I’m lost, I’m lost! I’m lost in the woods! Oh, where do I go now!
Jimmy had been standing there watching as the crowd had gathered around him. As the story moved on, he could feel the despair of the beautiful woman on the scenery as if it was his own, feeling her fight to find a way out of the dark, haunted forest, her fear of the creature lurking in the dark.
An imp came running out from between the trees.
I can help you, fair lady! He said, and she let him take her hand. Jimmy stood watching as they disappeared in a distance. He was alone between the trees. The crowd was gone.
Wait! He shouted, but both the little man and the beauty were gone. Darkness fell. He could hardly see in the dense woods. Help! Somebody help me!
Something moved in the bushes. He started walking faster, away from whatever was watching him. He looked over his shoulder. It hid behind a tree. Cold sweat emerged in his neck. He started running.
He saw a house in a distance. A lonely light in the darkness. Footsteps were following just behind him. He could feel a breath in the back of his head. He fell onto the door.
Come in! He heard from inside. He entered. Whoever it was, he preferred anyone before the creeping shadow in the woods..
An old man was sitting by a table, looking at him with a friendly smile.
You’re lost, are you?
I am. Jimmy sent an anxious look at the closed door.
Don’t worry, it won’t come in here. You’re safe now.
I was watching a play…
Ah, the show! The wonderful play of life! Such a beauty, such intrigue, such comedy. It’s old, you know. Older than you and, me, older than these trees, these hills. It’s as old as the darkness of the woods.
I… Jimmy wasn’t sure what the old man was talking about.
But it’s not your play, this one. Yours is another. Look! Behold the scenery!
Jimmy looked out of the window. He could see his wife with a little child in her arms. His child, still unborn.
That is the play you are supposed to play, said the old one. That is the role picked out for you.
Jimmy was back in town. It was dark, and everyone had gone home. The portable scenery was gone, too. Or had it ever been there? Jimmy didn’t know. He turned and left for home, where his wife was waiting.
Waiting for him to play his part.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre
Dam great! You get stuck in the role even when you want out too! That’s what causes pain and suffering…when you no longer want to play…
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I guess there’s a time for everything. Jimmy here just realised he was good where he was, and the frustration left him. Sometimes we have to go chase our dreams, other times we have to play the role we’re given. Life’s like that. Thanks, George!
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So, it is written! So shall it be!
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The way it has to be 🙂 Thanks!
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Great story! It flows very well, and I really liked the ending. The last sentence is great too.
My only suggestion would be on the dialogue tags. “Wait! [h]e shouted,”
I would also put quotation marks around dialogue for easier reading.
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Thank you! So you’re saying I should use minuscule letters after exclamation marks… I didn’t know that was allowed.
The dialogues will probably stay as they are on this blog, it’s a desicion made in the beginning. It’s more interesting to write this way, but sometimes I might fail to make things clear.
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The pronoun in a dialogue tag that comes after the dialogue should always be lower case.
For example, “You have a really big head!” she said.
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Hmmm… thanks! I think it’s done differently in Norwegian, though it might be me. I’ll do that from now on.
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I’m a Canadian, so my feedback is based on Canadian and American storytelling conventions.
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Beautifully composed!!
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Thanks!
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Who’s watching us as we play our parts in life? Really enjoyed this. The last line summed it up well!
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We are, at least, and who knows what more 🙂 Thank you for being here.
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An intriguing Tale!
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Thank you!
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Great story! 😍💜
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Thank you!
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Great story, I loved the whole concept. “All the world’s a stage”, as Shakespeare once said 🙂
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Thanks, Draliman! Shakespeare did have some good ideas 😀
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Yes, all the world’s a stage and all men play many parts in their time.
Some are free to choose their particular parts while still others must accept the parts they’ve been given.
As Shakespeare also said, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
Wonderfully written story with great insights into life and the comparison of life with a dramatic stage play.
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Thanks a lot, Dracul. That means a lot to me. Sometimes fear makes us incapable of accepting things as they are, too. Over the clouds, the sun always shines.
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I really like that!!!! Cheers! 🙂
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Thank you 🙂
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Amazing how one person can play so many parts 🙂 Feels uncanny in how true to life this piece is!
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🙂 Thanks a lot, Ekaterina! We do indeed play a lot of roles throughout life. Happy to hear from you!
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It’s nice to be reading your work again 🙂
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🙂
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