The Phantom of the Opera

Posted on Tue 29th Jan, 2019 @ 12:33am by

676 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Oblivion
Location: Block's Quarters, Deck 1891
Timeline: MD 19, 1500

It was unusual for Hieronymus Block to whistle, but today was an unusual day in many ways. He'd left work early. That alone was a news tidbit that would shock anyone who knew the man. At 97, he still almost hopped on the turbo lift to take him up 200 decks to his home with his wife, Gisele. 97 was barely past middle aged these days, but he was not the athletic type, under normal circumstances. Today, the circumstances were anything but normal.

Block whistled all the way, the entire 200 decks. Fortunately, there was no one who joined him on the lift, because the man was completely tone deaf, another reason he never whistled. It didn't bother him in the least. For now, he was happy, one might almost say ecstatic.

He opened the door to his quarters and called out to his wife, "Gisele, I'm home. Where are you?"

"In the studio," she called back, then noted the time and got quickly to her feet, hurrying out to meet him. "What's wrong?"

Hieronymus laughed. "Absolutely nothing, my darling. Things couldn't be better."

"But you never come home early," she said, bewildered.

"Then it's time I started, don't you think? And I believe I should bring you a surprise when I do."

"A surprise? Well, coming home at this time of day is definitely a surprise!" she laughed. "Now, what's this all about?"

"It couldn't just be that I missed you and wanted to spend more time with you?" he asked slyly.

"Of course it could," Gisele answered pertly. "Who wouldn't want to spend more time with me?"

"Oh, you got me there," he said, putting his arms around her and pulling her in close. "But there's more."

His wife could tell he was bursting with something, so she demurely asked, "And what more would that be?"

"Tickets," he said succinctly.

"Tickets? Tickets to what? Oh, Herry, you weren't driving that little plant cart around like a sports car again, were you? Is that the ticket?"

He frowned, "Of course not. I never get caught doing that any more." Not getting caught were the important words, of course. "No, tickets to a play."

"Oh! Well ... what play?" Gisele asked doubtfully. She did like plays, but most of the ones these days were so insipid that she could hardly stand to watch.

"It's a revival of one of our favorites, lass. I couldn't believe it when I saw the newsline on the FNS feed at lunch. I rushed right down and got two tickets for us. I hope you want to go!" He hugged her close to him, in a burst of enthusiasm. "It's perfectly wonderful, isn't it?"

"Well, I don't know. You're squeezing me to death, and you still haven't said what the play is!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, right. Phantom of the Opera."

"Phantom? It's being revived here on the starbase? Why that's wonderful, of course!" she said, finally understanding his excitement.

"The longest running play on Old Broadway, with more than 50,000 performances, and the most revived play in the 400 years since, give or take a decade. And," he paused dramatically, "the play we saw on our honeymoon in Dublin in 2323."

"And every time we could catch it since." Gisele hugged him back. "That's wonderful! What time?" she asked as she drew back, still in the circle of his arms.

"1930 hours, so you still have a little time to gussy up, Gertie," he teased her. "Go ahead and replicate something you've been wanting. We have plenty of credits. You are so easy to please."

"Yes," she said drily, "and I make a nice bit of latinum change with my art commissions."

"That, too," he laughed and kissed her on the nose, finally releasing her. "You go do your magic, and I'll clean up in the guest room. Take your time, there's plenty of it. I'm going to be thrilled to have the most beautiful woman on the base holding my arm this evening."

Gisele shook her head, smiling. "You kissed the Blarney Stone on our honeymoon, too, I remember."

 

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