was steadily flowing into her cup, Satine turned to face the gentleman that stood in the doorway of the Red Room. He was in his mid-twenties, she guessed, with a face like an innocent deer and big eyes like a puppy.
"Well, hello." She purred in a voice like velvet. "What's this?" Graciously she accepted the box and opened it, revealing a bracelet of glittering sapphires and diamonds. Snorting with drunken laughter, Satine collapsed in giggles on the bed.
"Mademoiselle?" The boy asked, looking at her with concern in his eyes.
Satine got up, grabbed another glass of champagne, and drank it in one quick tip of her hand. She stalked over to the young man, grabbed his coat, and tossed it across the room carelessly. "Glitter and be gay," she began to sing, voice just a bit wobbly. "That's the part I play. Here in Paris, France. Forced to bend my soul for some sordid role. Victimized by bitter, bitter circumstance." Satine pushed the boy down onto a chair and took another glass of the liquor. "Alas for me! Had I remained beside my lady mother, my virtue remained unstained until my maiden hand was gained by some grand duke or other."
His eyes grew larger and Satine laughed garishly. "And yet of course I rather like to revel. I have no strong objection to champagne." Another glass was downed. How many had it been now? Seven? Eight? Fifteen?
"Mademoiselle Satine, maybe you should quit drinking those."
"Ha ha!" Satine shook her head. "My wardrobe is expensive as the devil. Ha ha!"
She turned to the little closet that held some of her costumes and pulled out box after box. "Pearls and ruby rings," Satine sang, tossing those said jewels around the room. "Ah, how can such worldly things take the place of honor lost? Can they compensate for my fallen state, purchased as they were at such an awful cost?" She sat on the young man's lap and played with his tie. "Can they?" Her breath smelled of the sweet-tasting liquid and he turned away, frightened. "Tell me, Monsieur, can they compensate?"
"I...I...don't know."
"Bracelets, Lavalieres, can they dry my tears? Can they blind my eyes to shame? Can the brightest brooch," Satine pinned one to her negligee. "Shield me from reproach? Can the purest diamonds purify my name?" Now she was stumbling through a sea of expensive diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, holding the bottle of champagne in her hand and taking steady swigs. "Of course these trinkets are endearing." Satine held a diamond ring to her heart and kissed it. "Ha ha! I'm oh so glad my sapphire is a star." She put on his gift of the diamond and sapphire bracelet and looked at it admiringly. "I rather like a twenty-carat earring. Ha ha! If I'm not pure, at least my jewels are."
Trying in vain to make the drunken Sparkling Diamond settle down, the young man gave her a necklace made of diamonds that could put all her others to shame. "Please, Mademoiselle Satine, put down the champagne."
"Enough! Enough!" Satine sang, throwing the necklace out the elephant's head. "I'll take your diamond necklaces! And I'll show my noble stuff by being gay and reckless!"
More mad, drunken laughter. The young man, by now, was quite pale. He stood, looked once more at the whirling dervish that was Satine, and laughed a little bit. The bottle of champagne, now empty, was lying amid the mess of glittering jewelry and the expensive clothing. He quietly shut the door, leaving the crazy courtesan alone in her elephant.
In the wee hours of the morning, Satine awoke, pillow bathed in tears and her head pounding. "Observe how bravely I conceal," she whispered to the moon. "The dreadful, dreadful shame I feel." And then, after a long pause, Satine grinned. "Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Fini, finis, finito
Authoress's Note: "Glitter and Be Gay" (ha ha, total meaning change nowadays) is from Candide and it's by Leonard Bernstein. Pretty much everything Satine says is from the song.
"Well, hello." She purred in a voice like velvet. "What's this?" Graciously she accepted the box and opened it, revealing a bracelet of glittering sapphires and diamonds. Snorting with drunken laughter, Satine collapsed in giggles on the bed.
"Mademoiselle?" The boy asked, looking at her with concern in his eyes.
Satine got up, grabbed another glass of champagne, and drank it in one quick tip of her hand. She stalked over to the young man, grabbed his coat, and tossed it across the room carelessly. "Glitter and be gay," she began to sing, voice just a bit wobbly. "That's the part I play. Here in Paris, France. Forced to bend my soul for some sordid role. Victimized by bitter, bitter circumstance." Satine pushed the boy down onto a chair and took another glass of the liquor. "Alas for me! Had I remained beside my lady mother, my virtue remained unstained until my maiden hand was gained by some grand duke or other."
His eyes grew larger and Satine laughed garishly. "And yet of course I rather like to revel. I have no strong objection to champagne." Another glass was downed. How many had it been now? Seven? Eight? Fifteen?
"Mademoiselle Satine, maybe you should quit drinking those."
"Ha ha!" Satine shook her head. "My wardrobe is expensive as the devil. Ha ha!"
She turned to the little closet that held some of her costumes and pulled out box after box. "Pearls and ruby rings," Satine sang, tossing those said jewels around the room. "Ah, how can such worldly things take the place of honor lost? Can they compensate for my fallen state, purchased as they were at such an awful cost?" She sat on the young man's lap and played with his tie. "Can they?" Her breath smelled of the sweet-tasting liquid and he turned away, frightened. "Tell me, Monsieur, can they compensate?"
"I...I...don't know."
"Bracelets, Lavalieres, can they dry my tears? Can they blind my eyes to shame? Can the brightest brooch," Satine pinned one to her negligee. "Shield me from reproach? Can the purest diamonds purify my name?" Now she was stumbling through a sea of expensive diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, holding the bottle of champagne in her hand and taking steady swigs. "Of course these trinkets are endearing." Satine held a diamond ring to her heart and kissed it. "Ha ha! I'm oh so glad my sapphire is a star." She put on his gift of the diamond and sapphire bracelet and looked at it admiringly. "I rather like a twenty-carat earring. Ha ha! If I'm not pure, at least my jewels are."
Trying in vain to make the drunken Sparkling Diamond settle down, the young man gave her a necklace made of diamonds that could put all her others to shame. "Please, Mademoiselle Satine, put down the champagne."
"Enough! Enough!" Satine sang, throwing the necklace out the elephant's head. "I'll take your diamond necklaces! And I'll show my noble stuff by being gay and reckless!"
More mad, drunken laughter. The young man, by now, was quite pale. He stood, looked once more at the whirling dervish that was Satine, and laughed a little bit. The bottle of champagne, now empty, was lying amid the mess of glittering jewelry and the expensive clothing. He quietly shut the door, leaving the crazy courtesan alone in her elephant.
In the wee hours of the morning, Satine awoke, pillow bathed in tears and her head pounding. "Observe how bravely I conceal," she whispered to the moon. "The dreadful, dreadful shame I feel." And then, after a long pause, Satine grinned. "Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Fini, finis, finito
Authoress's Note: "Glitter and Be Gay" (ha ha, total meaning change nowadays) is from Candide and it's by Leonard Bernstein. Pretty much everything Satine says is from the song.