‘Anything to win’.

She wheezed and grunted as she stuck herself with the strange syringe. She needed to win. She NEEDED to win. She wanted so badly to shine, to be someone. Behind the curtains. It was her solo. Her toes cracked and popped as her body seemed to stretch and become more limber. This was her moment.

Her eyes glowed strange green and the lights shimmered across her beautiful leotard ...

Hello,

Good people

_Crying in the bathroom_

_Hating myself_

We have put a lot

Of

_Tears_

_Blood_

_Sweat_

_Pain_

Work

Into our show tonight

And are

_Tired_

_Scared_

_Sad_

_Angry_

Excited

To unveil the

Fruit

Of our

_Suffering _

_Nights withought sleep_

_Days without happiness _

Practice...

What you see is…

People dressed up

Everyone happy

Excited to be there

Laughing with the crowd

Perfect at what they do

What you don’t see is…

People crying

People broken and in pain

Some wanting to die

Some even do

The strenuous work

The pressure that their in

To get everything perfect

Wanting to tell their secrets

But know that they are fighting for themselves

Everything changes when ...

im okay.

on the stage

i’m okay

beneath the spotlights

i’m okay

but in my darkest moments

when the camera turns off

i’m not

they’re just lines

from a script i memorised

rehearsed till perfection

rehearsed till you can’t find the flaws

i’m really not okay

backstage i’m a mess

i’m broken and shattered and exhausted

but when i get on the stage

i’m okay

i have to be okay

i have to play my part

i have...

There was a nervous tension radiating through most of the performers jittering legs betrayed the outward look of calm. Staring at her crew an intense feeling of pride overtook rhe nerves she had been feeling previously. Taking a calming breath, Eve transitioned into an authoritative posture before stiding into the line of sight of her team.

“They are pretty good.” She dropped challengingly.

...

I learned to live behind a mask,

Hiding all my feelings.

Force a smile, and if they ask,

Pretend I'm not still reeling.

I learned to live unlike myself,

Bending to every wish.

Fading, but you could never tell.

Was it worth the risk?

I learned to live with all formality,

Playing my part with ease.

Slowly, painfully, I forgot reality.

Who was I supposed to be?

I learned to live a dangerous lie,

W...

I can make the stars

Or I can make you see some

Sprinkle some fairy dust

And make you shine

Or load you in dust

To make you blind

I can pull the strings

And make you dance to my tune

You could be a dancing mermaid

Or nothing for all I care

You sing, I chorus

You dance, I group

You shout, I amplify

You cry, I shut down

You get standing ovation

And continuous claps

Followed by fame and wealth

Whi...

I am like play.

My only purpose is to entertain.

Sometimes I make you laugh,

Sometimes I make you gasp.

Sometimes I make you worry,

Sometimes I make you smile.

Sometimes I make you cry,

Sometimes I make you care.

I can be whatever you want.

Just tell me what genre you’d like,

And I can be it.

He wants a comedy,

And she wants a romance.

He wants a fantasy,

And she wants a tragedy.

I can perform wha...

A beautiful dance of smiles

With moves so precise

But what nobody knows

Is the strife behind the scenes

Little Anna is an orphan

Alone and afraid

But never tells a soul

George is forced to do what he doesn’t want

He doesn’t have his own life

But lives for another

Headmaster Sally

Looks cam, cool, and collected

But behind the scenes she wants to be mended

Betrayed by her boyfriend

Overwhelmed ...

Is this the end?

This can’t be it

Surely not

Right?

Tears threatening to flow

As the curtains whizz by

Massive group hugs

As a goodbye

Back at home

Sore eyes tired from crying

Reminiscing on the times backstage

And the inside jokes

The songs

The friends

The dances

The everything.

Is this the end?

This can’t be it

Surely not

Right?

^^^^^

Today was my last show at the pantomime I’ve been doing...