The Performance of The Night

As she sat in the passenger seat of her mom's car, Kate couldn't have been more excited. Her lips continuously curved in an ear-to-ear smile, her legs bounced from foot to foot, and her heart beat as fast as the cars passing by her window. The past month, Kate had practiced her act for the talent show audition and made sure that it was something unique, something never before seen. Kate was going to recreate Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. She was aware that there were a few other Van Gogh lovers in her school trying out for the audition, so she couldn't have been more confident about her performance. Day after day, with unfailing diligence, Kate painted and painted the 'Starry Night' because Kate believes that there is always room for improvement. For three weeks, Kate's recreations were done on white cardboard - but for the last week, Kate convinced her mom to purchase a few professional canvases, so that she would get the feel of it.

Kate rolled down the tinted window, let the breeze blow her fears away, and closed her eyes in complete silence. The vehicle steadied to a stop as Kate's mom approached a parking space and slowly drove in. Kate opened the door, and looked down as to watch her step, and admired the sparkle in the pavement as the streetlight above shown on the area. Adoring the radiant glitter, she imagined the spotlights in the auditorium shining upon her in the same way, making her the center of attention. Reaching out for the door handle to the entrance, Kate spotted the talent show banner across the top of the auditorium doorway and felt another rush of excitement, enthusiasm, and energy flow to her very soul. The organizers who had volunteered to make all the arrangements guided Kate behind the stage, where she spotted all the others, practicing their acts one last time, before the big game. She noticed a student, unaware of who, towards the back of the room. Step by step, as Kate became closer, she noticed a canvas, paint bottles, and a paint brush pallet set. Drawing back from tapping the shoulder of the student, Kate pondered over how she missed one person who was practically performing the same act as hers, but instinctively tapped the shoulder. He turned around, and Kate was shocked at the face in front of her.

The sullen, silent face of Albert greeted her with an unenthusiastic 'Hello'. Albert was the typical, quiet student who never interacted with anyone, except on occasions like group projects. Kate broke the silence, saying, "I had no idea you were trying out, forget painting. You just never seemed the type to paint."Oh," Albert mumbled and looked at Kate's painting supplies every now and then. "It was a last minute decision. Um, it looks like you're painting too. If you don't mind me asking, what are you painting?" Kate wished to remove that look of nausea and nervousness across his face, so in the most polite, friendly, yet normal manner, she replied, "I'm painting Vincent Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. What about you?" Albert slowly raised his head and met eye-to-eye with Kate. His eyes widened. Kate thought it impossible. They now both had the same act. There was only one thing that could have been done, but it was all worth it.

Kate explained her plan to the head organizer, and she nodded her head. Stepping onto the stage, with the spotlights shining on her exactly as she imagined, she introduced herself, and her partner - Albert. "Together, we will be painting 'Starry Night' by Vincent Van Gogh. I will start off." And with that, Kate began with the delicate swirls of the moon and the sky, handing it over to Albert, who finished off with the city of the night. That night, as Albert and Kate bowed down to the audience of the night, they knew inside of them, that they were...

The Performance of The Night. 

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