October 27: Yesterday's Cabaret

 
Bright red stalks of leaves against a background of green foliage. Overlaid text: "#drabbletober".
 

Day 27 of my drabble-a-day challenge! Here is today’s drabble:


Yesterday's Cabaret

Helene swoops onto the stage, her cape fluttering around her. Its silken shimmer lights her face, and lends a glow to her hair. She looks - almost - young.

Helene sings, and the crowd adores her. She slides between the tables, her hands trailing delicately along sleeves and shoulders, straightening collars, caressing hair.

No-one sees the tiny filaments that cling to her fingers as she strokes each beautiful, youthful face. No-one sees her spool them up, and tuck them safely away.

When the club is dark and quiet, she unwraps the miniature spindle, and spins new threads to weave into her cape.


There are some concepts that appear to have become, in my head, quite divorced from reality.

One of them is the nightclub. A nightclub is, surely, a place of glamour and sophistication. Singers weave around tables (possibly the tables are lit by candles) giving performances of heart-breaking intimacy. People are probably wearing slinky dresses. Cigarette holders may be implicated.

Needless to say, this image bears absolutely zero relation to any nightclub I've ever actually been to. Clubs are, on the whole, grimy, sticky places that you really wouldn't want to see in the daylight.

Perhaps I just go to the wrong clubs…