[TWWM] Those Connected by Fate

Location: France

Song and dance, revelry and joy. The dance seemed to stretch on forever. Cosette found herself happily transported to a world where cares and worries no longer existed. She danced and chatted and made many new friends. Several possible suitors had piqued her interest, and she'd been glad for the mask to hide her awkwardness. She asked them about their homes, and their lives. The mask though... it was freeing. How strange she thought that something meant to conceal and hide part of her would make her feel this way. No one knew who she was, other than her friends who had helped her pick out her ensemble. Her shyness had melted away in the first hours, and now as the stars began to creep into the sunset sky, she'd never felt more alive.


Moonlight now glinted off the mask, its hue deepening into a ruddy black, it swallowed the light and sent back a glow. The feathers fluttered as she danced, dipping and curtsying to the dance partner she'd found. One song came to a close, and the musicians stepped off the platform for a moment to breathe. Cosette saw her friends nearby and set off towards them, her shoes clicking softly against the marble floor. She was stopped suddenly by a porter, worry creased his face as he took her hand gently. "Madam, could you come aside with me for a moment?"
She paused, his expression frightened her, but she could tell something had happened. "Oh my, what is it?" she asked.
He turned her gently towards the side, "Please come aside Madam, it is a private matter." he assured her. His face was honest, and his graying hair reminded her of her father. Panic threatened to grip her, but the porter's careful grip on her arm steadied her.
"Yes, please lets." she stammered, fearful of the news.

As he whisked her across the dance floor and into an adjoining hallway, the music swelled back to life. Light streamed in from the other room, the high pillars creating bars of darkness across the narrow place. "What is it?" she questioned, mirroring the porter's worried expression.
"I am so very sorry, you've gotten an urgent wire from home." he produced a scrap of parchment from his jacket pocket and handed it to her.
She carefully removed the mask in order to read the note, her hand was warm against the bronze.

The sounds of laughter and music seemed to fall away from her as she scanned the page. She felt the color fall from her face, and her grip on the mask failed. She didn't even notice it clatter to the ground behind her. The porter offered her a hand and led her away.
- - -

The mask sat there, unmoving, the floor was cold and hard. A checkerboard of black and white marble. The music went on as if nothing had happened. Laughter and bustling voices echoed through the quiet hall, from a party that had seemed so close just a moment ago. Why had she left? Emptiness seemed to crush the mask, as it sat hidden in the pillar's shadows. Was the girl alright? Would she come back in a moment? If one were to peek into that hallway this moment, they might see the edge of the mask, and feel a very heavy loneliness in those shadows.

- - -

"Watch your step Madam, and do be safe." The porter helped her as she stepped up into the carriage.
"Thank you Monsignor, You've been very kind." Cosette said as she quickly darted in and sat. He reached up and patted the side, and they were off.
A maid sidled up behind him, drying her hands on her apron. "Someone is off already? Its not even nine." He turned and they walked back towards the mansion. "Oh no, she got an urgent wire. Her father has fallen and seems to be having some sort of health crisis? Its all very sad." he said, opening the door for the woman.
"Oh? Ahh bless them, I hope it works out, poor girl." she said, ducking inside.
"Oui, i hope so too." he said, pausing for a moment to look at the stars, thinking of his own health and his young daughter at home. With a huff, he shook the thought from his mind and vanished inside after the maid.

- - -

The party stretched on for hours... but the girl never returned. The music died down, and little by little the voices and laughter dwindled. Soon enough even the lights disappeared, and the mask was left in bitter darkness. The dance, the joy...it was all over...
No more dance...no more music... the silence pressed in against the mask, the weight of the darkness seemed to muffle the sounds from outside, even the servants went home... there was nothing.