HtH120 – The Girl Who Walked Through The Door
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Minara is living her life to the fullest.
The girl sang her heart out.
It was a live rendition of the song cover she recorded for her channel; a song that sang of an end to things, a melody that recounted the experience of seas rising high, and then of fortunes falling back down again. And yet... The atmosphere could not have been more different.
At her incoming-mentor's suggestion, she had reached out to the other members of the house to do the instrumentation live as well. Oh, what a dramatic change that was! Behind her, a pair of purple haired girls played out a faithful arrangement of the song with unconventional instrumentation. The girl with short hair played notes out of a soulful woodwind, while the girl with long hair taps an energetic rhythm on a wooden xylophone!
The song being foreign to the Reading Day audience did not stop their enjoyment of it. When the first notes of the flute played through the air, an impromptu backing chant full of sunshine and cheer rang out solo, and soon enough, the rest of the room was joining in the fun like a swaying wave.
For some reason she can't explain, it just felt right.
"Ooooh... Mmmm... Hmmmmmm..."
The xylophone taps wind down with Minara's humming, before the rhythm is tapped out one last time, with genki finality!
A smattering of applause fills the room. The warmth from the clapping and cheering fills the girl's heart, the stage set with her in the spotlight.
"Thank you Minara, let's give it up once more for that thrilling song!" Ablam comes in from the side of the stage, waving the agenda to remind the two purple-haired girls still hyping up the girl in center stage that they were on a schedule! "Alright, you two can leave the stage now--- no, wait, Minara! You're up next!"
Ablam tugs at the side of Minara's sleeve, the two of them spinning a little in place!
When the small chuckles in the crowd soften, Ablam continues,
"Everyone in the audience, today we have a special segment--- we are welcoming a new member to the house with a mentorship ceremony!"
Welcoming a new member to the house...
Those words had an emotional charge to them.
The girl had arrived here, bringing herself and all her ways that fit sideways in the house.
And yet, the house never rejected her. It was a small miracle in itself.
Through super-destroyer visits, fishing trips, Mxnster-filled crashouts in the basement, there was a steady presence that kept reaching out to her.
That presence is coming up the middle aisle right now, a playful smirk on her lips. With a swift and graceful motion, she strides towards center stage, capturing the attention of the audience with her presence alone.
Taking the platform from Ablam with a handshake, there are now two blue-haired girls on stage.
“Good evening, dear friends,” Mistrál begins, her voice clear and commanding. “I have been eagerly awaiting this moment to be the host of this mentorship ceremony.” She turns towards Minara, the two girls now facing each other in the shared spotlight. “Our very own friend Minara, who just demonstrated a truly captivating performance, is about to embark on an exciting journey with me as her mentor.”
Mistrál gestures towards Minara, and there is a small response from the crowd.
For many, this would be the first time they were seeing this tradition in action. They had no idea what to expect.
To be honest, neither did Minara, since Mistrál did not go through this portion of the agenda with her at all! 'Leave it to Mistrál,' was the response when queried. And now, the girl in the lab coat was about to show what she had planned for this ceremony!
"Today, as we invite a new member to our house, Mistrál would like to ask for a favor from the house." Our tinkerer gives a sweeping gesture across the room. "Are there any who would speak for our new member?"
Almost immediately, a voice pipes up from the front seats,
(A soft, chime-like voice)
"Minara helped take good care of our garden!"
It is followed by a different, boisterous voice,
"I like Miss Minara! She is fun to play video games with!"
The silver-haired girl sitting between them looks to her left and right, scratching the back of her ponytail,
"What? Me too? Well, she did help out with our very first poster campaign---"
"--- and helped out for the many Reading Days afterwards too."
An expressive and captivating voice confirms Ablam's testimony, the girl with short purple hair acknowledging Minara's contributions to the house.
"--- there you have it." Mistrál declares, "Our house recognizes friend Minara as a valuable member of our house---"
"What about you, good mentor? Don't you have something to say too?"
Taking advantage of the loose structure of this ceremony, Minara holds onto Mistrál's hand, a familiar mischievous cheekiness filling her face!
Mistrál blinks, but only for a moment!
Not missing a beat, the tinkerer improvises!
"Ah, indeed I do!" She exclaims, capturing the attention of the audience once more. “I have had the pleasure of working closely with Minara over the past few weeks, and I can attest that she is an incredibly talented singer and performer. But what truly sets her apart--- is her willingness to try, and try again."
Mistrál pauses for dramatic effect before continuing, “I have seen friend Minara walk through the house and meet with locked doors. Still, she persists in all that she does, in her own way. And each time, she grows a little. No locked door, window, or obstacle can stop friend Minara. Her passion and commitment are truly inspiring, and I am honored to be able to mentor such a talented individual.”
The audience erupts into applause once more, and Mistrál bows graciously before returning her attention to Minara. “I believe that together, we can create something truly magical in Hells Theatre,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. “Let’s embark on this exciting journey together, and may the curtain rise on many successful performances!”
Mistrál leans forward to take a weathered parchment from the dramaturg in the front seat.
Minara is still blushing in front when she turns back to her,
"That... was definitely not rehearsed."
"No, it was definitely not in Mistrál's plans." She unrolls the parchment with a smile. "As the last part of the ceremony, let us read out the Theatre House Vow together--- as mentor and mentee."
The two girls come close, each holding one side of the parchment.
In truth, neither of them needed it to guide their reading,
for they had already remembered it in their hearts.
“I vow to build this House…”
[End of Act 3, Scene 3 — The Girl Who Walked Through The Door]
The girl grieves not who she could have been,
for she is her own person now.
We are trying something different! This is a simul-posting at the same time as the Scribblehub release! Go check out the entire series at this link!
