323 words …

Keith's Ramblings

for Six Sentence Stories where the given word is Structure.

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In the middle of the town square stood an ornate stage, an octagonal brightly painted structure of yellow and red with a blue pointed roof from which a long thin orange flag waved in the breeze, as did a pair of green and silver velvet curtains, which, with a flash and a bang flew open to reveal a gentleman bedecked in a purple and gold cape, and a glossy black top hat.

“My name is Maximillion Montmorency” he bellowed, “please kind gentlemen and fair ladies, gather round and prepare yourselves for an astonishing and extraordinary demonstration of incomprehensible and bewildering dexterity, be certain you’ll be unable to apprehend what your eyes are about to witness”

“I need a volunteer,” he said pointing in the direction of a small man in a cloth cap, “yes, you sir, come forth, you have my word no harm will befall you, just lie down on this table and relax”, and when he’d done as he was instructed a gold cover was completely placed over his body. 

“Drums” roared the magician, but not a sound came forth, “drums boy” he yelled and with that a ragged urchin appeared dragging an enormous drum; “sorry Mister Max” he squeaked, “you will be my boy, you will be”.

Maximillion Montmorency slowly began to slide the table from beneath the small man, and the crowd gasped as he cast a cane back and forth beneath the levitated creature, however, with a sudden loud crack the poor fellow fell to the ground with a crash and a cry of ‘ouch’, and the urchin dragged closed the curtains thereby concealing the unfortunate spectacle within.

The following morning the stage was gone as was Maximillian Montmorency and his urchin and I’m pleased to report that no permanent damage was suffered by the small man, indeed he is still something of a minor celebrity in the town where he drinks on the story to this day.

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Thanks to Denise at GirlieOnTheEdge for hosting.

23 thoughts on “323 words …”

  2. Frank Hubeny Oct 20, 2022 / 14:11

    I am glad to hear the small man survived and can drink on the story to this day. I wonder what happened to Maximillion.

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  6. imnobodywhoareyou Oct 20, 2022 / 15:56

    I was intrigued with the character of the ragged urchin hauling the big drum. Could be a magician in the making.

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. dorahak Oct 21, 2022 / 02:06

    I enjoy hearing you read your stories, Keith. You make them come alive. This one especially: what fun!
    ~ Dora

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. clark Oct 21, 2022 / 19:47

    Enjoyed.
    Got the vibe of a pre-modern/aren’t-we-so-sophisticated-now era, say back in the first half of the 20th, even 19th Century. Hard to imagine the worldview of those for whom the pronouncement:
    “…prepare yourselves for an astonishing and extraordinary demonstration of incomprehensible and bewildering dexterity, be certain you’ll be unable to apprehend what your eyes are about to witness”
    would serve to heighten the audience’s interest rather than the opposite.
    Surely it (this Six) illustrates the challenge we-who-would-write-stories face when our imagination insists we travel beyond our own everyday world. It’s not so much how different might the world-at-large is, rather can we imagine how the characters in different time perceived the world.
    Fun Six

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