"And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all."
The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe The Red Death is coming. If you were told that a horrible plague was coming your way what would you do? In knowing that this particular plague would kill any man or woman in a horrendous bloody seizure that would bring death within thirty small minutes of being infected what would you do? Prince Prospero was rich (as his name suggests), so he poured his wealth into an extremely safe castle with thick walls and iron gates to keep himself and 1,000 friends isolated from the creeping massacre. With food, beauty, and wine everyone felt happy and secure. There really isn't any better way in protecting oneself. Prince Prospero decided to throw a party after a few months in the castle. This masque ball was unlike any party the world had known. He was eccentric and his party reflected that. There were seven rooms, beautiful and majestic. Each room had a color to which all of the room was adorned. One could never see two rooms at once and there was only one direction down the hall to travel. The seven rooms were ordered particularly. First there is the blue room that represents birth and infancy. Next the purple room, the tone of childhood. Next the green room of adolescence. The orange room representing adulthood of the 30's and 40's. The next room is white representing the years of gaining white hairs on ones head. Following that is the violet room that represents the twilight years of life. The last room is the black room symbolizing the end of the rooms and the end of life. Blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet, and black. Each room was extravagantly devoted, and each room had a stained window of the matching color lit by a candle from the other side. The efect of the candle and window cast a matching color throughout the room. Blue room, blue light. However, the black room can't be lit with a black light. No, the black room is bot the black light, glow in the dark, neon rave room. Thats ridiculous. this is Edgar Allan Poe. The window can't be black, so instead it is red. The effect is disturbing for all who enter it. Blood red light splashes the black walls and floor. All other rooms are visited, but not the black room. In my own mind I call this the "death" room. The party begins and everyone is having a wonderful time. Then the big clock in the black room tolls and a sickly feeling falls over all 1000 guests in all the rooms. The orchestra stops playing and everyone stops what they were doing. When the tolling stops the feeling passes and the masque ball resumes.
Late in the night someone joins the revelries. The figure wears a costume that gives him the appearance of a corpse. Upon the twelfth hour the rumor of this horribly dressed stranger had reached Prince Prospero. He was furious that someone had dared to show up looking so gruesome and morbid, so he sought out the figure. The stranger, upon seeing Prince Prospero approach ran through the rooms. The Prince and the guests chased after the stranger. Prince Prospero finally caught up with the cadaver costume in the black room. Everyone in the party was now gathered in the the black room. Prince Prospero confronted the stranger and pulled of the strangers mask to reveal nothing. There was no face to yell at. There was nothing at all. It was the Red Death. The party-goers couldn't escape from the plague. Within thirty minutes everyone is dead, lying in the black room. This short haunting story warns that no one can escape their troubles or death.
