The Performers

This is my frist ficiton on here and one of my few short stories God knows I know jack about keeping a story short--Tell me what you think--




They practiced in there.
He didn’t know who they where but it was the only reason for anyone to be inside the deserted opera house was to practice. He was happy with his obsession finding these mystery performers. Tho he hadn’t the courage to look in to the glass doors. He wanted to hear their finished peaices. Let loose for dancing, for humming or singing. Or just for sitting still and listening that was the breaking point after all it was all for listening.
He stopped acrossed the street and examined the antique doors. The old production sign that said closed in large faded letters.
A woman stopped infront of the entryway and stood looking for a long moment. She looked ready to enter as he examined her stance. She carried her self like she’d been around too long searching.
‘Has she found what she was searching for?’ he thought as she took the first step toward the old opera house.

6:00pm

Five performers they did nothing more than pour sounds from the speakers that where placed in proper perspective about the stage and room.
That’s all they where performers. People died when they touched their keys and strings. Pressing buttons to make noise, that should be nothing more than that. But they made it more.
She’d always heard legends of these musicians since she was a little girl. From her grand father as he played a soft haunting tune on the piano, from her mother as she reset the record. But she’d never expected to find them. As she felt pulled from grand parlor to seedy bar in search of them. She never expected to witness what she did.


The music assaulted his ears.
“Have you heard them?” he asked the girl next to him.
She was dressed in the fashion that spoke louder than this place. The woman examined him determining something as she reached for her drink.
“Yeah, sure they’re amazing.” She said loudly over the music.
It always took time for him to know weather they where lying or not.
“How?” he asked his eye wide open absorbing anything she might say.
She gave him a vaguely annoyed look.
“I got invited in.” She said “how else are you supposed to get in?”
He suddenly knew this painted woman spoke the truth but was lieing. She’d never even noticed the opera house much less been inside. He turned and looked at the stage where the multitude thrashed and milled. Slamming into each other trying to communicate their frustration somehow. Thru their actions cause they didn’t have the words. He couldn’t help the disappointment that ghosted acrossed his eyes. He didn’t care about the painted woman that disappeared to become lost as he made her words a message from some one else.

6:15pm

It normally began at 7:00 she liked it better during the winter cause the sun was beginning to set. In the summer it was just a relief to be under climate controlled circumstances.
In her experience all performers arrived ahead of time to set up. Do sound checks or just to exist with out and audience. So she knew someone would be about if she showed up early. Even tho she felt a little agitated by arriving before it was time. She walked in to the performance hall and stopped just inside the doors watching the performer. As he toyed with machines that manipulated with his voice and other programmed noise. He always appeared to know what would happen. His down fall was his slight expressions. She’d been able to see when he did something he didn’t plan.
He looked up at her and smiled.
“It wouldn’t be a night without you.” He said in a soothing voice.
His tone was a great deal different than when he sang. Either one was calming but only after the initial surprise of hearing.
She kept the distance between them. His eyes where startling and altogether too vivid even at the distance they stood away from each other.
“I was beside her.” She said softly knowing he would hear her.
“The blood still won’t come out. It had to be you, she was alive before you came on.”
His fingers moved nimbly over the buttons as his small smiles lingered barely there.
“We don’t have it in us to feel remorse.”
He said as his eyes glanced at the screen before him.
Her teeth clenched behind slightly parted lips.


The girl wasn’t there today. He’d examined the dark and dusty inside of the opera house going no closure than the grand walkway. He could see nothing but that didn’t stop him from changing directions and trying to see past the curtain he felt was there. He’d hoped she would be here like so many times before. When his courage to be this close to the opera house didn’t exist.
She’d pause and go in and one of many secnerio\'s he’d imagined would play out. He’d rehearsed each one in his mind like one would a play so he‘d know exactly what to do. He was willing to pay any price she required to get in.
“It was grand once like this old body but now…”
And old lady leading a younger girl interrupted his thoughts. He watched them go until they where out of sight. He fought off the disappointment and went to find something that might make him full until he could catch her.
He needed the homebrewed noise, something to get him thru the night, until he could catch that lone figure.

