There is no business like show business. (754 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 1.67 on 12 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Timmah http://www.these-bloody-hands.tk (View user info) at 2005-02-03 11:27:16 EST
Just something I started to write. Thought I'd get your opinions on it. There will be other parts, but they won't be posted here.
His eyes pried themselves open. The fatigue gave way and the post sleep haze began to take hold. He looked around the room and reached for his lighter and cigarettes. Another night of partying and another three years deducted from his life expectancy. But why should he care? He was having the time of his life and everyone wanted a piece of him.
He was Andrew Foster, everyone knew the name. Andrew Foster, Star of Broadway, street punk turned Hollywood actor. The perfect rags to riches story.
He looked over at the nameless groupie laying beside him in the bed. A different one every night, a new chance at a possible phone call informing him of his bastard fatherhood. But at least he was enjoying himself. He pushed the woman in the side and instructed her to get up.
"Come on, time for you to go." He turned the lamp on and pulled the covers off the woman and his eyes bulged from his head. In the 5am light he couldn't see the girls face. But now the light was switched on he could see her eyes were wide open, a look of terror frozen in time, forever spelling out her last moments.
The girl was gone. She was already beginning to turn a pale blue, and her lips were adopting the familiar white tone of the dead.
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"Of course I've rung the fucking police, Johnny! There's a dead whore in my bed. What do you think I'd do? Have a brandy and a smoke before rolling her in a carpet and burying her in the garden!?" His hands shook as he brought them across his five o clock shadow. "What do you mean that may have been a good idea!?"
The door to his hotel room gave a shrill buzz and Andrew made his way to the door.
"Hello Mr Foster, we've had report of a dead body?"
"Yes she's just through here, mind the mess." He found himself acting the host even at the worst of times.
Andrew said nothing while the police did various tests, took various photos and made various comments, half of which Andrew chose not to hear. He sat at the table at the end of the penthouse suite, his head down and a lit cigarette burning away in his right hand. He had nothing to say.
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That was five years previous. The tabloids had found out about the dead girl and had made Andrew into a public enemy. It didn't matter that the courts had cleared him. His reputation had been tainted.
They say a true friend will be there at a time of need. Andrew thought of this as a testament to the falseness of Hollywood and his previous peers. He was alone but it wasn't the same kind of loneliness that comes with being in the public eye.
He sat and re ran the last five years since the court case. Film makers refused to hire him, his family turned their back on him, his friends (realising that associating with him brought no profit) had left him and most importantly the public deplored him.
Over the last five years he had spent all of his money on drugs and alcohol. He had picked up a coke habit and his once beautiful, poster boy looks had been ravaged with an age not even lived. His previously thick, velvet black hair had become coarse, dull and lifeless. It hung low in front of his face to try and disguise the blood red eyes of a man on the edge of despair. His once trim figure had began to bruise from needle abuse and his hands were calloused and dirty. In short, Andrew was no longer a good looking film actor with amazing prospects, but now a dirty junkie living in a one bed roomed flat with nothing but old movie posters lining the walls as a dog eared testament to his previous life.
He was empty and without reason.
There's no business like show business.
User Reviews
Submitted by DonkeyOnTheEdge (user info) at 2005-02-03 22:20:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Yes... part two is in order. MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Submitted by Degreeless_Capibara (user info) at 2005-02-03 22:09:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by d_prime (user info) at 2005-02-03 21:56:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Sure there is!
Submitted by Benny (user info) at 2005-02-03 21:49:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I thought this was pretty good. I agree with Snark if there was a part 2 to this I would read it.
Submitted by CookieLass (user info) at 2005-02-03 21:43:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
hmm.... I can think of no witty commentary. Take my +2 and like it
Submitted by Timmah (user info) at 2005-02-03 21:02:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
73 hits. It's fucking criminal
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-02-03 20:25:18 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Keep posting dude, you're really coming along.
If you posted the follow up this, I'd read it.
Submitted by MrRottenTreats (user info) at 2005-02-03 19:40:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I like this, sounds good. Waiting for part 2 now. <3 <3 <3 <3
Submitted by Timmah (user info) at 2005-02-03 19:22:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
huh? And that alone is reason for a -1? Sorry but that's a pretty shitty review. How about reading it in context with the story and reading all of my other short stories and you'll find that none of them have someone waking up from "a foggy mist"
Submitted by Smoothe (user info) at 2005-02-03 12:30:07 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
I've noticed that in just about every short story on this site, the first lines are a description of the main character waking up from some foggy mist. Needs variety.
Submitted by Timmah (user info) at 2005-02-03 11:42:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
that's kind of incidental. I wanted to show how easily life can change due to things out of your control. The abruptness and helplessness. I may post the other parts. But for now I have to keep UberMurder going as well.
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-02-03 11:37:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
It seems like it is missing something. It's almost like at the end
you just dropped it.
I really like this. I think you should expand it... part 2?