Jemma finally found her voice. “How… I mean, why… I mean, who…”
Miss Harrison looked at her with pity. “Doesn’t matter, dear. The hope you had planned to give will just affect a much larger group of people.”
Jemma gulped and wished she could go back to her room and hide under the bedclothes.
“Come on, girls, you can do this. On the stage, you go.” Miss Harrison chivvied them along.
The three looked out over the crowd once they got to the front of the stage. Then, positioning a microphone near her mouth, Jemma began, “We would like to thank you all for coming. In the next three hours, you will see a variety of performances. We have singers, dancers, acrobats, actors, and many more who will share their talents with you.”
The crowd cheered her words.
Mel stepped forward and motioned to Jemma to let her speak to the audience. Jemma handed the mic to her with a smile.
Mel returned the smile and mouthed, “Get ready.” Eleanor and Jemma stood slightly behind her waiting to begin.
“My two friends and I are the Mamas and the Ta-Tas, and we will be starting the evening's festivities with a few songs. Some of you may know them, so please sing along if you do.” She nodded to Miss Harrison, who started the music.
The girls struck a pose, hands clasped as if in prayer in front of them, as the first chords of the song pealed from the speakers. They held it until the first line of Madonna’s Like a Prayer rang out in Mel's clear voice, then fell to their knees to match the lyrics.
It had been difficult to choose their second song. In the end, they had decided on Cindy Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and now acted out the lyrics as best they could. The third song had just felt right. It had been Mel’s mum’s favorite, and the girls knew it well. They launched into Beyoncé’s Single Ladies, pointing to their ring fingers and following the choreography from the original music video.
By the time the music ended on the third song, they were smiling, breathing heavily, and tired. They bowed to the audience, and Jemma stepped forward to introduce the next act.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce our very own Cirque de Meredith.”
Onto the stage acrobats tumbled, weaving and dodging and never touching each other. The crowd cried out with oohs and ah’s in appreciation of their skill as they juggled and twirled the flaming batons. The performance came to a graceful end.
Eleanor came back onto the stage once the acrobats had removed themselves and their props. “It gives me immense pleasure to introduce to you our favorite defensive tackle and quarterback, who have prepared for you a special rendition of Rossini’s Cat Duet.”
Onto the stage came Greg and Joey, dressed in cat costumes complete with ears and tails. In the highest voices they could reach, they sang the duet. The crowd laughed, cheered, whistled, and clapped. The boys threw themselves into the performance, drawing energy from the crowd and playing up the song.
It ended to thunderous applause, and the boys grinned at each other. Turning to the audience, they bowed theatrically before leaving the stage.
Jordan took center stage looking just as small and timid as he had last week. Again, Jemma gave him a smile of encouragement as she came on stage to introduce him.
“Without further ado, please welcome Jordan as he reads for us Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.”
The crowd became silent for the first time to hear the young boy. Jordan took a deep breath and began, his voice steady and his confidence growing with every sentence of his recitation. Until he reached the culmination,
“Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days…”
When he finished, the crowd, which had been silent, burst into tumultuous applause. The boy bowed, and as he left the stage, the girls saw that he had tears streaming down his face. Joey grabbed him in a bear hug and said, “You did good, Buddy. You did good.”
Wiping her own eyes, Mel took to the stage once more, introducing the Magicians. There followed a colorful display of disappearing items, card tricks, and illusions. The crowd laughed and applauded its approval.
Miss Harrison came to the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will now have a brief interlude. We will begin again in twenty minutes.”
The crowd began to talk amongst themselves and avail themselves of the refreshments stands.
“What the…” The girls hadn’t organized any refreshments. Jemma inquired, “Miss Harrison, where did these stands come from? We didn’t plan for them.”
“Funny thing. When I arrived earlier, the stall-keepers were setting up. Said they had heard about the show and wanted to show their support by offering refreshments. There are food and drink vendors. All Guns Blazing has a stall, and they are offering official merchandise.” She indicated the stall to Jemma, Mel, and Eleanor, who gazed around in fascination.
“This is insane,” muttered Mel.
“Way more than I’d ever imagined,” replied Jemma.
Eleanor stayed silent.
After twenty minutes, they were all refreshed and ready to continue with the concert. The crowd settled as Jemma introduced the next act.
“Welcome back. Next, we have a display of modern dance. Please give a round of applause for Spatial Awareness.” The crowd tittered.
The lithe dancers carried out the superb choreography. They wove a tale with their moves, which brought the music to life. From Pachelbel to Tchaikovsky, they stole the heart of the crowd. They bowed and curtsied to the cheering audience as they left the stage.
Eleanor bounced onto the stage. “Our penultimate act is none other than six members of Miss Harrison’s English Lit class. Tonight, they will perform for you a scene from Henry V.”
The six took to the stage more serenely than the previous week and stood apart as the rear of the stage took on an orange glow. In the background was heard the boom of cannons and the distant cries of men at war. They were lit by individual spotlights as they read their couplets, delivering a rousing speech and a call to war. The crowd, silent, hung on their every word. When at last they reached that final couplet, they announced together,
“Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry ‘God for Harry, England, and Saint George!’”
