Their Last Act

A Sensory Rendition of Medieval Times

“And do you know what he said?”

“What?”

“He said that his job at the chapel was quite fulfilling!”

The fire was crackling

merrily

in the drawing room.

Georgina stifled a yawn behind her lace handkerchief as Madame Archambeau continued her reverie, “And I told him that he was talking nonsense. He must get a decent job – he must be a scholar – no, a doctor!”

 Madame Archambeau paused expectantly.

Mother, taking up the hint, exclaimed, “A doctor!”

Apparently satisfied, Madame Archambeau nodded, her eyes wide, “Yes! A doctor. No sooner had I said it than I received a call from Lady Renaud. Her niece, you know, the one who married a surgeon, has a friend. This friend is married to a young man whose father is an Oxford scholar!”

Madame Archambeau paused for dramatic effect.

Georgina observed the lace tablecloth politely while Mother and her guests looked at Madame Archambeau with bated breath.

“It was he – the scholar I mean – who helped Freddie get the scholarship! Of course, the niece had told him how educated my Freddie is and how he had always had the makings of a doctor!”

The ladies nodded in approval as Georgina stared into nothingness with a slight smile.

A waft of heat sprung from the fire behind her, and her eyes watered in response.

Mistaking her tears for sentimentality, Madame Archambeau beamed, “Yes, Georgina! Isn’t it simply wonderful?”

Georgina turned to glance at the grandfather clock in the corner. It wouldn’t be long now. They had a few minutes at most.

It was Lady Francoise’s turn. She was chattering away amicably at the expense of her neighbors.

“It is quite astonishing, you see, how domestic service has become! Back in my day…”

 Ms. Sauterbonne interrupted, “Of course, Margarite. Saturday before last, I went to the seamstress, the best in town of course. Her assistant was an oriental girl – Chinese by the look of her. She used an abominable number of pins, a good number of which ended up in my arm!”

The ladies tutted gracefully.

Ms. Sauterbonne was determined to finish her act, “Could you imagine that I, the daughter of the baron could be subject to such domestic torment?!”

The ladies shook their heads in synchronous indignation.

The grandfather clock struck 6.

The ladies started to clamor for attention, speaking out of turn,

hurrying,

racing,

panting.

“As Delphine was saying….”

Bong.

 “My husband…” “Freddie was..” “The baguettes!”

Bong.

“Quite distressing.” “Irresponsible behavior.” “Can you imagine?”

Bong.

“How frustrating for you.” “No longer held accountable” “The war of course”

Bong.

“The money” “The children” “Preposterous” “Treachery” “The mansion” “Baron” “Wealth “

Bong.

The ladies were fading away.

The lace tablecloth was becoming coarse, grainy.

The handkerchief became a torn gray rag.

The fire stopped crackling with a gentle – pop.

The grandfather clock was the last to go.

The mahogany base faded – into –

nothingness,

but the hands remained visible,

shining,

burning into her eyes,

so she would not forget.

BONG.

“Georgina Winthroppe!”

Georgina rose unsteadily and faced,

bleary eyed,

 the man entering the tiny cupboard-like room.

He was holding a brown sack.

She did not

– resist –    

as he covered her head.

He led her by the arm towards a series of stairs.

Instinctively, Georgina turned away,

taking one last glance at

the memory of

the ladies.

They climbed the tiny,

                                 narrow

                                         stairs

                                               together and – then – stood

at the top.

She felt the blade coming down,

cleanly,

smoothly,

quickly.

And the ladies were things of the past.

Process Statement

I formatted this text as a hybrid between a play and a narrative by combining qualities from both genres to create a stronger effect on the reader. My purpose in this assignment was to create a transition from a somewhat frivolous beginning to an unexpectedly dark ending. I combine this transition with humorous asides that hint at potential themes. For instance, the repetition of the word “doctor” amplifies the glamour associated with the doctoral profession, regardless of the candidate’s wishes or aptitude. Likewise, the ladies’ complaints about domestic workers reveals the prejudice towards foreigners of a lower class, in this example, the “Chinese.” Lastly, the deliberately complex surnames create the vision of a desperate, and perhaps fabricated, grandeur, a grandeur that is further indicated by the formality of the characters’ manner. I intentionally chose for Georgina to remain silent. She does not take a role in the conversation; however, she is present. By having her sit at the table and observe the ladies’ conversation objectively, from within, I allow the reader to consider the meaning behind a seemingly shallow conversation. I also later use this observation to show that the conversation was non-existent but imagined. Perhaps Georgina is mentally unbalanced, or perhaps she is, in her desperation, remembering a scene from her earlier life. Ultimately, I purposefully withhold the reason for Georgina’s execution so as to allow the reader to actively take part in the narrative.

In light of the movement toward sensory writing, I added page breaks, white space, and changed textual orientation to reinforce the narrative. I took particular care to adjust the page breaks so that they are not jarring to the reader. Rather, they are meant to separate ideas while loosely linking one page to the next. The orientation of the text on the page proves to reflect the meaning of the words, again strengthening the effect of the essay on the reader. For instance, when Georgina is climbing the stairs towards the end of the piece, I orient the text on the page to look like a set of stairs. Likewise, at the moment when we realize that the ladies in the room are figments of Georgina’s imagination, I change the color of the text to seem as if it, too, is gradually fading away. I believe that such details alter the ultimate effect of the piece, allowing the reader to better picture the setting and grasp the varying themes presented.

• Ayah Gouda