Beginnings - "The Deadly Bite of the Acting Bug "

A hush settled over the sparse audience of Tuesday night theater goers like a fog enveloping an English moor, thick and palpable. A fist clenching scene was being played out on the stage before them. The stage lights were low, softly illuminating the upper bedroom of an old Scottish castle. The young girl on center stage, preparing for bed, was about to meet the "Strangler," a villain stalking the play. The audience had been treated to glimpses of his hands, his black cloak and his feet throughout the first two acts, guiding them like little children through shrouded tunnels of stomach wrenching tension as, on by one, young girls fell prey to the Strangler’ sinister clutches.
The girl, dressed in a long, flowing nightgown, carrying a pewter candle holder with lighted candle, approached her bed, the light from the candle throwing ghastly shadows across the cold stone of the castle walls. The eerie whine of violins from the orchestra beneath the stage announced the presence of the killer. The audience cringed, collectively pushed themselves more deeply into the plush velvet of the theater seats. The music continued to build in earnestness as she placed the candle on the night stand and slid gracefully into bed. Leaning up on an elbow, she cupped her hand around the candle’s flame and blew it out gently, sending the stage into a black abyss.
The audience strained to see the stage in the darkness, not sure of the next passing moment. The music pulsated, increasing in volume slowly, deliberately, building the tension to a fevered pitch. Seconds continued to pass. The audience waited, edging forward in their seats. The music came suddenly to a screeching halt. A pause of silence. Then a piercing scream ripped through the darkness from the rear of the theater, sending the scattered audience into convulsions. Then from the balcony above came a heavy thump.