Sunday, April 05, 2015

The Entertainer


Fifteen  minutes to go and the audience was slowly taking its seats. There was a contented buzz and the crackle of sweet bags opening.

Suddenly the lights went down, ten minutes early!

The orchestra frantically set about finding the music for the overture. There was a rustling of  paper as the conductor raised his baton, then one by one the musicians got started. 
The curtains swept aside  and the spotlights flickered into life.
There, blinking in the middle of the vast empty space  stood Stage Manager Billy in his paint splattered dungarees with a spanner in one hand, a screwdriver in the other. The totally confused members of the orchestra stopped again.
The only sound was the thud of seats as people continued coming in.
Billy looked left, looked right, looked up, and looked down. He’d always dreamed of being an entertainer. Was this his big chance? 
He shrugged, the crowd laughed. Billy laughed back and the crowd laughed louder! He started juggling his tools. The crowd loved it!
Nothing else appeared to be happening so he started telling jokes!
"Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other 'Does this taste funny to you?'"
Laughter!


"I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any" 
More laughter!

It didn’t last long though. The curtains flew closed just as Billy was getting into his routine. The audience roared for more, but to no avail. A couple of minutes later the show proper got under way. 
But it wasn't Billy's only performance! Nowadays he entertains in local pubs and clubs still in dungarees, still juggling tools and still telling corny jokes!


Tomorrow a change of style as I'll have a whimsical tale about fairies for you called The Flutter




23 comments:

  1. It must be fun to be accorded an audience more so a cultured one. It is interesting to see that he could relate to them and were readily accepted. Certainly it takes courage! Great prose and lively one too Keith!

    Hank

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  2. but was change forced upon him? did he find some joy? may be you can tell it in a sequel

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    1. He's on the next series of Britain's Got Talent!

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  3. Accepting change is step of courage.

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  4. Good for Billy! That's something that would horrify me, being exposed on a stage with no preparation, but he rose to the occasion and found his true calling.

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  5. And so an entertainer is born - isn't it often the case that luck provides opportunities more than anything else?

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  6. Fun read thanks for sharing!

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  7. That was fun! I really enjoyed it.

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    1. And I enjoyed writing it! But the best is yet to come...........watch this place!



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  8. Oh yes, that clown tasted funny!

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  9. Funny. I could actually see it happening in my mind. Especially the orchestra scrambling, and then sort of fading away in confusion.

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    1. I would love to see it happening! Thanks so much for dropping by.

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  10. What fun! Channeling your process would change my life! :)

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  11. Just needs a start :) Then the talent just flows. Wonderful.

    I was wondering where I had heard the name Keith's Ramblings. felt very familiar. And I just remembered. Carry On Tuesday!

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