The Girl on the Poster by Mallory H.P. & Rain J.R

Author:Mallory, H.P. & Rain, J.R.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rain Press
Published: 2022-08-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The show that night was the best I’d ever appeared in.

We performed for an overflowing crowd, taking ‘Standing Room Only’ to an extent I didn’t think possible. It was so electric and exciting, I got what Liberty called ‘butterflies’ in my stomach.

After Rex dazzled the crowd with his preposterous tolerance for pain, Laurent announced me. A crowd this large made it impossible for me to hide among them (all the seats were sold out) before my appearance so Laurent just introduced me from backstage. I walked right into an ovation that gave me goosebumps. With the help of a roving spotlight, Laurent identified our special guests and invited them to join us onstage. While the husband and wife hesitated at first, the children were beyond excited. They enthusiastically grabbed their parents’ hands and eagerly led them to the stage.

I could only hope something horrible wouldn’t befall them afterwards and I was going to make sure they left the stage exactly as they came onto it.

As usual, Laurent asked them for their names and where they were from before soliciting their assistance with my act. Once more, Laurent deftly produced the gilded birdcage from behind his back and placed it on the four-foot stand. The cage was too high for the children to reach, so Laurent asked the father to open the door to the cage.

“Time for our little bird to go inside her cage,” he said, motioning to me.

The crowd became deathly quiet as I stood on top of the cage, arching my body until I was balancing myself with my hands rather than my feet. When I was certain the crowd was captivated by my gymnastics, I slowly placed one foot and then one arm through the narrow cage door.

I doubted anyone in the crowd had ever heard of ‘origami’, not even the friendly librarian in town. I certainly hadn’t until Jing explained what she’d been doing earlier today with a piece of paper and her feet. ‘Origami’ was a good analogy for how I folded my body into a shape that allowed me to enter the tiny opening to the cage. The crowd looked on in amazement at my twisting, watching as I tucked my other leg inside the narrow space so my entire body was now encased. Laurent instructed the man to close the door while I “rested.”

As I maintained my uncomfortable position inside the enclosure, Laurent distracted the crowd with some of his illusions. But most were only half-watching his visual tricks. All eyes remained on me, as if everyone expected me to bust out of the cage since I was bent at such unnatural angles.

Sensing the pivotal moment when it arrived, Laurent said, “I think our little bird wants her freedom again. What do you think, friends? Shall we let her out of her gilded cage?”

The crowd chorused an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’ I could feel their energy, which even seemed to vibrate the cage bars. Per Laurent’s instructions, the father opened the door while the band began to play a song.

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