The Final Act

45 Replies
dale-stage

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

The night started like a dream.  We were all elated by the news and were enjoying the night out.

I was jerked back to the present as the action came to a halt.  Before I could protest, the orchestra began to play “Hail to the Chief” and the actors all came out on stage.

I stood and watched transfixed as our victorious president appeared in the front box.

The play was good, but after the funniest line, a man dropped to the stage.  I didn’t know Mr. Booth was in the play.

Only he wasn’t.

Thus began our national nightmare.

***

Word count = 100

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields.  This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo © Dale Rogerson. Read more or join in by following the InLinkz “linky“.

45 thoughts on “The Final Act”

    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Thanks. For some reason it was the first thing I thought of when I saw the photo, I guess since at least one of the dresses looked 19th century. And, yes, I wanted to give a few clues but not spell it out. I’m sorry if a lot of my non-American friends missed it, but I think keeping it a little vague was the best route.

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Thanks. I’m glad at least one non-American picked up on some of the clues I put in. I’ve toured the theater twice, but I can barely imagine what it would be like to be in the audience that night.

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Thanks. I did make the reference a little vague if you don’t know the entire story, like the fact that initially the audience thought that the very well known actor Booth was part of the play.

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      I should have done it more like Rochelle and added a short history lesson with a link, but, as I said in another comment, in some ways I do like the mystery of it – I purposefully never mentioned Lincoln, so it is possible even Americans might miss it. Thanks.

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Thanks. A very sad chapter. He brought us through our country’s most difficult time, but how much smoother would have the transition after the war been if he were alive to lead us through it?

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      I went back and forth if I should put a post-story paragraph giving some back-story for non-American readers but decided that the mystery of it all might be a better way… Interesting that the three people who have comment so far are all three non-Americans (Dale is Canadian, so may know more of our history than someone from England or Africa (Robbie)).

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Thanks, Robbie. I’m not sure why, but the first thing I thought of when I saw the photo was the assassination of Lincoln. And it was either blind luck or my subconscious working that the first sentence was a “dream” and the last a “nightmare”…

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