by Londyn Skye
It could be visibly seen in every patron’s face that the power of the intense music and the heavenly scene had completely captivated them all. Before the orchestra and the choir delivered the last of the emotional notes, every member of the audience was on its feet, and a standing ovation ensued. Enthralled by the touching story and the heartwarming music that coincided, ladies started dabbing dainty cloth towelettes to their eyes, while the men next to them did their best to hide the effects of a truly grand finale.
After the last of the piano melody rippled out into the night air, Lily stood with great poise in her beautifully designed handmade red gown to the overwhelming applause of the audience. She stood there silently a moment and absorbed their warmth with extreme gratitude. With the way her piano was situated onstage, William was the first person she saw when she stood. He was in the wings beaming at her with pride as he applauded with the rest of the crowd. Her first emotional instinct was to walk over and hug him, but he prompted her to walk forward, wanting the celebratory moment to be hers and hers alone. Lily nodded and bravely took her first steps toward the audience. With every step, the sound of the reception grew louder, and William’s strength to hold back his tears grew weaker.
As Lily continued moving forward in her beautiful gown, she looked to her right and caught a glimpse of the student orchestra, hidden on the other side of the stage. Ironically, they were a group that she owed a portion of this unforgettable moment too. Aside from their musical accompaniment, it was their malicious act of cruelty and attempt to diminish the quality of her show that catapulted her creativity to new heights. That very day, Lily had explained to William her desire to create a show that depicted the shadowed imagery in her mind when her songs were born, and that she wanted to combine it with his love for pyrotechnics. William spared no expense and had completely exhausted himself to ensure that every element of her wishes would be fulfilled exactly how she had envisioned. To do so, he turned to the technology of gas light projectors, which had been in its infancy during his days as a performer. He remembered how the machines had drastically changed the power to control the intensity and operation of light in theaters. He took something that had simply been used to illuminate the halls and walls of theaters and used it to breathe life into Lily’s ingenious ideas in a way that had never been done before. At the same time, Lily’s idea ultimately gave all the other performers the anonymity they had requested.
With the control of light, Lily was able to visually share her happiness, pain, sorrow, and all of the memories from her life that ignited such passion in her music, through silhouettes. As a result, her race and status became irrelevant in the span of the hour and a half that she presented her art. She had simply become a human being, who had grasped the heart of every person watching her visions come to life as elegant shadows. She had uplifted and inspired them all and had unexpectedly brought many of them to tears. Lily had become extremely vulnerable, embracing her audience with open arms while allowing them inside the brilliance of her mind. And now, they all stood on their feet embracing her warmly in return.
No one, however, was touched by the evening’s performance more so than James Adams, whose happy childhood years with Lily had just played out in front of him in such a magnificent manner. It left him emotionally riveted. James recognized the final song as a modified version of the one Lily had played upon his return home from school. He had heard Lily explain to William that the images in the show would be reflections of her thoughts as she created her music. He now understood the reason for her tears while she played that particular song that day. Not knowing entirely what to expect from the show, James had sat amongst the audience watching the moment that he had abandoned Lily come to life. And as painful as it was, he was then forced to see the loneliness she had suffered through in the years afterward. The misery he had caused her was the reason he could not stop the tidal wave that rolled out of his eyes during the final moments of the finale. At the same time, though, he recognized the brilliance of Lily’s performance as well as the overall visual show. He, therefore, allowed that to overshadow what he was feeling, wanting to celebrate Lily as she undoubtedly deserved, instead of dwelling on the upheaval of emotions that had migrated into every corner of his body.
Feeling as if she was living in the most surreal dream, Lily had slowly made her way to the forefront of the handcrafted amphitheater stage as everyone continued to applaud. Only joyful and tear-filled faces greeted her as she stood there, proving the sincerity of their reception. But more important to her than all of the pomp and circumstance was a particular face that she was eager to find in the crowd. She looked sporadically from place to place out into the sea of people. In the very center of the front row, she finally spotted the man who had inspired many of the portions of her show. As soon as she laid eyes on James, Lily’s smile illuminated to full brilliance and so, too, did his. With that, the tears that she had held back during the show finally overflowed down her cheeks.
After a few minutes, William finally made his way out from behind the scenes. When he reached Lily, he took her hand in his and kissed it. With his other hand over his heart, he then took a graceful bow toward her. As Lily’s tears continued to flow, together, her and William turned and bowed in unison to the delight of their grateful audience.
Chapter Fourteen
Slave Code
Article II Section VIII
It is required that any runaway slave, committed to the custody of any respective Sheriff, be advertised in a public newspaper, making particular their whereabouts, description of clothing, and any bodily marks of such runaway.
Saturday
June 4, 1859
The immense success of Lily’s first show was undeniable. But despite that fact, there was no critical acclaim printed in any headlines to commemorate that precedent-setting evening. Even in the free state of Ohio, newspapers were still reluctant to write a story about a Negro, unless they were wanted by the law or being listed as a runaway. Since Lily, fortunately, did not fall into either of those categories, there was not a single word printed about her grand achievement during William’s Spring Extravaganza. But, amazingly, that did not stop the news about her show from spreading by word of mouth with the ferocity of a wildfire.
