CURSED DRAMA

‘Ding ding ding’ Klein tapped the glass with a silvery spoon. The sound of people whispering became lower and lower, and finally vanished.

‘Thank you everyone. After the committee meeting, we’ve decided the main theme, venue and the cast for the joint university drama festival. This year, we are going to deliver the message of ‘Treasure life, be strong, be positive.’ We will bring our message by performing the biography of “Samantha Kira”. I think all of you know about her. I hope we can successfully send the message to the audience -- life is so valuable, no matter how successful you are, once you give up your life, everything will be meaningless. We’re going to perform in HKIU this year. The details of the drama and the cast will be announced in the next briefing this Friday in Multi Purpose Room C. Please be on time! Thank you very much.’

People then slowly left the room, which wais opposite to the Career Centre. They started to discuss who would be the main actress and the other supporting roles. Actually, they were all Drama Society’s committee from different Universities, who were mainly year 2 students. They were gathering for the preparation of the Joint University Festival which objective was to provide opportunities for students from different universities to understand the cultural difference of each university. The main programme of the festival is the drama, which congregated the top actors and actresses from universities to carry out a big scale performance (I think this can be deleted). This year, the drama society of Capital University is the organization party. Therefore, most of the meetings would be held in CapU, instead of Rehearsals.

‘Hey, sweetheart, do you think you have a chance to act Samantha?’ Luca asked, a year 2 student of UST as a backstage organizer in the drama society, holding Liz’s shoulder, walking towards Garden Café.

‘Who knows? For me, I really wanna be Samantha, as an intelligent student, a good stage performer as well as a talented actress. What a shamed she committed suicide in the uni just because of losing in an inter-university speech competition? People shouldn’t blame her …’ Liz murmured and asked for support from her honey.

‘Um… Her lost in the competition really gave a negative impact to the university to certain extent. You know. Also, I do think she’s the one who gave herself too much pressure. If she thought in a more positive way, she might not give up that easy.’

‘May be. Still I wanna be her. At least, she gained a very good reputation in the uni! Whenever people decided the cast of a drama, Samantha should be the one who prompts into their mind. She was acting so well. Her eyes could tell everything. I’ll never be able to do that.’ Liz’s eyes sparkled when she mentions Samantha.

‘Ok guys, I think you all have already seen the casting list on the society notice board of each uni. This year, the mian acting role of Samantha would be acted by Liz.’ Klein spoke up to announce the final result.

‘Woo… Liz! Liz! Liz!’ everyone was so excited. They screamed and yelled.

However, for Liz herself, she stunted, joy and excitement hadn’t appear on her face, not only because she couldn’t believe her dream came true; but also, at the time Klein announced the cast, she shivered as she feels something cold and chilly past behind her. However, friends who sat beside her didn’t feel any special.

‘Maybe it’s just the wind from the air-con.’ She told herself. Yet, she didn’t know someone was already preparing to act with her together as Samantha.

There were still 3 weeks to go for the opening of the opera. Everyone was busy with the preparation, from backstage system, lightening and settings to front stage rehearsals. Liz, as usual, went to HKIU for rehearsals after her class in the evening. When she was walking up the stairs to the theater building, a red wall grabbed her attention that she never noticed before. She thought it was just some kind of notice board near the entrance of the building, but then, she knew she was wrong as she saw the words on the wall,

‘I don’t mean to lose in the match…why does everyone blame me? ~ Samantha 1991’

‘What’s it about? Why does it appear here? Why I didn’t see it before? What--’ she rapt and confused.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the red wall while she was walking to the theater. She was wondering whether she should ask what the whole thing was about to those colleagues who were studying in HKU. She struggled. Finally, she couldn’t sustain from her curiosity and anxiety, she asked Jean, who acted ‘Samantha’s friend’, a Psychology student in HKU.

‘Hey, Jean, have you ever heard that there is a red wall stuff in your university?’ Liz asked, without raising her eyebrow, pretending not to care about anything, so as to cover her nervousness.

‘Yea… everyone in this uni knows about it. But no one talks about it anymore, it’s so scary, gal.’ Jean replied, talking very fast, look as if he wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. However, Liz seemed like she didn’t want to stop.

‘Oh, isn’t it? Why? What happen? Tell me!’ Liz forgot the entire disguise, at that moment she just wanted to know about the ‘truth’.

‘Why are you so interested in it suddenly? Have you seen it?’ Jean asked suspiciously, increased his voice and looked weird.

‘Coz not! Just… heard people talking about it and… and I’m curious in everything, u know!’ Liz said, trying to find reasons to convince him.

‘Ok then. As you know, Samantha committed suicide. Before she killed herself, she wrote something on the wall near the library, in order to let everyone knows what she thinks. After that, the wall was re-painted in order to cover those words. However, sometimes, those words re-appear. Whoever sees those words would disappear abruptly after 7 days. One more thing, though the wall is supposed to be located near the library, there’s a rumour saying that if Samantha- wants- you- to- see- those- words, you’ll- still- see- the- wall- even- you- are- not- near- the- library!’ Jean slowed down his voice and said word by word.

Today was the last day of the rehearsal, which the drama will officially perform tomorrow evening. Everyone arrived at the theater earlier than usual, just want to have more time for rehearsal and final amendment in case. When everyone was so nervous in the practice, Liz looked relaxed, seemed that everything was already under her control. The truth was, whatever people asked about the settings of the backstage and the detail of the scenes, she immediately replied without thinking. She understood the whole procedure thoroughly, which she shouldn’t be as usual. Everybody wondered the reason why. Nevertheless, even Liz couldn’t answer.

