The Melpomeum theatre opened on February 15, 1926, as a vaudeville theatre and later cinema only to be closed in the ’60s. After a £30 million renovation, started in 2019, it is the most restored of the historical movie palaces in the city. A Beaux-Arts façade that was classic of the era, now reborn with a stylish facelift that only enhances the architecture. The theatre mostly deals with cinema-goers and the occasional premier. The main movie theatre is underground and worth the price of admission. However, this month things took a strange turn.
I started working there last summer after graduating from University for theatre and film, keep your jokes to yourself at £1600 a month to serve popcorn and clean up I’ll take that job. The job was your typical usher job and was most of the time pretty calm. My manager Frank was only a little older than me and seemed pretty knowledgeable about the history of the building, he even wanted to get some theatre shows back in here just to see if they bring about some of the old magic, eventually, Frank’s bosses agreed and at the beginning of September, the screen from the main theatre was taken down and posters for the show ‘Return of REAL Monsters' where hanging not just in our lobby but everywhere, I tried googling it once or twice on my break but not much came back except for the poster now hanging in the lobby.
Every night for the next month my college Beth and I would lock up the front and the remaining cinema screens with Frank, being a bunch of twenty-somethings with nothing better to do, just as the cast and some specialist crew for this production would enter round back and get on with it, I questioned Frank about this, and he mostly shrugged.
“Don’t know what to say, Jack, the Director and Producers for this show are super tight-lipped about it, even bringing in their snacks and drink for it…to enhance the atmosphere they say, heck they’re letting us keep all the profit from the sales” he said
“Oh lord, I hope it doesn’t smell too bad,” Beth said with a wise-ass smile.
Beth and I went to High-school together, she was a 5’5 red head ex-cheerleader and theatre nerd with a nerdy goth aesthetic, her skin was porcelain white and her hair was closer to crimson than to auburn. She was a big personality and very social despite her look, that’s probably why I have a crush on her, she isn’t afraid of who she wants to be. Compared to my gangly 6’3 butt, she was perfect.
Sorry let me introduce myself, my name is Jack I’m 22 and gangly was not the best word, I had some muscle from doing martial arts but not a crazy amount. I was tall with long limbs and big hands and feet. My hair was a dark brown and hid my green eyes behind a pair of thick-framed geek glasses.
“Come on you, you owe me some food from lunch” Beth giggled as she pulled me out of my subconscious.
“Just be ready for tomorrow the show starts at 8 pm sharp and we need to display all their snacks still” Frank called to us as he left to walk towards his car.
The next dawn I struggle to get out of bed only to feel a cold hand slid under the covers and tickle me “Wake up Jack” Beth said as I opened my eyes to her dressed in a black and pink vampire-themed sleep vest and red and black heart shorts, I blinked and rolled over before I felt the might of the wee goth girl “Wake up Wake up” she demanded playfully as she wrestled me.
“Ok ok,” I sighed getting up and going to the bathroom.
Eventually showered, dressed, and feed Beth and I arrive at work as we see a stack of boxes full of snacks ready for tonight. I look over to Beth who was already walking off, I rolled my eyes and cracked on with removing and cleaning off our normal stock, before starting on the new stock. Whoever these people were performing, they certainly have a budget. Sometime later Beth returned hopping over the counter to help finish sorting out the stock.
“Gothicshire’s Ye Olde Crisps? Spicy wolfsbane flavoured?” Beth read in amusement “what a weird packet” she mocked shaking the large dark green bag of Kettlecorn crisps.
“what’s weirder is Frank said the production is letting us each have a bag to try for free…kinda like a taster so we could sell it to the audience,” I say heaving as I pulled another box onto the counter.
Beth opened the bag and tried the crisps with a loud crunch “mmm” she exclaimed enjoying the flavour of the snack before offering me one, I shook my head no as I wasn’t hungry. Before she continued to munch on the crisps.
“Not bad, I can see the appeal” she smiled throwing away the whole packet.
“Ah excellent news I’ll give the chef the compliments” I joked before we burst into laughter
“what’s so funny” a feminine voice called out turning we saw Ashley, Frank’s Fiancé, and Assistant manager, as she sauntered in her blonde hair flicking back as she strutted towards us
“Just a joke about the new product we’re selling for the show,” Beth said showing Ashley the packet
“fun,” Ashley said in a giggly voice
“You excited then, Ashley?” I ask as I never see this excited during Premier hosting
“Oh yeah like this show is supposed to be amazing, it’s all over Tumblr and Twitter she said pulling out her phone as we scrolled through the website.
“Well hopefully it is received well here, with 3000 seats to fill, this is a make it or break for the theatre,” Frank said popping up behind Ashley, as he kissed her cheek. Feeling awkward I grabbed the box of remaining stock and made my way to the stockroom.
“Oh, a bunch of the cinema staff from downstairs will be helping tonight, so make sure they know the routine” Frank called out to which I made a noise that was shorthand for ok as I made my way away from those two.
As I walked the remaining boxes back into the stockroom, Beth turned around and kissed me out of know where, I practically dropped the box on my foot as the kiss begin to develop into something more. Only for Beth to pull away. “Sorry…I…uh, just wanted to say thanks for practically doing everything this morning,” she said with a fluster.
The smart-ass in me wanted to comment how I never get a kiss like that when I clean our house, but my brain was still processing the kiss all I could muster was “no problem”.
