SandScript 2023 [Digital Exclusive]

the booth in the first auditorium and give it a
whirl for me?” he finally asked.
Bert gave his assent, and Simon slowly walked
towards the hall leading to the auditoriums. He
held the keys loosely in his hand, letting them rattle
around in the silence of the cavernous space.
The smell of stale popcorn and old carpet
greeted him as he slipped quietly inside the
first auditorium. Stains darkened the carpet
along the aisles between the seats. He
made his way to the front of the auditorium,
noticing scuffs and shoe marks scoring the
uncovered portions of the floor. The onceplush
chairs, in surprisingly good condition
for their age, still felt worn and faded against
the backdrop of his childhood dreams. The
sight brought forth memories, bitter and
sweet, melding with the modern moment.
A hundred empty seats. A hundred hollow
ghosts. A hundred eyes of the past looking
towards the future. Sitting down in the third
row, Simon stared at the stately screen
looming above his head. He sighed.
A beam of wavering light shot down through the darkness, illuminating the air in a soft
radiant glow. Tiny motes of dust floated within the beam’s gaze; unsuspecting travelers
caught up in the magic of light playing on shadow. The dappled shaft of brightness seared
through the air towards the gray dimness of the screen, illuminating the frame with a hidden
cast of colors, shades, and hues.
For a while Simon watched, transfixed by the floating images. The empty seats around
him somehow seemed full again. Visions of eyes transfixed filled the periphery of Simon’s
imaginary gaze. Patrons waited with bated breath in his mind’s eye as they watched the
wonder of a thousand moving pictures build upon one another to create new worlds. Simon
reached out to put a hand on the armrest of the seat next to him.
Tears ran like rivers down his cheeks. He smiled.
“This one’s for you Dad,” he whispered to the darkness next to him. He shook his head at the
wonder of it all. “Magic. Absolute magic,” he breathed, before closing his eyes.
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