The disclosure of Lily’s identity during her first grand finale did absolutely nothing to diminish people’s love of her show. In fact, the demand for more shows was overwhelming. Lily was astounded by people’s wishes to see her show again, and she was more than happy to fulfill their requests. For two straight months, she began putting on shows every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. She could have easily done shows seven days a week and never once have had an empty seat in the amphitheater. Caucasians and Negroes, the rich and the poor, the young and the old were flocking in droves, sitting side by side, to see a blend of shadowed artistry and music that they knew full well was composed and choreographed by a Negro. Many were even traveling from places far off to witness what had finally been named The Dream Symphony.
Admittance was free during the first week of The Dream Symphony. During that time, seats were filled in the amphitheater two or three hours before showtime. After the first week, William began charging an entrance fee. Even then, the demands to see the show continued to escalate. In fact, even after all the amphitheater seats were sold-out, people still insisted on paying to get through the gates. Spectators were happily willing to sit on blankets in the grass to satisfy their curiosity about a show that had stirred up a great amount of gossip and controversy. Most covered up their curiosity by telling others that they were only attending in order to protest William’s antics. In the end, though, they would only leave with a true understanding of the passionate enthusiasm of those who had already fallen in love with the exhilarating spectacle.
A month after the shows began, William held an after-party to fulfill the desires of those who had requested to meet Lily following her show. For once at a gathering, Lily was not dressed in attire that p
rompted demands from the hungry or the thirsty, nor was she expected to just linger in the shadows. Instead, Lily stood as the center of attention in William’s library, wearing yet another one of Anna Mae’s elegantly designed gowns, as streams of people approached to ask questions and shower her with an array of compliments. All the while, James was by her side with his pistol visible on his hip, leery of everyone and watching carefully for anyone who might dare to make any violent advances.
Much to James’s dismay, though, his position of authority by Lily’s side also accomplished the goal of appearing as her rightful owner. He hated such a degrading visual facade. But the way the laws were written, he knew that even in a free state Lily could be hauled off to jail without the appropriate paperwork, or without her master nearby keeping watch over her. James, therefore, played his protective and authoritative role to perfection. The potential grim consequences of breaking character became equally as terrifying for him as his night terrors.
James even wanted to protect Lily from the stream of hate letters and threats that had made their way into William’s mailbox and even onto his front porch. After reading the first batch, James questioned whether or not he should let Lily proceed with further shows, but the excitement she exuded after her performances always answered that question. He simply could not bear the thought of bringing rain and hail to the sunlight that had been shining on Lily in the weeks since her show began. In fact, James was so adamant about letting Lily float in an ignorant bliss that he and William embellished the truth as to why they had suddenly hired a security team. Lily was naturally curious as to the need for the barrage of men she had seen standing at the front gates with rifles and those on horseback with six-shooters keeping watch over the plantation and the crowds at her show. James explained to her that they were just for precaution. He was simply not willing to share with her the real, unspeakably cruel reasons why it was a necessity to have the men standing guard twenty-four hours a day.
William had hired the sort of men that he knew always worked best for security detail: half-crazy, bloodthirsty, and loyal to those who employed them. Up to that point, William’s choices had been worth it. The first few weeks on the job, the team of unkempt bandits had yet to allow any gruesome threats to come to fruition. The amount of money that William was paying the loyal band of misfits was an excellent incentive to assure that things remained that way. But even without the hefty paycheck, the filthy bandits were just naturally the sort of men that would have loved to blow a man’s head off his shoulders, simply for the pleasure of doing it. The proof of that was evident on this particular Saturday afternoon when a man they did not recognize approached the entrance to William’s estate. The bandits had not been made aware of any scheduled visitors for the day, so the unfamiliar face was greeted by the barrel of four pistols, held by two scraggly men with a multitude of missing teeth, who were in desperate need of bathing. They asked the unwelcomed visitor to state his business. When he claimed to be an old friend of William’s, he was escorted to the front door like a criminal being marched to his chambers, with a cocked six-shooter not far from his head.
Tucker McCormick was the man in question. He was hardly someone that William considered as a friend, especially after his rude drunken comments about Lily at the fundraising gala. Although William was not fond of him, he had gone to speak with Tucker during the period when he and James were searching for work for Lily. They had hoped Tucker would hire Lily as an entertainer at “McCormick’s,” a tavern that Tucker owned. McCormick’s was once a pristine bar and restaurant with a decent sized theater room, where highly entertaining shows were held. In its prime, it was considered as a fine establishment and a popular place to be for late night entertainment, drinks, and food. Tucker’s successful bustling business had initially earned him lots of respect as a prominent man in the community. However, he lost that title when his wife divorced him and took their children as a result of his numerous bold and much talked about affairs with his employees and clientele.
