The Dance

"Mirror on the wall
Reflect this kiss to wish us all
Goodnight"

(The scene is a candle-lit ballroom. Candelabras adorn the marble pillars that jut out from the walls encasing beautiful stained-glass windows between them, each depicting a scene out of a fairy tale. The dim rays of the candles glint off the crystals that hang all across the roof, draping in waves emanating from the four chandeliers that adorn the ceiling. The effect is one of stars being strewn across the room, as the candlelight is reflected from a thousand facets. Music in a minor key, just loud enough to penetrate conversation, is playing from an unknown location. A lone woman is dancing by herself in the center of the room. She is dressed in black and red, her face covered by a translucent veil of black lace.

An enormous set of double doors in the south wall of the room slowly open just enough to let a well-dressed man through. A ray of light shines through behind him, but is slowly eclipsed as he walks into the room a few steps and the doors swing shut again soundlessly. The woman continues dancing, seeming oblivious to the man's entry.)

Man: "What is this place? How did I get here?"

(The woman continues dancing, with strange twisting evocative motions. The man walks closer to her, gazing curiously.)

Man: "... I know you. Don't I?"

Woman: (slowly coming to a halt facing the man, her face unreadable) "It has been a while since anyone has been here..."

Man: "Who are you?"

Woman: (smiling behind her veil) "You came to me, shouldn't you know who I am?"

Man: (ponders for a moment, then shakes his head) "I don't remember..."

(The woman comes close to the man and raises her hands to his face. He shivers as if her hands are cold.)

Woman: "Dance with me."

Man: "I don't know how."

Woman: "Yes, you do. You wouldn't be here if you did not."

(She takes his hands and begins to dance the twisting dance again. He moves hesitantly for a moment, but seems to quickly become familiar with the dance. As the dance continues, his eyes brighten and he looks surprised.)

Man: "What - what is this?"

Woman: "This is The Dance. This is why you came here."

Man: "It's... different. I don't understand."

Woman: "You do not need to."

(They continue to dance in silence. The dance becomes gradually faster, and the two begin to move in and out, coming so close they seem one person for a moment, then spinning out to arm's length the next moment. The man seems enthralled.)

Man: "This is... you are... what I have been looking for my entire life! (He laughs giddily) I could do this forever!"

Woman: "No-one ever has. They come to dance, and then they leave. This is the way it has always been."

Man: (Gazing intently at her) "I will. I won't leave. You'll see."

(The woman smiles again and says nothing. The dance continues. After a little while, the man suddenly stops and grasps the woman's shoulders in his hands, staring at her veiled face.)

Man: (Breathing hard) "You are... intoxicating! I've never felt anything like this! I have to see you, show me your face, I have to know who you are!" (He reaches for her veil and pulls on it. It does not move, as if it was made of steel.)

Woman: "You wish to see me? You wish to know who I am?"

(She reaches her hands up to her veil and pushes it back over her hair. He stops breathing. She is even more beautiful than he imagined. Her hair is onyx black, her skin is ivory, her lips are blood red. Her eyes are entirely black, no whites or irises at all. She gives him a brilliant smile.)

Woman: "Do you see me now?"

Man: (Struggling to speak) "...Yes..."

(He stares openly at her face for a few silent moments.)

Man: (Pulling her close) "I want to stay with you forever."

Woman: "Do you?"

Man: "Oh yes..." (He leans forward and tilts her head up. Their lips touch. They hold the kiss for an interminable moment. Finally she breaks away. He is speechless, stunned.)

Man: (Struggling to speak, still gazing into her eyes) "I love you."

(She says nothing but smiles at him. She brings her hands back to his shoulders and back, beginning the dance again. He moves with her, his eyes never moving from her face. His face moves from stunned amazement to elation. He begins to dance faster. They spin around the room, twisting into strange positions that sometimes cause them to appear as one person, sometimes as two.

The room begins to blur. The crystals and candles blur into a single faintly glowing image. The man remains in sharp focus as the woman fades with the room. He finds himself suddenly standing, arms out as if still wrapped around her, staring at a large set of double doors. They are the doors he passed through into the ballroom.

He stares around for a moment, not understanding what has happened. Then he rushes to the door and pulls on the handles. It does not budge. He begins to pound on the door, screaming for her, for the doors to open, for help. There is no response. His frantic efforts finally begin to slow, and he slumps slowly to the floor, leaning on the door. Tears are streaming from his eyes as he covers his face and sobs.

From somewhere behind the door, there are faint strains of music in a minor key.)