Celise

Shannon Flynn

Shannon plays Celise, the housemaid in the Comte's house.

The following is Celise's story, written by Shannon:

Celise grew up in a Catholic household in the south-eastern corner of Paris, France. She had both father and mother, and four brothers and one sister. When she was eight, her father, mother, older brother, younger brother, and younger sister all got scarlet fever. Celise and her twin siblings, who were one at the time, escaped the sickness and went to live with some aunts. One aunt cared for the family and ended up dying with the rest of them. The remaining aunt disappeared, leaving Celise and the babies to die. Celise went in search of the aunt, leaving the twins with a friend. She found her aunt drunk and was unable to persuade her to come back. The aunt then walked awkwardly away, but ran into a pile of crates and (partly from being so intoxicated and partly from the crash) died immediately. Celise went back to her siblings only to find the babies and her friend dead in the house. Traumatized at seeing so many dead people, she ran away, only to be “haunted” by her dead family.

Celise looked for work in taverns, but was rejected several times before she was taken on as a dish maid. She worked there for a year and a half, earning only a little food each day. When she asked if she could be paid money as well, they threw her out. For two years after that she wandered through France, only finding day jobs, making little more than nothing. After living on her own for 3 years, Celise came to the town of Gauchy and worked in  the local tavern. She earned much more money and had much more to eat. At the end of another 3 years, she was recommended by the owner of the tavern to the Comte of the town, Philippe de Rousseau, to come work for him as a kitchen maid. Celise has worked there for 1 and a half years, and now, it is the beginning of the French Revolution.