veil.”
And to my delight, Teo pulls a bit of tulle from his pocket, the edges red like they’ve been dipped in blood. Teo thinks of everything. I take the veil in my hands, eager to explain to everyone.
“Ramus found his lover’s veil covered in blood,” I say, holding it high above my head. I walk over to Ramus, who’s standing at the front of the stage, and place the veil in his hands. He holds it, staring, obviously unsure what to do. So I explain for him.
“Naturally, with blood on the veil, Pyramus feared the worst.” I look to Ramus, wishing he could at least pretend to be scared, and I lean right into his face. “He thought his maiden had been killed.”
Someone gasps—Eloise, with her hand over her mouth. Abe smiles at her like he knows what’s going on, wrapping a protective hand around her shoulder.
Teo joins us again on the stage, standing right beside me.
“And so,” Teo says, “our young lover found a knife and killed himself, and when the young woman found him, she killed herself, too.”
Marc’s looking down at the ground and pulling his hair out of his eyes, and Cleo, beside him, coos something into his ear. Even Juliet’s still scratching her legs. I’m not sure why they’re not paying better attention.
Smiling down on everyone, Teo says, “It all seems anticlimactic, does it not?”
I have to agree.
“Um, Teo?” someone’s muffled voice calls, and it takes me a minute to realize it’s Bee—still behind the wall. Poor Bee. I had totally forgotten about her. She clears her throat, loudly. “Is it okay if I come out now?”
Teo bobs his head sideways, like he’s saying both yes and no. “I suppose that is an option,” he says, looking around, “but that would ruin the best part.” He winks at me, and I’m not sure why. I thought we’d finished with the tale.
Staring straight ahead, Teo’s eyes lock on an invisible scene. “Pyramus,” he says, voice unusually flat, “do me a favor, and bring Thisbe back.”
Ramus narrows his eyes at Teo, but after being in his company, I’m sure he’s learned everything’s easier when you listen the first time. Luckily, Ramus inches forward to examine the wall. Stretching out his fingers, he looks like he’s about to reach for the first peg, when Jonas breaks from the crowd, blue sparks shooting from his hand. Someone gasps. So do I, because Jonas has activated the stun gun in his hand.
Spinning, Ramus spots Jonas’s charged weapon. He sprints up the wall, his feet slipping a little as he climbs. But he’s quick, and apparently somewhat athletic, because he makes it to the top and disappears over it. What I don’t get is why Jonas is threatening Ramus with his stun gun. Was it really necessary to bully him, just because he took a little while? Plus, we already reenacted the tale and Pyramus was never on the same side as Thisbe when they talked.
I reach out to pull on Teo’s arm and ask what’s going on, when Teo pulls something from his pocket. I look down at his hand to find him clicking a button on a remote.
A loud noise sounds, like the earth cracking open, as the entire curtained wall shifts. At first, I’m not sure what it means. There was nothing like moving walls in the tale, but when the wall shifts to the side, a gaping hole opens up with Ramus and Bee staring at us from the other side. Their legs and feet look dirty—like they’re standing in wet paint, but the smell is worse, something acrid and decayed, like they’re standing in a piece of road kill’s grave, and a flash of fur springs from the hole, disappearing on the other side.
My blood freezes, knowing what I just saw. Teo’s opened up a hole for a lion to spring out, and something tells me the stuff on Ramus and Bee isn’t paint. They’ve been unknowingly standing in blood. The lion roars, and I cover my ears, because Ramus and Bee are inside. Teo’s just set a lion on them.
Teo clicks the remote so the wall closes again, and siren-like
And to my delight, Teo pulls a bit of tulle from his pocket, the edges red like they’ve been dipped in blood. Teo thinks of everything. I take the veil in my hands, eager to explain to everyone.
“Ramus found his lover’s veil covered in blood,” I say, holding it high above my head. I walk over to Ramus, who’s standing at the front of the stage, and place the veil in his hands. He holds it, staring, obviously unsure what to do. So I explain for him.
“Naturally, with blood on the veil, Pyramus feared the worst.” I look to Ramus, wishing he could at least pretend to be scared, and I lean right into his face. “He thought his maiden had been killed.”
Someone gasps—Eloise, with her hand over her mouth. Abe smiles at her like he knows what’s going on, wrapping a protective hand around her shoulder.
Teo joins us again on the stage, standing right beside me.
“And so,” Teo says, “our young lover found a knife and killed himself, and when the young woman found him, she killed herself, too.”
Marc’s looking down at the ground and pulling his hair out of his eyes, and Cleo, beside him, coos something into his ear. Even Juliet’s still scratching her legs. I’m not sure why they’re not paying better attention.
Smiling down on everyone, Teo says, “It all seems anticlimactic, does it not?”
I have to agree.
“Um, Teo?” someone’s muffled voice calls, and it takes me a minute to realize it’s Bee—still behind the wall. Poor Bee. I had totally forgotten about her. She clears her throat, loudly. “Is it okay if I come out now?”
Teo bobs his head sideways, like he’s saying both yes and no. “I suppose that is an option,” he says, looking around, “but that would ruin the best part.” He winks at me, and I’m not sure why. I thought we’d finished with the tale.
Staring straight ahead, Teo’s eyes lock on an invisible scene. “Pyramus,” he says, voice unusually flat, “do me a favor, and bring Thisbe back.”
Ramus narrows his eyes at Teo, but after being in his company, I’m sure he’s learned everything’s easier when you listen the first time. Luckily, Ramus inches forward to examine the wall. Stretching out his fingers, he looks like he’s about to reach for the first peg, when Jonas breaks from the crowd, blue sparks shooting from his hand. Someone gasps. So do I, because Jonas has activated the stun gun in his hand.
Spinning, Ramus spots Jonas’s charged weapon. He sprints up the wall, his feet slipping a little as he climbs. But he’s quick, and apparently somewhat athletic, because he makes it to the top and disappears over it. What I don’t get is why Jonas is threatening Ramus with his stun gun. Was it really necessary to bully him, just because he took a little while? Plus, we already reenacted the tale and Pyramus was never on the same side as Thisbe when they talked.
I reach out to pull on Teo’s arm and ask what’s going on, when Teo pulls something from his pocket. I look down at his hand to find him clicking a button on a remote.
A loud noise sounds, like the earth cracking open, as the entire curtained wall shifts. At first, I’m not sure what it means. There was nothing like moving walls in the tale, but when the wall shifts to the side, a gaping hole opens up with Ramus and Bee staring at us from the other side. Their legs and feet look dirty—like they’re standing in wet paint, but the smell is worse, something acrid and decayed, like they’re standing in a piece of road kill’s grave, and a flash of fur springs from the hole, disappearing on the other side.
My blood freezes, knowing what I just saw. Teo’s opened up a hole for a lion to spring out, and something tells me the stuff on Ramus and Bee isn’t paint. They’ve been unknowingly standing in blood. The lion roars, and I cover my ears, because Ramus and Bee are inside. Teo’s just set a lion on them.
Teo clicks the remote so the wall closes again, and siren-like
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