Eventually, more staff came in to help set up lighting and props from our Halloween display, in no time at all the theatre looked like it was straight out of a monster movie. Beth seemed to stay away from me for the next few hours even while on break she stayed on her phone munching on her second bag of those crisps. Soon enough audience members began to flood in and I don’t mean groups of maybe five people I mean people in the hundreds were swarming to get in or to buy snacks and drinks. We practically had a member of staff on stockroom delivery just to get the products out in time. Finally, by 7:50 and the last stragglers or even those buying on the day were settled into the theatre, the doors were closed and locked, and the show was begging.
“That was intense,” Beth said with a sigh before sitting on the counter
“You can say that,” another employee said laying on the floor behind the concession stand.
Looking through the remaining stock, I decided to go and restock whatever I could just to keep myself busy and focused.
Bringing in two more boxes of the Gothicshire Crisps from storage, Beth helped me open the box as she started to restock the promotional shelf as I placed the remaining in the quick access draw so we could quickly replace stock. As I was crouched down, I watched Beth as I was now hip level with her. Her short skirt rid up a little bit and I could see the edge of black stockings, her legs looked amazing in those stockings…” fuck” I say internally trying to calm myself down after that kiss. As I continued to work, I noticed her legs a little closer, I knew Beth at times didn’t always shave and living with her I saw a lot of her around the house, but she definitely had hairier legs than I remembered.
Twenty minutes pass, painfully, as I finish stocking up and begin checks on the remaining boxes of stock. Meanwhile, Beth was at the counterbored as her feet began to pound, she was flexing and unflexing her toes to keep the cramp that was trying to set in at bay, while working her way through another bag of the strange yet moreish crisps.
“Spicy wolfsbane flavoured?” she thought, it tasted closer to smoked garlic and dill to her. As she scoffed the last of the snack Beth begin to feel her muscles relax and her eyes grow heavy.
Unbeknown to her beneath her dark vest, a single dark hair pierced the skin of her lower back. It pressed against her shirt, snaking against her bare skin while a second hair joined it. A third followed, growing just below her tattoo while a fourth followed below the first. From the base of her spine to her shoulders, scattered hairs emerged, crisscrossing her spine until they faded to a pale orange wisp at the nape of her neck.
“You ok Beth you look a little clammy” Ashley called over a concern grew as she saw her friend place her head on the cool surface.
“Yeah, just tired, I think. I’m gonna go to the Bathroom” Beth said practically running to the staff room, practically leaping up the stairs throwing herself through the staff room as she nearly bounced her face of the wooden floor in her stumble.
Gripping either side of the sink, she ran the water and splashed it up into her face. She felt hot all over and most of all in her face and head. She had a headache that had come out of nowhere. A wave of nausea and vertigo hit Beth, resulting in her nearly slipping over only to catch onto the cubicle door with inhuman strength, she could feel the metal mould to her fingerprints like heated plastic. It was only then that she relaxed and noticed something odd behind her. Had she hit her coccyx as she slipped, it didn’t feel right, nothing felt right today for Beth. She reached back felt around her butt and there was a tail growing down her backside tipped with scarlet and dark hairs that spread like a rash. Confused, Beth reached back and, to her surprise, felt something wiggling there, extended down from the base of her spine. She then looked back and screamed. She lifted the hem of her skirt high over the back of white cotton panties to show the four inches of tail now wiggling above her ass.
“Crap those chips are laced with something…I’m hallucinating” Beth Panicked before the feeling of popping bone and an odd wet sound in her ears. Like tiny bones were crunching while the skin was stretching, she only realized what was happening when looking up in the mirror. Poking out of her fierce red hair was the types of her rather elven ears. Frightened Beth reached with both hands to feel the change that was taking place slowly to her ears. Hearing it was the worst as every wet pop echoed.
“I need to find Jack now” Beth squeaked running off towards the lobby.
Sometime later I was checking my emails on my Phone the show was still going on and no one had come out for snacks or drinks… or even to use the bathroom, looking up at Ashley as she tried to busy herself with the ticket booth. Michael, another employee they had taken off cinema staff to help work tonight, came back from his break and looked around confused.
“Are they still in there? It’s been like two hours and not a single break”
“The show must be just that good,” I said board before going back to cleaning the sides and just pottering around.
“Oh, it’s crazy good my cousin saw it while it was touring in the states, completely changed her life she even sent me the CD and man the songs are a real howl,” Ashley said surprising us. “Is there anything else you need me to do?” she asked.
“Um, yeah can you guys manage the concessions, while I look for Beth,” I say taking my radio. They both nodded as I jogged off towards the Staffroom, jogging up the stairs
“Beth, Beth, are you ok?” I call out to a dark room before going to flick on the light before a voice called out to me
“Please don’t” a sobbing voice replied “Jack please go away I don’t want you to see me like this” she sobbed in a deeper voice
“Like what Beth? are you hurt or sick?” I asked going to see what’s up, only to be dragged into the gloom. My eyes locked onto a moonlit silhouette of Beth, well I thought it was Beth her eyes were sticking through her hair, her uniform a mess but most importantly a tail was wagging behind her.
Gulping hard I was going to ask what happened but before I could Beth blurted out “The kettle-cooked crisps, the ones with the stupid name”
“Gothicshire’s Ye Olde Crisps?” I asked confused “but how?” I ask thinking back to how many boxes of those crisps we went through.
“I don’t know, after eating them I started to feel odd and next thing you know I started changing into his form. I was running to find you but got distracted by the Moooooooooon” Beth howled, before cutting herself off and looking back at me
“I think you are turning into a werewolf, Beth,” I say concerned
“I don’t know but somethings to me” Beth moaned as she leaned forward holding on to her stomach as her converse’s bulged as she began to transform