Saturday, July 19, 2008

The Last Curtain Call (A Short Story)


Your most productive years may have been behind you now and you spend your time in utter loneliness and isolation, reliving your glorious past. Before, you were used to the praise and adulation of your millions of fans, but now you are left alone, staring on a blank wall where the sound of silence seems so deafening. Ah yes, you could still hear the applauses, the laughter, the celebration every time your name was called during curtain calls. Your name was on everyone's lips and dashing gentlemen made a beeline to hand you their bouquet of flowers. You have them all, boxes of chocolates, endless greeting cards, love notes- everything that reminded you of the tumultuous glory days of your life. People swooned when they heard your voice, and each end of your production numbers were greeted with thunderous applauses and endless calls for an encore.

Ah, you remember your past loves, the endless queues of men in your life. The fabulous places you have reached, the how do you do's with the high and mighty in your heyday. You have been around the world living in the adulation of your legions of fans. You savored each inebriating moment of your existence. You transferred from arms to arms, intoxicated by the love abundantly poured on your lap by your countless lovers. But you had your final curtain call. You are no longer famous. You are no longer beautiful. The voice that has so captivated millions of souls have now been reduced to a croaking and melancholy voice.

And as you look at the empty wall on a cramped room you are renting, you felt the hot tears of loneliness and grief falling from your eyes, gliding down your face. You closed your eyes and relived once more in your mind the glory days of your youth, when the world adored the beautiful and marvelous you. That was your very last curtain call. Early next morning, the porter of the hotel found a lifeless corpse of an old and emaciated woman still clutching in her hand her favorite photograph.

Tags: Vaudeville Superstar, Rich and Famous, Last Curtain Call
Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla

10 comments:

Tidbits Of Tammy said...

Wow I did not know this about her. Such a tragic end. You have inspired me to find out more about her. Thanks for such an intriguing post.

I am deeply sorry to hear about your families displacement. Thank god they are safe though.

Get some much need rest I am sure your are exhausted after the moving.

Glad your are back in circulation!

Blessings to you and yours,
Tammy

Aisha said...

Such a sad story. :( I don't know what to say. Life is like that and it's really important to always think about whatever decisions we make today will affect our future. I just wish she found Jesus. Makes life worth living no matter how old you become. That's what I think.

Sameera Ansari said...

A very beautiful and poignant piece Mel.Behind all that glitz and glamor,most celebs are in her state.The end reminded me of that of a famous yesteryear Indian actress.

Take care my friend.God Bless You and your loved ones always.

Dusty said...

I LIKE U UNCLE

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Tammy,
Actually, the story was not based on the life story of Greta Garbo. It was a story of a faded vaudeville actress who died in extreme loneliness and isolation very much like the great Garbo. I just used the picture of Greta Garbo as props in my article. So sorry for the wrong intimation. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you and your loved ones always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Steven and Aisha,
Actually I made the story over a month ago when I was inspired by an article about the tragic death of a faded vaudeville actress. I just used the picture of Greta Garbo since she lived a very similar life. Thanks for the visit and comments. God bless you both.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Sameera,
How tragic the end of most superstars are. Reminds us of the tragic death of Marilyn Monroe at the zenith of her popularity. Behind all the glitz and glamor of showbiz are the tragic stories of people alienated from the rest of society as they ended up craving for more love and attention. In the end, the applauses and adulation bestowed on them when they were still famous suddenly result in the deafening silence of their loneliness and isolation. Such pathos of life. Thanks for your visit and comments my dear friend. God bless you always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Dusty,
Thank you so much. God bless.

Anonymous said...

Once someone told me :
Life is of three phases...
1. Child
2. Young
3. Old
I wish it ends on a happy note.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Hobo,
That was a profound observation of life. But life is but a reflection of one's aspirations and dreams in life. Everybody wants to have a happy ending. Thanks for the visit and comments. God bless.


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