Let Me Entertain You

Let Me Entertain You.

“Samuel! You're up.” The voice was gruff and unexpected causing Samuel’s heart to leap into his throat, it stayed there, a lump that he could not swallow. He moved muscles that protested after long hours of rehearsal and entered the kings dining hall. Feeling something soft on his bare feet he glanced down, a roll of red carpet stretched before him in a straight line toward the far end of the hall. At the end of the carpet a long table was laden with exotic foods. Behind the table sat the King and Queen, their family and their advisors; they were all facing him. The king was eating a large tomato and the juice was running down his chin leaving a trail of pips on his finely trimmed beard. He looked up as Samuel approached, he did not smile.

Fighting his sudden urge to turn and flee, Samuel worked on putting one foot in front of the next in a fluid, graceful motion just as he had practised. The carpet stopped short of the table by six meters and Samuel drooped into a slow, flowing bow that brought his nose inches from the floor. He straightened and halted for a split second to catch the king’s expression. It may as well have been set in stone. Feeling a sudden rush of nausea Samuel sprung into the first stages of his dance, hiding his nervousness with elegant leaps and twirls, his robe flowing delicately behind him. His practise had been so intense the moves came to him as second nature. The king’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he stared intently at Samuel, a half eaten tomato lay forgotten on his plate.

The performance was short and before long Samuel stood breathlessly on the red carpet, head bowed slightly, his gaze averted. Around him the room was deathly silent. No one cheered or booed, no one even dared to move. They all waited on the king’s verdict. He stared solidly at Samuel, unblinking, not even the hint of a smile played on his lips. Samuel was going to be sick, he could feel it. The king must be displeased with his performance. If not he would have cheered by now, surely? What is taking him so long to decide? Was this normal?

Minute after torturous minute went by, it felt like hours. Finally the king shifted his gaze to glance at his wife. She smiled slightly, indicting her decision. The king looked back at Samuel, his eyes betrayed nothing. Then he made a strange motion with his hand.

On cue a bowman standing on a balcony let loose his arrow. It was sharp and true and Samuel’s still quivering body was dragged from the room.

Word count: 452