
Liberty Theater
There were many stories about the Liberty Theater in the center of town. Closed for decades, it remained standing, its ornate frontispiece a state landmark. The lights remained on, a nod to an old superstition about always keeping a light on in the theater so ghosts can conduct their own plays. Actors were one of the most superstitious groups.
John, the security guard, made his daily rounds in and around the building. These types of places were perfect on Halloween for teens to vandalize or friends to scare one another. He unlocked the front doors, and then locked them behind him. Maglite in hand, he checked the lobby and the restrooms, walked behind the concession counter. Same as always, he thought, not a sign of life in here.
He walked up the faded carpet stairs into the hallway that led to the balcony. From there he could see the seats, the stage, the exits, but no intruders. Then he noticed a strange light on the stage, one that moved back and forth, not just the single battery-operated candle that meekly lit the stage.
He went downstairs which brought him to the backstage of the theater. His flashlight didn’t uncover anything unusual. He quietly walked across the back of the stage behind the cyclorama curtains to the other side, where the lights and ropes were used during a play. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Not being superstitious, John walked to the center of the stage, just behind where he saw the mysterious light. He could see the ghostly outline of a woman, dressed in an old nightgown, nervously walking back and forth. She held a light in her hand and kept mumbling to herself. She didn’t seem to notice that he was there.
John was about to radio in for help, but she stopped and faced him. She looked at her hands as if they were covered in blood. Staring in fear, she said to him, “Give me your hand. What’s done cannot be undone.” Mesmerized, he took her hand and disappeared with her into the wisp of light.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleGreat set-up for a spooky mini-play. Loved the theater traditions and the way the guard is drawn gradually into the Halloween drama.

Very spooky, Barb! And, this could be the start of something bigger/longer. Well done!
Thank you. I taught Macbeth in school and know how the drama kids felt about it.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleAn extremely frightening story, Barb. Awesome!
Thank you. I liked playing Lady Macbeth in class – it freaked the kids out.
A nicely paced story that’s filled with tension and suspense. Very nicely done, Barb.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI’ll make sure to keep the light on. I enjoyed reading Lady Macbeth’s part in class. The students thought I had really gone insane.
Macbeth is the perfect, classical theme for Halloween! A great choice for your story, Barb, with the setting, as it should be, in a theater. You made the story believable by letting a security guard connect us with the actress’ phantom. I can imagine an actress who loved playing lady Macbeth getting stuck in that part.
Thank you. I submitted this piece to another platform to find out their minimum is 600 words so I had to beef it up a bit. It got scarier when I was able to flesh out the speech as the guard responds to her as if she’s talking to him. Dark humor.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI almost fell off the chair out of fear. The tension build-up is extremely terrifying, Barb. Nicely done.
Having played that part in the classroom, I could just imagine what it would have felt like to be witnessing her chatter.
A nice one Barb. I love the tension build up. Spooky. Frightening.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleMacbeth is the bloodiest of Shakespeare’s plays. What better for a Spooky Writing contest than that?