Remains of the Show [A work of fiction to honor Greg Rawls' birthday.]

Greg Rawls with father Lucian and Audrey II. Photo by Janice Moir Fulp.

The mood in the theatre’s scenic storage room was somber, funereal. The director and set designer grimly began dismantling Audrey II.

“It’s a shame.”

“Worse. A loss of revenue.”

But, with no room, they couldn’t preserve it for future rentals.

“Perhaps the infrastructure will reappear as Alice’s rabbit hole or in a furniture costume for Beauty.”

“We’ll always have the photos and the memories.”

Slowly, the creation, reduced to its parts, was more discarded than kept. As they started to leave, the designer asked, “Did you hear something?”

“No.”

The door closed.

In the darkness, a voice said, “Feed me.”

[Please note this original 100-word story, or Drabble, is a work of fiction, written as a tribute to wish my friend Greg Rawls a very Happy Birthday and to honor his set designs for the USCB Center for the Arts, particularly his creation of Audrey II that is still intact!]