The Final Performance

An Edgar Allen Poe-esque horror story featuring some very bizarre events

 

The old man stroked his chin nervously, holding his brandy momentarily in his left hand. His fingers paused and brushed again across the long pale scar from a knife fight many years ago. By trade he was an entertainer and specifically an escapist. His name was Ashton and the following day was his daughter’s wedding. Her groom was another entertainer, the elephant trainer for the circus. The man who had offered him the drink he now cradled softly was Trevor Lane, the builder of all of his escapist equipment. Trevor was a decent sort but something about him made Ashton nervous. His usually warm and welcoming demeanor was sometimes tainted by streaks of what seemed to be hostility. Ashton’s thoughtful silence was broken by the harsh sound of Trevor clearing his throat.

            “So, Julianne’s wedding is tomorrow then, eh?”

            “Aye,” Ashton replied. “Down at the cathedral.”

            “I’ve decided to attend. I am happy for her you know.” Trevor smiled brightly. “I imagine she’ll be beautiful in that white wedding dress.”

            Ashton was relieved. It had only been a year since he had refused Trevor the right to court his daughter and he had hoped that he was over it. This reassured him and his nervous mood lifted.

            “How about one last toast,” Trevor suggested. “To you, to us and to your beautiful daughter.” They raised their glasses, but Ashton was surprised that they had been emptied sometime over the course of the conversation. Trevor wasn’t phased a bit.

            “Don’t worry old man,” he chuckled, “we’ll fetch another bottle from the cellar.”

Ashton followed softly behind Trevor, his mind muddled from drink. When they reached the cellar, Trevor selected a wholesome vintage, but set it aside on a little table.

            “I want to show you something,” an excited smile lit up his face. “I built it especially for you. Think of it as a retirement gift.” He pointed to a spectacular looking cage in the corner. The mechanism was beautiful, the kinds of weights, pulleys, locks and chains that would make a marvelous escape. Ashton was still gazing in wonder upon the contraption when he felt himself roughly pushed inside it.

            “What are you doing?” he gasped in disbelief.

            “You knew that I wanted your daughter,” Trevor’s countenance had shifted to the cold calculating stare of a murderer, “and you gave her instead to that Arabian elephant trainer.”

            “Well, what are you going to do? Do you honestly think I can’t escape? I’ll be out of here in twenty minutes.” He immediately began working and was starting to make a breakthrough when he heard a triumphant, maniacal laugh. He turned and instantly screamed. “Oh, God in Heaven! What is that thing?”

            “Allow me to introduce you to my Arizona Wall Spider. Its venom is deadly.” Trevor continued laughing, “I’ll send your regards to the happy couple.”

            “You b*****d!” Ashton was in hysterics. He attempted to kick his shoe at the monster but he missed and as Trevor closed the curtains on Ashton’s final performance, the escapist let out one final scream.

Author's Note

It's very short, mainly done as an exercise but it's interesting.

Reviews

[Writer CW Kirkland]

The premise of this story is promising, and it can developed more. I think the characters are very interesting, and I like the setting of the story. The story may be more effective with a stronger escalation to the moment that Ashton realizes Trevor has plotted his murder. I do like the story and the specific details (i.e., the way he held his glass). I also recommend reviewing some of the punctuation...for example, two complete sentences should be separated by a comma when combined. Thank you for sharing your writing with us, and I look forward to reading more.