Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
the theater was packed with people, the members of the dead poets society taking up an entire row.
the stage was set up with painted trees and lights shining from various places.
from behind a bush, neil emerged. the boy was dressed in dark green clothing, a crown of twigs and berries resting on his head, and twigs on his hands.
from the audience, charlie and scarlett shot up from their seats, excited to see neil.
"hey, there he is!" charlie whispered with a grin.
"look at our amazing boy!" scarlett joked as she placed her hands on charlie's shoulder and shook him.
rory chuckled as she pulled charlie back into his seat, todd doing the same to scarlett.
on stage, neil quickly hides behind a tree with a grin. a girl comes on stage, similarly clad to neil, except she had flowers in her hair. neil sneaked over to the girl.
"'either i mistake your shape and making quite, or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite. call'd robin goodfellow." the girl, who played a fairy, said.
"'thou speak'st aright.'" neil said. "'i am that merry wanderer of the night. i jest to oberon and make him smile when i a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,'" horse noises echo throughout the auditorium, making the audience laugh.
"'neighing in likeness of a filly foal: and sometimes lurk i in a gossip's bowl, in very likeness of a roasted crab, and when she drinks, against her lips i bob. and on her wither'd dewlap pour the ale. the wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale,'"
in the audience, charlie leaned over towards john.
"he's good." charlie whispered. "he's really good."
with a smile, john gives charlie a thumbs up.
as scarlett looked up at neil, she couldn't help but stare in awe. he was exceptional. pure happiness radiated off of the teen boy as he acted his heart out, scarlett could tell. the sight made her heart melt. the young keating had never seen neil so happy. it was a refreshing sight. she silently wished for the sight to be permanent.
"'sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me; then slip i from her bum, down topples she, and 'tailor' cries, and falls into a cough; and then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh, and waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear a merrier hour was never wasted there. but, room, fairy! here comes oberon."
"and here my mistress. would that he were gone!"
neil and the other actress hide behind the fake trees, lifting their twig-covered hands to hide themselves.
✰
the stage was dark until a spotlight shined upon the stage revealing neil with his back to the audience. he slowly turned around to face the audience.
