Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 350 Destroy it!
Edward knew that Mrs. Madeleine was his stepmother and that their relationship was incestuous, so he desperately wanted to escape.

But he had no idea that the girl he was so determined to take away was his own sister, who was his blood relative!
This profound irony of being cruelly manipulated by fate imbues the entire play with a heavy layer of ancient Greek tragedy.

The more a character struggles, the faster they are headed toward their inevitable destruction.

With this omniscient and cruel perspective, the audience watches every choice made by the characters on stage as if they are listening to the relentless turning of the gears of fate.

The second act ends heavily with the appearance of Lord Laverne, who instructs Edward to close the window, and the sudden intensification of thunder and wind outside.

At the moment the curtain closed, there was no applause in the Richelieu Hall; everyone just waited anxiously for the curtain to rise again.

"He's going to take Fanny away! God, he doesn't know she's his sister!"

“What will Mrs. Madeleine do? She looks like she’s gone mad!”

"This storm...it's not just the weather!"

"Quick! The next scene! I can't wait to know what happens next!"

The audience could hardly sit still in their seats; they gathered in the corridors and foyer, discussing and speculating intensely.

Critics also abandoned their usual reserve, gathering together to analyze the tragic power and complex human nature in the play.

Dean Émile Perrin paced excitedly backstage, listening to the clamor of voices outside. He knew that "Thunderstorm" had completely conquered Paris.

This eagerness is the kind of success any theater manager dreams of.

The brief intermission seemed exceptionally long amidst the audience's clamor.

When the curtain finally rose again amidst great anticipation, the audience held their breath once more.

The plot of the third act unfolds rapidly, like dark clouds stirred by a gale.

The audience first witnessed the conflict erupting among the four members of the Guillaume family: Fanny, Marcel, and Madeleine.

The greedy and cowardly Guillaume, Madeleine trying to escape everything, Marcel filled with rage, Fanny immersed in childish fantasies...

On a stormy night, the manor's power lines were blown down, and as expected, Fanny came to elope with Edward.

Then came Madeleine and Marcel, who, knowing the truth, had no choice but to reluctantly agree to Fanny's affair with Edward.

They plotted, swore oaths, and prepared to escape it all in the manor's living room...

The audience below the stage almost shouted out loud.

They watched the "lovers" planning their future amidst the storm, their hearts filled with a helpless pity.

Some women covered their mouths tightly with handkerchiefs to prevent themselves from screaming in surprise.

The gentlemen, on the other hand, had mixed feelings, both uncomfortable with the union and chilled by the inevitable tragic ending.

However, their escape plan did not go smoothly.

Like a ghost, Mrs. Madeleine appeared on the stairs in the living room.

This time she changed into a dark dress, her face as pale as paper in the flashlight, but her eyes burned with a mad flame.

She intercepted Edward and Fanny as they were about to leave, and even brought her own Anthony with her. Every word she spoke was an accusation of Edward's betrayal.

Finally, she woke Laverne.

At this moment, all the contradictions, all the secrets, all the tangled love and hate, sin and punishment...

Everything was compressed into this luxurious yet suffocating living room by the increasingly violent storm.

The audience held their breath, their hearts pounding. They knew that all the clues were in place, and all the pretense would be shattered tonight.

That long-awaited, devastating thunderstorm was not merely a natural storm, but a total outburst of humanity and destiny.

The secret is about to be revealed; tragedy is inevitable. Everyone's eyes are glued to the stage, awaiting the final judgment...

Laverne: "What—(to Madeleine) Madeleine, you've finally come back."

Mrs. Madeleine (in shock): "What?"

Madeleine (in a panic): "No, no, you've got it wrong."

La Verne (regret and resignation): "Madeleine, I thought you would come back." Madeleine (in agony): "No, no! (bows her head) Oh God!"

Lady Madeleine: "Madeleine? What, she's Madeleine?"

Laverne: "You don't need to ask me anymore. She is Edward's mother, the woman who died thirty years ago. Edward's mother!"

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the living room and echoing in the minds of nearly two thousand audience members in the Richelieu Hall.

Despite having a premonition, the impact of revealing this secret so bluntly was still devastating.

A collective gasp rippled through the audience.

Several ladies' fans fell to the ground with a "thud," but no one noticed.

All eyes were fixed on the stage, watching how the revealed truth would shatter everyone on stage.

Just then, a bolt of lightning, even more dazzling than before, streaked across the sky, followed by a thunderclap that nearly shattered the dome!
The arc lights that Nikola Tesla had been adjusting, along with the megaphones installed under the stage, achieved their ultimate effect at this moment.

The lightning was so pale and intense that some audience members instinctively closed their eyes; the thunder was so real and violent that it seemed to explode right on the roof of the theater.

This is no longer a stage effect, this is practically divine punishment descending!
Amidst the chaos of light and sound, Fanny, whose mind had completely collapsed, let out a piercing scream and rushed out of the living room into the raging storm outside.

The stage lights suddenly dimmed, focusing on the chaotic scene in the living room. After a brief, suffocating silence, a series of teeth-grinding sounds rang out.

Then a servant tumbled into the living room, soaking wet and looking terrified.

Servant: "Master!"

Laverne: "Tell me quickly, what's wrong?"

Servant: "Fanny...is dead..."

Laverne: "Where is Antoine?"

Servant: "He...he's dead too."

Laverne: "No, no, how...?"

Servant: "Fanny touched the live wire. The second young master didn't know and quickly pulled her away, and the two of them were electrocuted and died."

Laverne: "No. This, this—this cannot be, this cannot be!"

The news of Antoine and Fanny's electrocution deaths was like a final, devastating blow, shattering the last psychological defenses of everyone on stage and in the audience.

Several female spectators let out a short sob the moment they heard the servant announce the death, then their eyes rolled back and they fainted in their companions' arms.

The male audience members were no longer as composed as usual; many were pale-faced, their lips trembling, and some instinctively gripped the armrests of their seats tightly.
Even more extreme, some people suddenly stood up, grabbed their hair with both hands, and looked pained, as if they were no longer bystanders, but members of this tragic family.

On stage, the tragedy continues its relentless march towards utter destruction. As everyone rushes to the garden, Edward stands in the living room doorway, raising his pistol.

—This was originally given to him by his father for self-defense in the mine—aimed at his temple…

"boom!"

After the gunshot, the entire theater fell into a deathly silence.

Even the sound of wind and rain outside the window seemed to stop at this moment.

Thus, the destruction was completely complete.

All the young lives were lost—Antoine died of innocence and kindness, Fanny died of ignorance and despair, and Edward died of guilt and disillusionment.

In the manor, only three broken, aged souls remain—

Laverne, who lost all her children; Madeleine, whose mind was completely broken; and Madame Madeleine, who lost her lover, stepson, and biological children and went mad.

The crimson curtain fell heavily and slowly amidst this deathly silence, madness, and ultimate nothingness.

Thunderstorm has come to an end.

After the curtain fell, an extremely oppressive silence descended upon the Richelieu Hall.

This silence is the highest tribute to the power of tragedy!
(End of this chapter)