The sounds died away and the glow was extinguished, leaving the stage in darkness. The crowd roared its approval and the lights came up to reveal the students, who bowed, first to the audience and then to their comrades in the wings.
The audience cheered and called for more. The girls let the moment linger before stepping out together. It gave the final band a chance to get themselves ready.
“We would like to thank you all for your support this evening. You have been amazing,” Jemma began.
“We hope you have enjoyed yourselves as much as we have,” Eleanor continued. The crowd shouted its agreement.
“Please welcome our last act of the evening,” Mel finished. “I will allow them to continue their introduction.”
As the crowd settled, the band started to play simple chords and beats, and Owen stepped forward, looking like John Grimes. Mel sighed in appreciation. The girls eagerly watched from the edge of the stage, wondering which songs they had decided to perform.
“Good evening, everyone. Have you had fun tonight?” he shouted into his mic. The crowd roared in response.
“Well, we are The Bitches, and we’re here to rock your minds.” He beckoned to the band, and they began to play. Power cords worthy of Queen rang out, and Owen led them through We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions.
They gave the crowd a moment to settle, and then once again Owen stepped forward with a glint in his eye and a grin on his face.
The drums were struck, the guitar thrummed, and Owen began to sing AC/DC’s Big Balls in an affected British accent. The crowd went wild.
They jumped, they screamed, and they chanted along with him, getting louder at the chorus.
“Oh,
my God!” Eleanor squealed, “Look who’s in the front row.”
They all looked. There were the Queen’s Bitches, singing along with the rest of the crowd.
“Hell, yeah,” shouted Jemma. “This just got epic.”
Mel looked at her with big eyes. “It wasn’t epic before?”
Jemma pointed at the men whose job it was to guard the most powerful woman in the Empire. “It doesn’t get more epic than them. Except, of course, if the Empress herself had come. Which would never happen. So, epic!”
The girls laughed and joined in with the crowd.
After The Bitches finished their last song, the girls came onto the stage to thank them for their performance.
“We’d like to once again thank all our performers. I think you’ll agree with us that they’ve been awesome,” Jemma yelled to the crowd. The roar of approval deafened those on the stage.
Mel waved them to silence. “As you know, we organized this concert to remember the fallen—any member of the Empire who lost their life in service to the Empress. We also wanted to remember their families and let them know they are not alone. So, will you all please join us in a minute’s silence?” The instant she finished speaking, the park fell silent. This is eerie, Jemma thought, but we did it. Kelly, if you are watching, Mel did it.
As soon as the minute ended, the four men who had stood at the front of the crowd climbed onto the stage. Three of them held small boxes. John, Eric, and Scott came to stand in front of the girls and presented each of them with a box.
“The Empress would like to offer you these gifts as a reward for your hard work and generosity,” the real John Grimes announced loudly as he handed his box to Jemma. She looked down to see the most exquisite pair of shoes in a Perspex box. On the front, a plaque read, Those who act out of kindness shall receive kindness in return. Bethany Anne, Empress of the Etheric Empire.
She looked up at the giant man, tears streaming down her face. She was speechless. After a moment, she turned to look at her friends, whose expressions mirrored her own.
The fourth man walked to where Owen stood. Darryl leaned over and whispered in the boy's ear. The boy’s face went pale, and then he broke into a grin. Darryl gently pushed him toward the girls and Owen walked over to them. When he reached Mel, without a word, he put his arms around her and kissed her gently on the lips. Mel froze for an instant in surprise, then melted into the kiss. The crowd once again roared its approval.
Jemma and Eleanor hugged each other happily, setting their boxes down at the side of the stage. They retrieved Mel’s, allowing their friend to get more comfortable with Owen. The kiss ended, and they both turned red-faced to the audience.
John whispered in Jemma’s ear, “You may want to stand back.”
Confused, Jemma took a step back and motioned for her friends to follow suit.
She blinked, and suddenly in front of her stood Empress Bethany Anne, Gabrielle, and Tabitha. The three women smiled at the girls, who were still made up as them. Gently, John, Scott, and Eric led Owen to the rear of the stage, leaving the women alone.
Bethany Anne stepped forward. “What do you say, girls? How about we give them an encore?”
The music started, and the six smiled and faced the crowd. As the first line of Single Ladies rang out, they raised their arms and began to dance.
The End
Author Notes Samantha Harmer
So, you know those days when you wake up, and you have a wonderful idea? Well, the first thing you do is put it on Facebook, right? That’s what happened with this story. So social media is good for us, yeah?
Seriously, though, thank you to everybody in Fans Write who read my post and encouraged me to turn it into so much more. This story is for you.
I hope you had as much fun getting to know these three girls and their classmates as I did.
If you enjoyed the story and want to read more of my work I have recently released First Comes Chaos, the first book in my Rexan Discovery series. Book two, Then Comes Silence will be out soon. The links below are for my website and author page on Facebook, where I post information on upcoming projects.
