Walking Dead: To Be Loved
Chapter 29 of my Walking Dead story, enjoy.
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Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Walking Dead or its characters.
Chapter 29: The Tempest
Carl smiled lightly as he sat in his seat in the audience in between his parents and Anna, Carol sat on Anna's other side and next to Carol sat Paula and Nicholas.
"So, how was everything backstage?" Anna asked Carl as he sat down.
Carl smirked. "Chaotic as you can imagine, Ms. Espinosa is going crazy trying to keep everything running smoothly."
Anna grinned at that, looking back towards the stage. It had been a few months since Mikey had been found and returned home and things were finally looking up, those responsible for what happened to Mikey, especially the Rose family, were all jailed now and Carl had seen Mikey improving, he was no longer anywhere near as scared as he had been and was making a gradual but steady recovery. He knew however there was a slight complication, namely that traffic issues had caused the girl playing Ariel to be delayed in reaching the school, he wondered just how they'd handle this, it had certainly been stressing Ms. Espinosa out when he left the backstage area. But Sophia had been confident, in her element and reassured him she'd handle it. At that exact moment however Ms. Espinosa appeared on the stage.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all for coming to this year's school production, in this case of The Tempest." She announced. "I would just like to address a small rumour you may have heard. It's true that Jessica is sadly delayed in reaching here due to traffic issues. However this does mean the play is delayed or will be cancelled. We have reassurances that she will make it and be ready to take part, although she will sadly not be able to get here for the first scene involving her character. But rest assured we have found a more than suitable stand in, to fulfil the role until she arrives."
Everybody smiled, a few applauded and with one final welcome from Rosita, the play began.
The play had been progressing well and Carl smiled as he watched Mikey as he played Prospero with great skill and dedication.
'You'd never realize, just by looking at him, what had happened to him only a few months ago.' Carl noted.
"Thou art inclin'd to sleep." Mikey said to the girl playing Prospero's daughter Miranda. "'Tis a good dullness and give it way. I know Thou canst not choose."
As per the play, Miranda reclined on the ground and slept as Prospero turned and spoke to the wings.
"Come away, servant, come, I am ready now." He said. "Approach my Ariel, come."
With that Ariel entered the stage, Anna gasped and Carl's eyes widened as they realized, in full costume and make up for Ariel, it was Sophia.
'Of course.' Anna realized. 'Sophia's got so much in-depth knowledge of the play from all her stage manager work. She knows the part well enough to play it in an emergency like that.'
They watched in amazement and delight as Sophia began reciting her lines as Ariel.
"All hail, great master! Grave sir hail, I come to answer thy best pleasure, be't to fly, to swim, to dive into the fire, to ride on the curl'd clouds." She said. "To thy strong bidding task."
Mikey delivered his next line. "Hast thou, spirit, perform'd to point the tempest that I bade thee?"
"To every article. I boarded the king's ship; now on the beak, now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin, I flamed amazement." Sophia exclaimed. "Sometime I'd divide, and burn in many places; on the topmast, the yards and bowsprit, would I flame distinctly, then meet and join. Jove's lightnings, the precursors O' the dreadful thunder-claps, more momentary and sight-outrunning were not; the fire and cracks of sulphurous roaring the most mighty Neptune seem to besiege and make his bold waves tremble. Yea, his dread trident shake."
Mikey nodded, smiling and spoke again. "My brave spirit! Who was so firm, so constant, that this coil would not infect his reason?"
"Not a soul but felt a fever of the mad and play'd." Sophia replied. "Some tricks of desperation. All but mariners plunged in the foaming brine and quit the vessel, then all afire with me: the king's son, Ferdinand, with hair up-staring,-then like reeds, not hair,-was the first man that leap'd; cried, 'Hell is empty and all the devils are here."
Carl and Anna shared a grin, amazed at the performance.
The play went on to be a great success. That first scene would be Sophia's only scene as Ariel as after she finished Jessica managed to make it and get in costume and make up in time for the next one. Sophia didn't mind however, she preferred the backstage work. But she admitted it had been fun for her to work with Mikey to deliver the scene. Even now that feeling still lingered as she watched Mikey close the play with the final lines.
"Now my charms are all o'erthrown, and what strength I have's mine own, which is most faint: now, 'tis true, I must be here confined by you, or sent to Naples. Let me not, since I have my dukedom got and pardon'd the deceiver, dwell in this bare island by your spell; but release me from my bands with the help of your good hands: Gentle breath of yours my sails must fill, or else my project fails, which was to please. Now I want spirits to enforce, art to enchant, and my ending is despair, unless I be relieved by prayer, which pierces so that it assaults mercy itself and frees all faults. As you from crimes would pardon'd be, let your indulgence set me free."
With the play finished and everyone taking their bows they all began getting changed and preparing themselves to leave. It was not long before Sophia found Anna hurrying over to her.
"Sophia, that was awesome." She cried.
Sophia laughed as they two hugged and shared a soft kiss. "Thanks Anna."
Carl was there too, as were their families.
"She's right you know." Carl said. "It was one hell of a performance. Yet you still looked so relieved when Jessica made it."
Sophia shook her head, laughing. "That's just me. I'm always more comfortable backstage than I am before an audience."
They all smiled and talked happily as Mikey finally joined them.
"Mikey, that was great work, congratulations." Carl said with a grin.
Mikey grinned back, joined by his family as they all spoke happily of the play, leaving together as Carl noted, to his relief, that Mikey was getting even better. His recovery was steady and now it seemed he had high hopes to once more be himself again, something that Mikey himself was truly happy about.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.