n

n

nWhen the next evening came, the people residing in Baskin did not waste time reaching the Town circle.

nThe wide circular empty space where traveling caravans usually set up their shops for a while before moving to the next town was now occupied.

nA huge circular tent, enough to occupy the entire Town circle had been pitched and the people were in awe of the beautiful tent when they laid their eyes on it.

nThere were three passages to the Town circle and these three lanes were used as the entrances of the tent.

nMr. Asher and his group had worked hard to set everything up to make this play a memorable one for everyone in this town.

nAs there was no requirement for people to purchase tickets to gain entry into this place, they began entering as they arrived.

nUpon entering the tent through any one of the three entrances, the first thing that caught one's eyes was the huge stage that was built on the other side.

nAnother thing that demanded attention was the booths that were set up on opposite sides of the tent.

nRight now, it was empty but soon they would understand its purpose here.

nAfter scanning the place, the people hurried to find an appropriate seat for themselves and their dear ones.

nThe availability of the seats was on a first come first serve basis and those who arrived later could only sit at the back.

nTherefore, the ones who had arrived ahead of time were glad that they were not lazy else they would have to struggle in those last seats.

nThe little girl, Hilda along with her family also arrived ahead of time, and thanks to Yasmin and Mr. Asher's help, they were seated in the front row which was considered to be the best seats in the tent.

nNext to the Thomas family was the family of the Town elder who was in charge of Baskin and had to give frequent reports to the Fief Lord, Baron Lumex about the situation in their town.

nMany people saw this strange seating arrangement but they did not question it in their excitement to watch a good show which had received high praises from the King.

nThe population of this town was small and hence it was no problem to accommodate everyone inside this huge Town circle to watch the show at once.

nNot to mention that while most of the people residing in this town had made it a point to come to watch this show, there were still a few who had other obligations and could not make it.

nThe area next to the stage had been hidden with thick curtains as the artists would stay there until it was time for their scene.

nThe audience sitting in the chairs could only see the stage and nothing else besides it as it was covered with thick red curtains.

nMr. Asher peeked through the curtain and glanced at a few empty seats at the very end of the tent but they couldn't wait any longer for the rest to appear.

nHence, he turned around and signaled his group to prepare.

nThe audience who had been chatting with each other while they waited for the play to begin, halted and turned their attention towards the stage when soft music began to play.

nThe lights in the tent dimmed which indicated that the show was about to start and everyone was excited as they paid complete attention to what would appear on the stage.

nHilda held in her excited squeal when she saw familiar faces coming onto the stage.

nBright lights illuminated the stage and everything on it.

nThe landscape which acted as the backdrop was that of a village that had been painted onto a thick curtain that was hung onto the wall.

nThe first person who appeared on stage was a handsome man who held his hand out towards the side where the curtain was.

nA dainty and fair hand reached out to him and when he grabbed the hand and pulled it, a delicate woman's figure appeared on the stage.

n'Yasmin!' Hilda exclaimed while clutching her hands before her chest and watched the show taking place on the stage.

n___

nNo one could make out where a voice was coming from but they paid attention to what was being said.

n{This was the story of a hard-working man who dearly loved one woman from the days of his youth.}

nThe narrator, the voice coming from behind the stage explained what was going on.

n{The story of Theo and Ramona, two people whose love for each other only grew stronger with age.}

n{So much so that once they reached marriageable age, they did not hesitate to give themselves to each other in Holy Matrimony.}

nAs the voice faded, the play began.

nThe first scene was of Theo holding his newly married wife Damona and leading her to the new house that he had worked hard to rent after their marriage.

nThe audience watched as the stage dimmed after Theo pointed towards the house painted on the curtain, indicating to Damona that this was their new house.

nWhen the lights brightened once again, the scene had changed and now the audience could see Damona and Theo sitting at a table that appeared to be inside the house.

nThe husband and wife fed each other and it was visible for everyone to see that there was love between the couple.

nEach time the scene changed, the light would dim and then brighten once again.

nThe audience watched how the couple lived a happy life with the husband going to work and then returning in the night to spend time with his wife.

nEach night he returned, the first thing he would do was hug his wife and peck her on the cheeks.

nThe next time, the stage dimmed, the scene had changed to a new place that they hadn't seen before.

nA hustling Tavern with many men sitting around tables and a rushing Theo as he served everyone their beers.

nTheo worked as a waiter and sometimes as the Pianist of the most popular tavern in town.

nIrv's Tavern, his place of work was busy throughout the day and only closed at dawn when almost all the customers were dead drunk.

nHowever, a newlywed like Theo was given the early bird shift, where he would arrive at ten in the morning and then leave before ten in the night.

nThe busiest hours of the tavern were allotted to different people given his circumstances.

nTheo was ever grateful for his boss, Mr. Irv who was considerate to him and worked diligently for him.

nToday, Theo was done with his work as not too many people had appeared and just as he was headed to the door, someone had interrupted him.

n

"G...oing hom...e ear-rly, Theo?

" A slurring man leaned on Theo's shoulder as he questioned him about his itinerary.

nTheo smiled as this man was a regular at their tavern and helped him back in his seat.

n

"My wife promised me a special dinner tonight.

" He boasted with a wide smile which made the drunk man laugh as well.

nHe then bid this patron goodbye and headed home.

nThe scene changed to the door of his house, where his wife waited for him.

nDamona leaped into his arms when she saw that her husband had returned earlier just as he had promised to.

n

"There's meat pie with spicy mashed potatoes and also your favorite dessert!

" She exclaimed while dragging him inside.

nTheo took off his coat and when he reached the dining table, everything that he loved was placed before him.

nDamona offered him a bowl of water and he hastily dipped his hands in it before digging into the food she had prepared for him.

nShe watched as he ate with gusto and even fed her a few times.

nThe scene changed and it was the next morning but Theo was still in bed when Damona had returned from the market she would visit early in the morning to get fresh produce.

n

"You have a fever!

" She exclaimed when she noticed his ragged breaths and his flushed face.

nThe panicking wife rushed to the clinic nearby and fetched the physician.

n

"A cold.

" He pronounced and left soon after prescribing a few medicines.

nThe women in the audience could feel the distraught expressions that Damona was displaying as she took care of her ill husband.

nHowever, since he was a young man full of vigor and vitality, he recovered in no time and headed back to work as he was the sole earning member in their family.

n