Samantha Harmer
samanthaharmer.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaHarmerAuthor/
Haiku From The Kurtherian Universe
Ashur and puppies.
Typical bewildered male.
Sympathy? Hell, no.
Yollins and Jotuns,
Noel-nis, Shimmers, and Yaree.
Wondrous universe!
Death And New Beginnings
by T.L. Gryfen
After Beth’s world ends, can the sudden appearance of a long-discarded dream give her the strength she needs to carry on?
Beth Williams finds herself alone and heart-broken on the Meredith Reynolds. Unlike the majority of the residents, she feels she has nothing concrete to offer to the cause after they leave Earth. After a forgotten dream reappears during a medical treatment, she has to find the strength to accept her new reality and keep going.
Will she be able to bring herself to accept this new challenge and fight to keep it?
Dedicated to my mom and dad, Gail and David Notestine. Without you both, I would never have had the courage to chase this dream. We miss you dad!
— Tracie
Death And New Beginnings
She stands intensely gazing through the window into the depths of space, strong, silent, and straight. The remains of ravaged beauty are visible on her face and in her once-well-groomed clothing and hair. As people push past on their way elsewhere, living their lives, she is alone. There is a large space around her, an intangible field that nobody dares cross. Her hands clench, small rivulets of blood just starting to slowly trickle past her tense white fingers. She speaks quietly to an image only she can see, somewhere in the dark void that stares back at her.
“Damn it, Steve, how could you do this to me? How could you bring me up here, to space for God’s sake, and then leave me alone to cope with it? What am I supposed to do now? How could you be so stupid? You knew you had a malt allergy? Why did you have to ignore the warning signs? Did you think you were invincible? Just because the Queen and her Bitches are damn near immortal, didn’t mean you were. I know you were so excited when Tom and Jeff asked you to work on their Artificial Intelligence program with them, you always loved technology, and this was something you had always dreamed of doing. You had gotten bored, semi-retired in a tiny Appalachian town, with nobody to relate to you, just me for company. I wasn’t very good company, was I? Not recently at least, not while I was sick. But this, you just had to go back down to Earth without me. Why the hell were you in Ireland anyway? You had an allergic reaction and collapsed too far away from help to get you back up here to the Meredith Reynolds, too far away for a Pod-doc to save your life. How stupid, after everything we have done, to lose you to anaphylactic shock. You snuck away while I was getting my first gene therapy, and I lost you.” She pauses, gathering herself, fighting to keep the sobs contained; praying that nobody passing will notice the tears.
“You said this was our next great adventure, that we had explored everything on Earth that we wanted to; hiked the pyramids, dove the seas of the Caribbean, explored the Southwest, traveled with gypsies, mined in Appalachia, and now it was time to explore off-world, to see what wonders we could find out there, together. We were supposed to do this together, and now you’re gone, and I can’t remember how to breathe!” another pause, another struggle for calm and equilibrium, another prayer for strength.
“The Queen offered to send me back home, said I didn’t have to stay onboard or leave Earth with them, but how could I go back? Why do I care about going back to Earth? You aren’t there, you aren’t anywhere, so it’s not home anymore. Lynne is here, and she is the only family I have left. I don’t know how to keep living without you. I wake up in the middle of the night, reach for you, and you aren’t there.
“You were my world, and now my world is gone. What am I
supposed to do here on a spaceship? You and Lynne were the science fiction fanatics; I preferred a nice sitcom instead. You were the one who convinced me that this was a bold new step into the future. That we could do anything together, including starting a new life in a new galaxy. Once we leave the solar system, I don’t have any useful skills to offer. I’m sure the Queen won’t need a PR or marketing specialist in space. I can do my job promoting TBQ from Earth. The only reasons I was working from here were that this was where your job was, and for my treatments.
“This started out so well, you and Lynne were working together, and for once not trying to kill each other. I could see you finally trusting that she actually did love you. That she didn’t resent you. That no matter whose blood she had, you were her father. You were finally accepting that us loving you wasn’t a trap or some weird trick we were playing on you. But then you had to go and die. You had to leave me here with my heart ripped out of my chest and no breath in my lungs, just going through the motions.”
Finally, she could hold the pain in no longer, and she collapsed against the window, tears pouring down her cheek and streaking the glass. Her strength lay in ruins around her.
From across the concourse, Lynne watched her mother quietly crumble. It had been three months since her stepdad passed away, and her mother was slowly falling apart. There was nothing she could say or do to change it. She was helpless in the face of such shattering pain. Lynne glanced down at the sleeping silver-furred bundle she clutched in both arms and whispered to the EI loaded into her tablet, "Are you sure about this, Zeus? She can barely take care of herself right now. She is never going to be able to take care of a puppy as well. I don’t know what I was thinking, letting you convince me to do this."
Tales from the Kurtherian Universe: Fans Write For The Fans: Book 3 Page 3