Janelle's speech

Janelle swallowed nervously as she approached the podium. She glanced toward the audience and winced as the glaring spotlights brought tears to her eyes. So much for picking someone to direct her speech to, she thought morosely. She stumbled slightly over the cord taped to the floor, praying fervently that no one noticed.

Much of the talking ceased when Janelle placed her notes on the podium and adjusted the microphone to match her diminutive stature, grateful for the box someone had thoughtfully provided for her. She would really look like a talking head without it!

The audience appeared to be listening respectfully, as Janelle expounded on her subject. They even laughed appropriately at the joke her professor had insisted she include. She was nearing the half-way point in her presentation when she realized the audience had begun murmuring. She faltered a little as the murmur grew louder, spreading swiftly through the assembled throng.

They seemed to be laughing, she realized with a start. But, why? She was well past the joke. She shifted her feet slightly and was a little puzzled at the matching shift in her vision. She continued with her speech, even as the unmistakable sound of laughter swelled.

All at once she realized it was not her vision, or her nerves that was making her surroundings seem to be moving. She was sinking! Her face surely displayed the panic that overwhelmed her as she abruptly stopped speaking. An embarrassed flush suffused her face as she realized that some practical joker had activated the lowering mechanism beneath the stage.

Her brain worked furiously to identify the diabolical person behind this pernicious act. As she descended the last few feet below the stage, Janelle could hear the audience roaring with laughter. She gave them a vigorous wave before she completely sank out of sight, thanking them for their attention and wishing them all a good trip home.

Janelle calmly gathered her notes, switched off the microphone, and smiled to herself. If her deductions were correct, and she was confident they were, her little brother was going to learn the true meaning of revenge!

Countable: the podium; the audience; the...spotlights; the cord; the floor; no one; the microphone; the box; a...head; the joke; the...throng; a start; some ...joker; the ...mechanism; the stage; the...person; this... act; the...fee; a...wave; a ...trip.. ( I purposely left out those combinations that were repeated).

Uncountable: Much of the talking; the...point; the murmur; the ...shift; the...sound; the panic; an embarrassed flush; the meaning.