6:30pm
“ You did it, your inability to feel no remorse doesn’t mean shit to me.” She said.
This moment was coming to an end she could feel the time approaching that the others would arrive. She wouldn’t be able to speak. She\'d be trapped like all the audience but the end would be the same it always was. She’d feel empty and five more people wouldn’t ever return.
“Such Language” He said to her his fingers never stopping.
“Are you here to stop us?” he asked, “it was quite difficult to find this place.” He stated
“You put an end to all of them, you can try to make it sound noble but it is not.” She said firmly.
“It just doesn’t make sense to you.” He stated shrugging.
“If you hate me so much, walk out of here and never return.”
He said as the wall lights came silently on.
“And it will never happen again.” He finished.
She didn’t see movement behind him nor sense it above or behind her. But she knew that someone made this place alive but for a few hours every night.
His pale green eyes seem alive with the challenge. His smile became wider.
“Take your seat.” He said in a mocking tone before standing and walking off the stage. And the first people began to enter.

He ran down the street determine that she wasn’t going to escape him this time. He’d some how gotten out of work early just to arrive infront of the opera house if to do nothing more to wait. He came to a sudden stop as he turned the corner.
She was there but all plans fled upon seeing her standing there staring at nothing. He felt nervous as he approached her.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked.
He saw her body start but only her yes shifted in his direction.
“I don’t know you.” She stated
“No and I don’t know you but you go in every night.” He said.
Her eyes moved back to the doors.
“Yes many do at least once.” She said.
“I’ve only seen you.” He said trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.
“And now you want to.” She said closing her eyes. Her shoulders sagged a bit she suddenly looked old.
“Go home you don’t want to hear them again.” She said.
“You don’t know what I want.”
She opened her eyes.
“They start at seven.”

6:55pm
She felt something akin to panic in her as she examined the many places she could sit. There where so many it was tiring to try to second-guess herself and the performers. Everyone who passed her was excited she could feel it flow of them it only increased the feeling of unease she had.
She looked around again. Maybe she wouldn’t sit this time maybe she would stand. If she did maybe she would be a victim instead a witness to their talent.
Find your seat.
She could feel his smile and his eyes as she watch the other people as the ignore each other. She sat close to the stage. She felt calm and listened to mixed words and conservation’s happening around her.
“Hey”
She looked up not realizing she’d closed her eyes until they opened on the young man from that afternoon.
“I figured you’d be here.” He said as if they where old friends.
She felt instantly agitated again.
“Right here?” she asked eye wide fighting an overwhelming need to run.
“Yeah, do you mind,” he said sitting not waiting for an answer.
“You should go home.” She said softly.
“You can’t send me off now.’ He said as the light dimmed and the first composer took the stage.


“I’ve been invited.”

He sipped his coffee he meant to order food but knew his excitement made digesting impossible. Everything felt good since the girl said he could come to the opera house at seven. He glanced back up at the wall clock. A group of noisy people came in he spotted the girl from a few weeks ago. Her hair was shorter but it was her. She was speaking with knowledge to some admirers. She was very different from the girl infront of the opera house. This girl was painted and sparkled so you would see her. Where the opera girl just needed to exist.

He turned away from the painted woman just as she looked toward him eye passing right through him. He put some money on the counter and left.

“I’ve been invited”


She tried to watch him from the corner of her eye. But it was hard with each composure demanding attention. She wanted to see it coming. But she lost track of him, he became invisible. All of them did by the second composure.

She was annoyed by the time the last one finished. She’d spilt her drink it was warm in her lap as the pooling liquid was cooling on her thighs. She turned to the man beside her and remembered where she was.
“I didn’t have a drink.”
She thought as she examined his blank eyes staring forward at the stage. They held no light even as they reflected it. The lights turned up. She didn’t have the courage to continue to look at him. She looked up at the green-eyed composure.
“It doesn’t hurt as much if you’re expecting it.”
He said turning off the glowing screen.
“And you gave him permission so…” his eyes sparkled as he shrugged.
She looked at her hand and arms speckled with fluid and then at the figure beside her. It appeared as if his insides had crawled out of him. She looked back at the vibrant green eyes.
“I’m so proud of your progress.” He said.
“Now go home and wash up, we’ll see you tomorrow night.”