The Gaiety Theater
Stave 7
When he was alive, Alexander was very hospitable. He would never kick a woman out of his bed, and he always had room for two, or three.
He died of AIDS.
He hadn't played his bass guitar since he had been diagnosed. What had it been, four months? It was lonely.
He had been in his small apartment when he had died. It was in the building right next to The Gaiety. When he opened his eyes for the first time as a dead man, the bass guitar almost had a magnetic pull. He pulled himself to it, picked it up, and walked out of the door. He left the apartment feeling another magnetic pull. The pull led to a door at the back of an alley. He opened the door, and he saw two men and as woman.
A three way?
He walked in, and the magnetic pull went away. One of the men, who appeared to be older than the rest of them, was posed at a piano, and the woman was sitting in a chair.
Cabaret seating. A curtain embroidered with silver stars. Chandelier in the center of the ceiling. Alexander was interested.
All six eyes were on him.
"Um, hi. I'm a...bass player. Do you need one?"
"Welcome, friend. Yes, we do."
The man sitting behind the drumset said something in a foreign language, and the woman smiled.
"Welcome. What's your name?"
"Alexander."
"Hello, Alexander. I'm Esme, that's Stephen, and the man behind the drums is Kurt. He's from Germany, and he can't speak English."
Then the woman called Esme turned to the man called Stephen.
"Is Meara here?"
Suddenly, a young girl poked her head out from behind the curtain.
"Who said my name?"
She walked out, and Alexander almost gasped when he saw her. The majority of her visible body was black and blue.
She came down to where he was.
"Esme, is he joining us?"
"Yes. This is Alexander. Alexander, this is Meara."
She smiled a little bit, then looked him up and down.
"Were you sick before you came here?"
"Yeah. I had...AIDS. It's weird, I blacked out, and then when I woke up, I felt this magnetic pull here."
Stephen looked over at him.
"Let me explain something. You're going to think I'm crazy, but you're dead."
Alexander's mouth dropped.
"Then how am I here? This is what the afterlife is?"
"No. This is a place where there's no difference between life and death. You can exist here. But you can't leave. Out there there is a difference between life and death. When you died, you were in close proximity to this theater, and the energy brought you here."
"You're crazy! I'm alive!"
"I know you're upset! I was too! But to prove that I'm telling the truth, try to walk out the door."
"Oh, I'm not gonna try! I'm leaving this nuthouse!"
But truth be told, Alexander found himself physically unable to leave. He tried to step out the door, but there was some sort of barrier that kept him from leaving. Finally, he gave up.
"You're right. I'm dead."
The girl came over.
"Welcome to The Gaiety Theater."
He died of AIDS.
He hadn't played his bass guitar since he had been diagnosed. What had it been, four months? It was lonely.
He had been in his small apartment when he had died. It was in the building right next to The Gaiety. When he opened his eyes for the first time as a dead man, the bass guitar almost had a magnetic pull. He pulled himself to it, picked it up, and walked out of the door. He left the apartment feeling another magnetic pull. The pull led to a door at the back of an alley. He opened the door, and he saw two men and as woman.
A three way?
He walked in, and the magnetic pull went away. One of the men, who appeared to be older than the rest of them, was posed at a piano, and the woman was sitting in a chair.
Cabaret seating. A curtain embroidered with silver stars. Chandelier in the center of the ceiling. Alexander was interested.
All six eyes were on him.
"Um, hi. I'm a...bass player. Do you need one?"
"Welcome, friend. Yes, we do."
The man sitting behind the drumset said something in a foreign language, and the woman smiled.
"Welcome. What's your name?"
"Alexander."
"Hello, Alexander. I'm Esme, that's Stephen, and the man behind the drums is Kurt. He's from Germany, and he can't speak English."
Then the woman called Esme turned to the man called Stephen.
"Is Meara here?"
Suddenly, a young girl poked her head out from behind the curtain.
"Who said my name?"
She walked out, and Alexander almost gasped when he saw her. The majority of her visible body was black and blue.
She came down to where he was.
"Esme, is he joining us?"
"Yes. This is Alexander. Alexander, this is Meara."
She smiled a little bit, then looked him up and down.
"Were you sick before you came here?"
"Yeah. I had...AIDS. It's weird, I blacked out, and then when I woke up, I felt this magnetic pull here."
Stephen looked over at him.
"Let me explain something. You're going to think I'm crazy, but you're dead."
Alexander's mouth dropped.
"Then how am I here? This is what the afterlife is?"
"No. This is a place where there's no difference between life and death. You can exist here. But you can't leave. Out there there is a difference between life and death. When you died, you were in close proximity to this theater, and the energy brought you here."
"You're crazy! I'm alive!"
"I know you're upset! I was too! But to prove that I'm telling the truth, try to walk out the door."
"Oh, I'm not gonna try! I'm leaving this nuthouse!"
But truth be told, Alexander found himself physically unable to leave. He tried to step out the door, but there was some sort of barrier that kept him from leaving. Finally, he gave up.
"You're right. I'm dead."
The girl came over.
"Welcome to The Gaiety Theater."