Preformance till Death (Simon Ward)

[Black Rose (DELETED 10306)]

Black Rose sat off to the side ready to preform there was set between two buildings a thin rope that she was going to walk. She had plastered all over the place that she was going to walk the rope for people to see. All she asked for was a donation. She had on a some of the other buildings ropes and pullies for her to jump from the rope she would walk on to grab. There where sandbags hooked to them and everything. She stood at the edge of the building looking down at the ground and the people gathering. This was a death defying performance she was doing without any nets in place. If she fell from any of the heights she would be hurt or killed. From her position she yelled to the crowd below.

""Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to the Greatest show you will ever see. Tonight I will preform a show just for you. As you can see there is a few different things set up for all to see and I will use them all. Prepare to be amazed as the show starts."

With that she stepped onto the rope in her almost bare feet and started to walk across it standing on her tiptoe on it. She did a spin making the crowd gasp as she did. With both feet on the wire she let them slip off and grabbed it with her wrapped up hands to the loud clapping of the crowd below. She swung on the rope doing a few tricks on it as she did.

[Simon Ward]

Simon had seen one of the flyers. Honestly, he thought it was nuts. Performing on the streets, whether it was music or tricks, caused a lot of overlap of performing arts. So, he dabbled with the academic side of performing. What kind of training was required? Could this easily be done? How does one train for it? Were some of the questions he poked, prodded, and tried to figure out before accepting, or rejecting, a craft.

Tightrope walking, also dancing, pole dancing, trapeze, and similar, all required a lot of strength, muscle control, endurance, skill, flexibility, balance, and maybe a little luck if that was in the belief structure of the performer. So. he wanted to see this impromptu act. While the performer, Rose, was not as high as people dared to be in the early 1900s, her showmanship elicited emotions from the crowd.

Simon was worried. He was concerned for her, too. Most of those tight rope walkers had a type of large stick. It created balance with the walking. Not everyone used these things, but Simon thought the lack of one plus the spins was almost screaming for trouble. "She really should have used a net," he said to himself. Deep down, she hoped this Rose was from a family of circus performers, and this was her solo act, or something just for fun. While the crowd gave gasps, Simon stayed silent. The last thing he wanted was for Rose to loose her concentration.

[Black Rose (DELETED 10306)]

The young artist moved on the rope she had set up with her hands placing her feet on it and actually getting herself back on top of the rope to stand in the middle. She then looked at the nearest rope and jumped for it she grabbed it with ease twirling it around her waist a few times so she can slid down it in a spiral as she made it to the ground there was another rope waiting to take her back up and swing around. She smiled at the crowd and bowed before grabbing the rope with her hand pulling on it once and being pulled back up into the air. She let go to grab the ring that was waiting there for her. She almost missed the ring but caught it with her left leg. Placing her right leg on the loop she actually had some adrenalin running through her vanes. She was not used to that normally she would catch it. Then again she would have a net but that was something she could not afford. She swung herself up to a sitting position on the ring and then maneuvered it so she could get it swinging and twirling.

[Simon Ward]

(sorry about the delay)

As Simon watched the performance, his faded green eyes looked toward the performance. As she climbed up the rope, he began to hum a song. To him it was equal parts appropriate, inappropriate, and he hoped it wasn’t foreshadowing. Everything about the show screamed training, skill, conditioning, and those were the parts Simon was watching. Everyone else around him were soaking up the performances. Simon was too busy analyzing it, studying the how’s, and why’s. These were old habits that just didn’t go away. Unless it was a song he could get lost in, performances were hard to enjoy. Eventually, as the crowd began to let out there cheers, that sang he began to sing.

“Life is just a dream, which of us is dreaming? Who will waking up screaming? Cause if I have to diiiee, tonight.”

Simon’s words began low. Few could probably hear him. He just couldn’t resist.

“Cause if I have to diiieee toniiight, I’d rather be with youuu. Cut the parachute before we diveeeee. Baby don’t you crrry, you had to bring me dooownn. We had some fun before we hit the grooounnddd,”

Simon continued.

What made the song inappropriate were the lyrics. Simon was unsure about matters with his past, enamored by them, and he wasn’t going to jeopardize them, even if that was a one way street with him walking down it. And he didn’t even know the performer.

Because of the music video, one of his favorites, Simon began to sing it. The video was one of the few that told a story. Most of Sean Lennon’s singles from that album told some story. He admired the craft.

However, it was the same video that made him worry about foreshadowing. Sean was a ringmaster in the video to a modest circus. Someone that wanted to be P.T., but lacked a little bit of everything of everything to get there. Still, it was a good yet modest getup. The ringmaster fell in love with Zinta, the stare performer of a rope act like this one. It was quite clear that Zinta had a relationship with her fellow performer, some big guy that looked like the love child between a gym rat, and Freddie Mercury.

Still, the video weaved between the reality of the circus getting ready, performing, and the Ringmaster’s fantasies. In the fantasies he’s elegant, suave, looks the part, and most importantly, has Zinta. During Zinta’s latest performance, the big guy wasn’t elegantly showboating, but he clearly wasn’t paying attention.

All of the other performers, ringmaster included, were off to the side watching. During the performance, Zinta doesn’t hook herself right, she falls, the big guy fails to notice her, and she hits the ground dying instantly. Sean had just resigned to never getting the girl before the fall, and then struck at the big guy. Rage consumed him, and the video kind of ended with the heartbroken performer letting all of those emotions flood him.

The video’s setting made the song feel appropriate, but the story made him hope that this wasn’t foreshadowing somehow.

(("Parachute," written, performed, and copyrighted by Sean Lennon. Additional copyrights of the material include Capitol Records, and Chimera Music." All rights go to them, and other appropriate parties.