The Show Must Go On by Michelle Lindsey

Elizabeth slips into a mirage, visualizing herself on stage. Heat from the lights intoxicate her. Perspiration gives her skin a glimmering aura. The glitter dusted on her body is reflecting her radiance. The audience stares in amazement. They cheer when the Magician announces her appearance. He promised this moment. He promised fame. His “amazing assistant.” She raises her arms out to her sides and gives a dainty, yet seductive, curtsy. Her outfit is designed to dazzle, her hair and makeup meant to wow. She clamors unto the table where the box awaits her. She can feel the rough wood digging into her hands as she positions her prone body in place. The scent of pine engulfs her senses. This is the best trick in the show. This is her moment to shine. Her performance is the envy of all who see. The audience goes silent. The only sound radiating throughout the room is the clasp of the lock. That satisfying click as rod meets its mark in the tiny mechanism, sealing her fate. The saw, manual, to prolong the audience’s anxiety, eats its way  through wood. Her body vibrates with anticipation as the saw etches its way closer to her waistline. It’s when she experiences pain that the lights dim to darkness and the box becomes more of a tomb. Her imagination- no longer being able to project the illusion to shelter her from her reality- crumbles into the harsh fate that awaits her. The saw continues… 

Michelle Lindsey recently graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing. She enjoys reading horror mostly but really enjoys writing in a vast variety of genres. Her most recent publication "Body Scanning" was published by a science fiction journal.