‘Ok, everyone stands by, get ready for the practice!’ Klein shouted, holding the script in his right hand.

‘Ok, all ready? Start!’ This scene was about Samantha’s friend, Jean who named Ron in the act, who was trying to comfort Samantha after her lost in the inter-university speech competition and asking her to marry him.

‘C’mon Samantha, it’s just a match, no big deal, rite?’

‘For you, it may just a minor thing; but for me, it’s so important, as I never lose in a game. People who win this competition will have the chance to attend a training course of professional speaker, which is definitely useful for me in acting. Also, the status of our uni will increase a lot as well---‘

‘ So what? You’ve already tried your best, right? Don’t be upset, girl. Remember, no matter who blame you or depress you, I’ll still be with you.’ Ron told Liz holding her hands. Then he gave her a kiss on her forehead.

Just at the moment he was going to kiss her, ‘ No, Ron didn’t say that and he didn’t kiss my forehead!’ Liz said strongly, without any hesitation. All people in the theater hall astonished, they didn’t know what’s going on. Klein checked the script over and over again, then asked in a doubt,

‘Liz, what’s wrong with Jean’s script? Is there anything wrong?’

‘Ron didn’t say he’ll be with me, but he’ll be on my side whenever I need him. He won’t let me go then he kissed my cheeks but not the forehead. I don’t think you are following the exact story…’

‘You sure? How do you know the exact story then?’ Klein couldn’t stand for Liz’s arrogant anymore and started against her.

‘Just because I am Samantha’ the whole drama crew bewildered. Though his or her mouth opened, no one spoke out. The hall was so quiet that even the sound of the staff sweeping the floor could be clearly heard. Even Liz herself felt shock for what she said. She didn’t know what she was doing. Her body shake, as she knew the girl she saw who sit on the grandstand before the practice started, smiling at her was Samantha. She had come to the practice and even used her body to act!

‘Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, welcome to the 5^th Joint University Festival. Our theme this year is ‘Treasure life, be strong, be positive’. Through the drama, we hope you’ll understand the message that suicide is always the most stupid and meaningless method to solve problems. No one will think you are doing the right thing once you kill yourself, but only take pity on you. Also, you’ll depress people who care and concern about you. Now, please enjoy the show.’ Klein, as the Master of Ceremonies, said stylishly.

People walked in and out the dressing room, ‘Excuse me’ was the words that each person said the most at the backstage. There were 10 more minutes left for ‘the whole world’ to prepare for the final act of the play. Liz, the main character was so timid. Though everyone praised her deal to the outstanding performance in the previous act, she still perplexed. She felt that something was going to happen; just she couldn’t tell what was it actually. So as to calm down herself, she decided to go to the washroom when Luca came up to her.

‘Where are you going sweetheart? Are you alright? You seem so worry. Calm down gal, just one more act to go! You are tremendous tonight, you know?’ He said then gave her a kiss.

‘Thanks… I wanna go to the washrooms—‘ she said.

‘Oh are you? I’ll wait for you outside the toilet then.’ He did so as he wanted to propose to her before she carried out the second act. He wanted to give her a surprise.

Nonetheless, Luca waited for almost 10 minutes, Liz hadn’t come out. The play was starting to begin but still she was not ready. He started worrying about Liz. There ware still one minute to go,

‘What’s up? Are you alright Liz? Answer me?’ Luca shouted while he was knocking on the door of the washrooms. No one answered.

Thirty seconds to go,

‘Liz! Liz! Answer me, you have to go to the stage right now, it’s time to start!’ he yelled at the door again and again. No answers.

Ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six, five four, three, two, one. Music started. A lady voice appeared,

‘Why do all the people blame me? I don’t want to lose the game. I really don’t want to… why? Why me?’ the lady cried.

‘Oh, she already came out? How come I didn’t see her? Woo, she frightens me!’ said Luca by taking a deep breath to relax.

He then walked to the backstage as he wanted to watch his girlfriend’s ‘presentation’. On the way, He felt strange when he walked from the toilet to the backstage, as it’s so quiet, no one spoke. It’s so weird. Once he looked out the curtain which separating the front and the backstage, he almost faint out, as the girl who was acting on the stage was not Liz, but Samantha…!

He felt lost. ‘What happened… where’s Liz…Gosh…’ these questions kept going in his mind. Once he was ‘backed’ to the reality, he dashed to the washroom. He pushed the door and searched each toilet if Liz was there or not. He then looked for the theater hall, even the whole building, still, couldn’t find Liz. The whole crew helped seeking for Liz. Nothing changed.

Liz never turned up. No one ever saw her again. No one knew where she was. After a month, Luca committed suicide. But then, students said that you could always heard a male’s voice calling ‘Liz! Liz!’ in the washroom at the backstage of the theater hall at about 9 o’clock at night, just the time before the second act of the drama started. This terrified students. In order to sooth them, staff built a man toilet within the female washroom as if to let Luca ‘knows’ that it was a male washroom but not female one. So, he ‘will not be around’ anymore. As a matter of fact, no one heard the voice again after that.

Years after, some people said that they saw red wall near the entrance of the theater building, which was written ‘ I just wanna try my best to act you… why did you do that to me…~ Liz 2000’

~THE END~