As part of the initial silence, and without interruption, the sweet tendrils of music coming from the orchestra pit start to fill the spaces of silence, and the expectation brings with it a desire impossible to fill .
Beniamino whispers the first words of "E lucevan le stelle"; the faint steps of Floria walking on the sand, the harsh grinding of hinges on the garden gate, the overwhelming expectation of the encounter, and the feverish movements of Mario hands removing the veils that hide the gentle figure, predict the presence of love ...
The perfume, the intangible breath that transmute blood into perfervid lava flow, and ignites the burning heart embers as igneous torches melting two passions in an ecstatic summit, fills the theatre.
All that magic drags the audience towards a mystical vicarious pleasure, full of delight and belonging.
There we are, defenseless against the apotheosis of this feeling that annihilates us and gives us life, leaving us exhausted, consumed by an experience we long to repeat.
It was dusk, the last sparks of the day fled aghast from the somber shroud Lady Night was bringing over the world.
The first shadows already took the shapes of the guests that were coming into the low-lands in their best raiments, earnest to fulfil the especial gala.
Riding his black stallion Old Nick arrived with Lilith on the horse rump, alighted with alacrity and started to dance marking the beat with his tail that was ending in an arrow.
The sky was full of broom riders with black pointed hats and wide gowns filling the air with their rude chant asking Evil to bring its disease onto the region.
It was Walpurgis Night, and the Unholy Coven glowed in its apotheosis!
The Exultant Kingdom spread its realms over a peaceful dale full of flowers and singing birds during all the year round. There were neither cold seasons, nor hot spans to defy the beauty of the place.
There was a wonderful palace built on the buttress of the north mountain. It was magnificent, with many courts, and crenelated walls, full of multicoloured pennants giving voice to the many visitors that came to celebrate, the coming of age of the most beautiful being in the whole known domains: Princess Alborada.
She was a redhead beauty with exactly two and twenty freckles on each side of the nose, giving her the image of a permanent butterfly perched on her nose and putting in her countenance a charming allure that obsessed all the Knights of the neighbouring dominions, who were wooing the graceful girl to inherit the kingdom, which people said, was the richest of the region.
Princess Alborada was a very smart girl who had a very wise old nanny that reared and taught her many important things about the way to rule such a rich region. She knew the hard work needed to create and keep a successful kingdom, and also knew she must be very careful in choosing her companion.
My child, the nanny said, you must know you are, and your realm is, coveted by many Princes and Knights, but to know who deserves the position is very difficult to find out.
The old woman approached the girl and said in a low voice: Look, there is a legend that long ago, a sorcerer was offended by the King, you great-great-great-great-granddad and this magician sends a spell over the charming Prince who had came to marry the King's daughter. The Prince was transmuted into a horrible toad and sent into the pond of Oblivion in the forest behind the Palace, with the proviso that time will stop for him until discovered. Old people say that this Prince was the most handsome and intelligent man on the vale, that he will wait for the right princess to awake him, maybe it is worth to go and see what is oftruth in all this!
The Princess, who knew the value of the nanny advices, accepted to go and delve in the mystery.
In the afternoon when everybody was enjoying a good time after an abundant repast, and drinking the best offering from the King's cellar, the Princess left surreptitiously the main hall and walked alone into the forest in search or the pond of Oblivion.
She could find it easily, and sitting on a rock at the side of the pond, she started to sing the magical song the nanny had taught her. After a while there were a variegated audience of birds, fish, and other animals charmed by the beauty of the song and the singer.
I a few moment more, from the deep waters appeared the frightful shape of a toad that went to sit on a big fern and stood quietly listening the suave voice of the Princess.
When the song was over, the Princess heard a voice inside her head telling her that he was Prince Charming turned into a toad, and was unjustly sent to live a sad life until a beautiful Princess let him free with a kiss.
The Princess was a bit reluctant to kiss such horrid creature, and the Prince, trying to divert her attention to other things, started to tell her what it would be taking the reins of her Kingdom, fighting the opposing factions, dictating laws, judging between aggressive subjects, and all the problems there would be to solve daily during all the time she would hold the crown, trying at the same time to show her the convenience of being helped by a compassionate partner.
The Princess listened all this and after thinking for a while said:
Yes, you are right, all these things are a heavy burden to be carried by only one person, I think I have the perfect solution.
Taking gently the toad in her hand, and desiring the solution she had in mind in a deep and deliberated way, she kissed the toad lovingly...
In that moment there was a discreet flash coming from the deep waters and the Princess was transmuted into a female toad that jumped gleefully near the Prince, and both hopped into the pond to be happy for ever and ever.
