Welcome back to the daily prompts. Day four – bit of a horror this one.
Clapping Field Energy: use these 3 words
They hadn’t intended to skive off school. A hot summer sun bathed the field in golden light and the summons was too much to resist. They paused on the country lane, mid-trudge, eyed each other and grinned. Satchels safely hidden in a hedge, packed lunches extracted, they climbed the gate and meandered along the path edging the head-high corn. Tall stands of Queen Ann’s lace, hogweed, thick clumps of nettles and sticky weed marked their way.
The sun rose higher, catching them in its heat to drain their energy. They paused, swigged water from bottles, moved on with heavier legs. The path turned left, over a stile, and into woods. They welcomed the shady coolness beneath the trees, and carried on, restored.
When hunger caught them, they spread their picnic on the sparsely grassed forest floor and leaned their backs against a fallen tree. They had barely taken a bite when the clapping sounded. Close by. No voices, simply a steady rhythm, mocking them.
The clapper came into view. Tall, shrouded in a dark cloak inappropriate for the weather, the figure advanced on them. The clap, clap of its long, bony figures boomed like drumbeats marching soldiers off to war, while from within the shadowed hood a loud hissing, a Tsk, Tsk, scolded them.
They huddled into each other, their heartbearts thundering to match the clapping – until they ceased beating at all.
And that’s how they found them, two naughty children who should never have skived off school.
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The clapping grew louder as the audience stood and applauded. Tony was chuffed – they were applauding his singing efforts at their senior school concert.
He had practised tirelessly for this moment. His song, sung in a loud baritone voice, had reverberated from the assembly hall rafters and transfixed every single parent with its rich tone.
The crescendo boosted his energy levels even further and he believed he could take on the entire world.
“Encore! Encore!” they cried and, overwhelmed and alone on the stage, he burst into song once more – the words from Nessa Dorma ringing in their ears.
Once more applause filled the stadium as, satisfied and beaming, he bowed to deeply from the waist to acknowledge their accolades.
Tony had always loved singing and drama, a field he hoped to make his life’s work. This was just the beginning, he thought. Once school was over he would be continuing his musical studies and hoping to be chosen for a role in one of the musicals that regularly graced the city’s theatres.
Hands sore from so much enthusiastic clapping, the parents resumed their seats once more. Tony gave a final nod of his head, heels kicking together in a light fandango before heading into the wings.
Good one!
Horrendous. What a miserable fate just for playing truant!!
Ha ha!