The theater was crowded at the front and it appeared that there was something big taking place in today’s play that had got everyone to line up messily. Penny saw people pushing and pulling each other, wanting a ticket while the man who was selling ticket kept yelling,
“Five silver coins for the front seats and two in the back. Tickets are getting sold, line up- STOP PUSHING,” said the man with the cap who was busy marketing the theater play.
Penny who stood behind Damien, not getting anywhere close wondered what play was being showcased. The time when she used to work here there were hardly a few customers which were at times difficult to run the show. It was one of the reasons why Penny had been charged and asked to pay for the clothes she would wear.
The poster for the play or the writing of what was going to be played should be somewhere here, thought Penny to herself. Taking a couple of steps to the left and right, she finally found a board that was written in chalk.
‘The golden girl and her neighbor’ read the title. Hmm, thought Penny to herself. Was there even a play like this?
“Where do you want to sit?” Damien asked Penny who was readying the title of the play again. Along with the writing, there was a strange drawing which made her narrow her eyes at it. A lot of people here didn’t know how to read and write, the drawing was supposedly for the illiterates.
“Do you know about this play?” she asked him.
“The golden girl? Yes,” he then smiled looking down at her, “Do you know how glad I am to hear that you don’t know about it? It is a similar version of the night theater but in a much more subtle way so that they don’t get a heart attack by seeing something too extreme. More like a sensual play but with the clothes on.”
So this was the reason there were so many men lined up.
“Don’t worry, it isn’t that bad but people here are like dogs, so they might find it bo appealing with the dog food,” Damien spoke to her in the same tone that had one of the men turn to look at him and ask,
“What did you just say?”
“I don’t know,” Damien gave him an innocent look, “Did you hear something?”
“LAST FEW TICKETS LEFT,” came the announcer’s voice that distracted the man to turn back his head.
“There is going to be blood in the theater if you are so loud,” Penny murmured leaning close to him.
“Whose mine?”
“Their blood on your hand,” Penny frowned looking at how far they were compared to the rest of them. Somewhere deep down she wanted to step inside the theater while at the same time she didn’t want to. It was a mixed feeling she couldn’t get rid of and therefore she decided to go along with Damien, “How are you planning to get the ticket? There are too many people in front of us.”
“Oh, mouse. When you have money to flaunt people will make way for you without even you having to say much,” he pulled out a gold coin from his pocket. Raising it in front of him and then looked at the announcer. He cleared his throat softly before raising his hand in the air to catch the attention of the man whose eyes zeroed on the gold coin, “Two seats at the front and a trip to the backstage?” Damien gave out his charming smile as if he were a saint which was far from it.
Damien didn’t have to go to him but the announcer himself made his way towards Damien to collect the gold coin from him. One didn’t have to know that Damien was rich, his eyes and clothes said it all.
“Is there anything else you need, Sire?” asked the man, his voice coming out to be hoarse due to the shouting.
“Nothing,” Damien said before getting inside the theater.
The theater didn’t change one bit. It was still the same when it came to the seats that were placed in front of the stage which wasn’t as big as the one she had been to with Damien and there was no music. It was a cozy environment here, a feeling of nostalgia that was feeling up in her. First, it was the church and now it was the theater.
It had been only months since she had stopped coming here after she was abducted to be placed in the slave establishment. The play hadn’t started and people had filled up the seats, mostly men and some couples who had come to enjoy the play together.
While she was still looking at the theater, Damien slipped his hand into hers and pulled her to the seat which was in the front. The play took ten more minutes before it started with the curtains being pulled.
Upon seeing the woman who entered the stage, Penny’s eyes hardened by the sight of her.
“Oh, where am I? Where have the flowers gone? How shall I go out today without the flowers with me?” came the dramatic voice of the woman.
Kylene. That was the woman’s name, the same woman who had been playing the lead in all the plays which had left no opportunity for Penny. Somewhere deep in her mind, Penny questioned if she or any other actress had a hand when it came to damaging the dress she was supposed to wear in one of the plays.
Penny wasn’t bad to look at and she knew it well and didn’t need others’ affirmation over how she looked but at the same time, she knew the actress named Kylene was prettier to look at. The way she moved and talked to people enchanted the men around her. It was one of the reasons why she was given the lead in all the plays to keep the customers coming back to have a look at her.
And in came the actor, the man opposite to her named Watson. Ah, Liam…thought Penny to herself.
