## I. The Crossing Paths
The bustling city of St. Paul; an urban landscape filled with a myriad of characters, came across as an oyster of inspiration for visiting Singaporean Carol Ann Tan. A humble lady with an enthusiasm unmatched, Carol’s journey had landed her at the Fitzgerald Theater — an elegant relic of the past, home to countless stories of arts and artists, taking her back to a time when opera was a mainstream affair.
Carol had a warmth inside her soul that treated art like her own child, fueling this exciting encounter on her journey into the heart of this age-old theatre. Soaked in anticipation as she delved deeper into its rich past, grandeur, and the world of art it had harbored over the centuries, Carol decided to sit down for a while, living the stories that once resonated within its imposing walls.
## II. The Phantom Requiem
As Carol paid her homage to the hall of creativity, she started to perceive something unusual. A soft but profound melody originating from an invisible source trickled within the theater, gliding through the altitudes, blending into its unseen aura. A familiarity sparked in Carol’s heart, recognizing the lamenting song to be an aria from her beloved opera, ‘La Traviata’. The pleasant surprise quickly morphed into perplexity, as she had been under the impression that this was a guided tour of an empty theater.
As the guide led them closer to the source of music, to the majestic orchestra pit, she envisioned the great gathering of musicians, performing in unison. But, as she gazed into the abyss of the pit, she found it hollow, swallowing her assumptions along with the permeating sounds.
## III. The Phantom Telos
Upon questioning the mysterious occurence, Carol was taken aback by the guide’s spine-chilling revelation. The theatre was not just a shelter for brick and mortar history, but it also housed spectral memories. Apparently, it harbored the spirit of a former soprano, whose young life was abruptly cut short, with a tragic ending shadowing her acclaimed artistic career. The spirit who allegedly had an inclination towards ‘La Traviata’, the same melody that had earlier baffled Carol.
The song of the phantom soprano echoed in her ears, turning the entire theater into a realm of otherworldly cadence. The haunting melodies, the tragic tale, the presence that filled the pit, and the eerie aura that hung around — everything merged together to pique her curiosity.
## IV. The Revisitation
Overwhelmed by the spectral experience, Carol found herself drawn back to the theatre the next night. As if entranced by a call beyond this realm, she arrived at the stroke of midnight, waiting again for the disembodied voice to sing. And, it did. Within the dead silence of the night, the aria flowed again, garnishing the emptiness around with sorrowful symphony.
Each note was touched with an underlying sadness, a cry for visibility maybe, or a cry from the past seeking affirmation of its presence in the contemporary desolation. The chilling experience of this spectral encounter resonated within her, binding her to this strange memory of the nation.
## V. The Last Tribute
Before bidding farewell to St. Paul, Carol decided to pay one last visit to the theater. Armed with a bouquet of exotic flowers, she breached the ethereal atmosphere. Laying the fragrant bunch in the center, she whispered a silent prayer, a gesture of acknowledgment, of respect, of tributes to the phantom soprano.
Neither a believer nor a skeptic, Carol stepped outside the theater with the aria still lingering in her ears, and a strange intimacy for the phantom she had never met but felt connected.
Leaving behind a fragment of her soul in St. Paul, Carol embarked on the rest of her journey, cherishing the spectral memory and painting an artistic representation of her enigma in her traveling narrative.