[Write the Story] A Night at the Opera
Prompt: A Night at the Opera
Words: Air Force, crane, orchestrate, leotard, stubble, pinpoint, placate, machete, photo, pivot
Story
“Places, everyone. Places!” the stage manager bellowed through the backstage areas.
The singers and dancers scurried in all directions in a flurry of tulle and leotard.
“Air Force One has landed. We go in five!” The stage manager rubbed his three-day stubble. He found it difficult to orchestrate The Crane on a normal show night, but having the President in residence? That took a machete to his carefully laid plans.
They were already twenty minutes late for curtain. At least it was the House Manager’s job to placate the rest of the audience, not his. His job was to pinpoint any other problem that could cause the show to pivot from success to catastrophic failure.
If he performed his job flawlessly no one would notice. Others would get the credit. He would never be known or remembered. He smiled slowly. Show time. Go time. The Crane was an intricate and all-consuming show with lots of moving parts. He checked the photo on the back of his clipboard one last time, adjusted his headset and moved into position.
“Just another night, Booth?”
“Only the Ford’s Theatre’s best.” Booth stared out across the stage. “Presidents or not.”
Word Count: 195
Written: 3/2/2019