WELCOME TO FRIDAY FICTIONEERS!
Seize the opportunity to free your muse and allow her take you on a magic carpet ride.
Henry David Thoreau said it best.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going a few words over the count.)
THE KEY:
MAKE. EVERY. WORD. COUNT.
Stage Fright?
My stomach is in knots. It’s been years since I trod the boards. Will I freeze? Will I croak? Wrong part, I’m not Carlotta. The house lights are down. A few finishing touches to my makeup. I need to get backstage. There’s my cue.
“Think of me. Think of me fondly,…” *
A few hours later, I am back in my mind and out of Christine’s. They loved it. We even received a standing ovation. And all my friends said we’d get booed off the stage in this one-horse town. Boy, were they wrong.
* “Think of Me”, Phantom of the Opera.
Alexia Jones 
Dear Alexia,
Sounds like she needs to find a new set of friends.
Welcome to Friday Fictioneers. 😀 If this isn’t your first time with us, take it as being doubly welcomed.
On a technical note. For actors the word is spelled “cue”. Minor but could be important.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Rochelle,
Thanks! This is my first submission to Friday Fictioneers. Thanks for the spelling correction. I’m a Math teacher and spelling/grammar is a weakness. Glad to have the help.
A graphic representation of stage fright and a pleasing reminder of a lovely song. I think it should be ‘trod’ the boards. Well done, I liked the reference to Carlotta and ‘croaking’.
Thanks for the correction, as I told Rochelle, I’ll definitely need spelling/grammar help a lot. I couldn’t resist including ‘croaking’. There are definitely times in life where I would love to have the super-natural power to make a diva croak.
Ah, I love that song, “Think Of Me.”
I like the “victory” feeling at the end of a job well-done. Good story.
Thank you. I have the same feelings about that song.
Time to find new friends!
Great story of triumph. I like the Phantom references.
I’ve been in love with Phantom since high school. Thank you.
Good one, Alexia. Sounds as though they’re in for a long run. Just one thing, rather than “queue”, you want “cue”. 🙂
janet
Thank you. I’ve since corrected my spelling mistakes. Well, that I know of so far..
Nice nod to the Phantom, darling.
Thank you.
Sweet success! Good take on this prompt.
Thank you.
Good story with a happy ending. Well done. Wonderful she had plenty of self confidence.
Thank you.
Lovely. (& I agree with Dawn, new friends all around & perhaps playing some bigger towns) 🙂
Thank you. As I was telling BrainRants, somehow I missed a line. I meant for the story to be written by a man.
This sounds like personal experience, so if it isn’t, superlative effort!
I did a little acting in high school and have been a singer my whole life. I’d love to be able to play Christine, but I definitely am not an ingenue. That’s why a role-reversing production is appealing to me. Thanks for the complement.
On a second note, I just realized that I somehow deleted a line from my story. I meant to have a line about it role-reversing, so you would know the story was about a man playing Christine.
Once more well met, Alexia! Glad to see your character coming out on top – and indeed I agree with others about needing better friends. Hope you, too, feel the response merits a repeat performance next week!
Thank you. Yes, I plan on making this one of my weekly goals.
Lovely comment on snobbery and small-town misconceptions. Of course they loved it. Well illustrated.
Stage fright must be dreadful, yet the need to perform is a strong driver.
I liked your story and welcome to Friday Fictioneers, hope you join us on a regular basis.
Dee
Thank you so much. It was fun.
Nicely told Alexia, especially the line “A few hours later, I am back in my mind and out of Christine’s”
Thank you.
Everyone has ‘so called friends’ that say things like that when you are doing something they would really like to do. Psychology 101. However, you still would like to knock their clock! Good story, Nan 🙂
Thank you.
As one ‘experienced’ in stage fright, I empathise with this. Haven’t got up and sung from ‘Phantom’ yet. It seems your character conquered her fright. A happy ending!
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