Hall of Fame
"It was an eerie, theatrical day. Everyone was excited. The speakers and screens had announced the festival that day. Famous stars in our world, and the wonder and magic they brought to the city. The small family beamed at each other, as the days crowds poured down the road outside.
Their home was a neat little condominium, in a world full of other neat condominiums, lining the street. Outlined by fastidious shrubbery, particular grass, and clean smooth, sidewalks and roads rambling out of sight in both directions.
The family took step with the crowds. It was time for the festival. The father smiled at his young daughter. She smiled back and sighed. A few hours at a festival. They'd be home by nightfall. That would do.
A forty-five-minute walk later, they arrived at the huge city circle. A coliseum, the home of that day's events, was parked right in the middle of the circle. Crowds waved and cheered as things began, some bringing signs with them and holding them up to cheer for the city's seven famous stars. Imagine being a star in the city, she thought. Speakers, screens, the city's admiration. Amazing.
The speakers wore on, announcing and regaling, as the seven stars were talked about and basked in the city's golden glow. It was towards the end of the festival, and dusk had settled. The young girl craned her neck. ' I don't see them, father.' He shuffled, looking over the crowd, and shrugged. 'Who knows. We're heading home. Make sure you follow before too long.'
The father, mother, and younger brother were swept away, as the young girl stared forward for a glimpse of the recipients of that day's celebration. The crowd was thinning out, as the young girl looked curiously around the coliseum. An entrance. That camera, with the blinking light. The guard had stepped away. She had to know. Had to know what the stars looked like in person.
She entered the coliseum quietly, pushing past a heavy door and walking down an elaborate hallway. She gasped, taken aback. A huge marble room, lined with seven statues framed by velvet ropes. That was them alright. Attached to a tall pillar, the four men and three women of the festival were personified in solemn, Greek beauty.
She wandered closer for a better look. The statues looked fresh. She walked around slowly, gazing up and down the statues until she saw her favorite one, a handsome, tall brown-haired man. She hugged the statue gently, and pulled away, feeling a small piece of plaster catch her clothing.
That was odd. Maybe that's why the statues were in here, under security, roped off. She examined the piece, then tried to put it back on. Testing the aperture, her expression grew curious, then ashened. She could feel it under there. There was a human body inside the statue.
Horrified, she drew away, unable to help herself as she felt the handsome face. She pulled on it, peeling at the slightly damp plaster, and there it was. The face of her favorite star, lifeless and cold.
She backed away, keeping an eye on her surroundings. A camera spotted her and beeped, an alarm loudly beginning to wail through the room. She dashed quickly for the exit, guards' voices seeking in baritone down the hallway."
Short Stories