After the loss of Tucker’s family and his many mistresses, he took to heavily drinking his own supply of liquor. The more he drank, the less he seemed to care about the success of his business. McCormick’s slowly began to lack theatrical bartenders, outstanding service from beautiful women, and the exciting entertainment it was once known for. After all the unique nuances of the fancy establishment began to fade away, so too did the willingness of patrons to spend their money there. It left the once thriving bar financially dangling by a thread and propped the door wide open for a pub called “Buck’s Tavern” to become the preferred venue for food, fine wine, and spirits. As a final blow to Tucker’s ego, everyone in Athens began labeling him as a laughingstock, an entrepreneurial failure, and an alcoholic outcast.
The town’s constant snickering behind Tucker’s back turned him into a man who was bitter, cold, and liable to bite the heads off of anybody who whispered anything he did not like. But despite the way the town treated him, Tucker continued to hang around at gatherings, always slithering his way into social events without an invitation—especially William’s massive parties—just to torment people with his presence for betraying him and his establishment during a rough time in his life. But most had simply come to expect his foolish antics. They either ignored Tucker’s nastiness or resorted to using his attendance as a source of humor.
Despite the town’s distaste for Tucker, William and James had approached him months earlier with the angle that Lily might have the ability to breathe life back into his dying business. But despite the dire situation of McCormick’s, and the financial ruin he was facing, Tucker still refused to let an extremely talented Negro set foot on his stage. But now, here Tucker stood, quaking in his beat-up dress shoes with a pistol near his skull, suddenly wishing to speak to William about something. Tucker had actually hoped to talk to him during The Dream Symphony post-show party, but the constant presence of James, with a pistol on his hip, made Tucker change his mind. He still recalled the way that James had snapped at him during the fundraising gala for calling Lily a monkey. But now, after seeing James at a store in town, Tucker decided to take advantage of the opportunity and finally drop by—uninvited as usual—to speak to William in private, hoping for a rather calm interaction in the absence of James. It was a cowardly maneuver that everyone in town would have expected of Tucker.
“Excuse me, William. Tucker McCormick is here to see you,” Benjamin informed him after stepping inside his den.
William paused in the midst of writing a letter and looked at Ben over the top of his spectacles. He immediately thought back to the nasty way in which Tucker had turned him and James down when they asked him to help Lily. After such a disastrous meeting, William could not help but wonder why the town reject would now have the audacity to show up at his home again, unannounced at that. “Did he say why he was here?” William asked.
Ben shook his head. “Just said he wanted to speak with you.”
“Well, let him in I suppose,” William said, even though his first instinct was to have the bandits throw him off the property. He figured he would at least give the babbling old drunk a brief opportunity to state his business, hoping it included an apology for the nasty things he had said to Lily during the fundraiser.
After William gave the okay, Tucker was handed off to Benjamin by Samuel, the mustiest and filthiest goober on the security bandit team. Samuel had patiently watched over his prisoner on the porch, never once pulling his gun away from Tucker’s skull. He had stood there with his pistol cocked and a smile on his toothless face, feeling giddy about the opportunity to take Tucker out if need be. While Tucker waited with the bloodthirsty bandit, he had sweated profusely through two layers of clothing. When Benjamin returned for him, he scurried into the house like a wet, hungry kitten, eager to get away from the man who would have been more than happy to rid him of his brain and then receive a bonus check for doing so.
“G-good a-afta’noon,” Tucker managed to stutter af
ter Benjamin led him into William’s den.
William looked over at Tucker and almost laughed at the frazzled look on his face and his ridiculous attire. He had slicked his stringy hair back and was wearing an old suit that he had tried desperately to make look new again, which looked even worse now with his sweat stains soaking clear through the underside of his sleeves. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” William asked sarcastically, sounding very monotone.
After being so rattled by the pistol-packing patrolman, Tucker had forgotten his whole pitch and nervously bypassed any small talk that would have helped ease him into the conversation. The fact that he was slightly inebriated did not help matters much either. “Uh, umm, the whole town’s abuzz ’bout y’ur, Lily,” he said, trying his best not to slur his words.
Lily? William thought to himself. What happened to calling her a monkey?
“I-it ain’t a tavern or shop I been in where I don’t hear her name mentioned,” Tucker continued.
William took his spectacles off and rubbed his eyes, already annoyed by the fact that he had started out the conversation with town gossip. “I can’t say as though I blame them.”
“Me neitha’. A lady friend ‘a mine begged and begged me to go to that there dream story show a few weeks back. Said she just had to see what all the fuss was about.”
“You have no friends, Tucker,” William interjected, easily sensing his filthy lies. And he was right. The only thing that had convinced Tucker to go to the show was greed. He was curious to see what profitable opportunity he had mistakenly passed on. “What are you here for? I have work to do.” William picked up his pen again and proceeded to start writing.
“Well, ain’t no doubt about the fact that this Lily girl can play the hell out of a piano…”
“Something I remember trying to express to you months ago, but I recall being quickly dismissed by you … rather rudely, I might add,” William pointed out, while still drafting his document.