“Alright, Jerome, thirty seconds to curtain” said one of the stagehand to a nervously stiff Jerome Roberts on the middle of the stage. His future was behind the curtains, a recruiter from Juilliard was in the first row, anticipating something worth his time. In the meantime, the extras were prancing across in their ghostly costumes, making sure they were elegant and beautiful. The director came on the stage and stood directly in front of Jerome Roberts. She said “OK, darling, this is your only moment to shine, so don’t make a mistake since you will never have another time to do this, ever, and if you mess up you, it will affects other important people, especially me since I been working to the bone to get the recruiter, I even put my good name on the line!” She started to leave when she turned around she exclaimed “I almost forgot, have fun!” He wanted to tell her that speech had not exactly calmed his nerves, but a bell rang in the theatre, and the director left in in a haste. The lights immediately went out, and it was complete darkness. Jerome could hear the curtains rustled as it moved. Suddenly, there was a bright spotlight on him. However he looked directly at the light, and it blinded him momentarily. When he regains his eyesight, he saw that no one was in the audience, yet there was still a spotlight on him. Looking at left and right wings, he saw it was also deserted, but he caught a glimpse of his arm, covered in black spots. He started at his arm, wondering why there were black spots to himself when it seemed to grow larger, and saw the black spots were sprouting feathers!

He watched in horror as his arm was being covered in black feather. He tried to pull the feathers with other his hand, but saw that his other arm was also sprouting feathers. He wanted to make it stop, but somehow he could not, as if the spotlight was it source of growth. Even his unitard began to rip with ever-changing size of the feathers. Before long, his whole body was covered in glossy black feather down to the tips of his fingers to the lowest part of his heel. Every time he twitched, the feather shook furiously. He knew it was just a figment of his imaginations, but he knew there wasn’t any way to rationalize it. He moved around the stage flapping his arms, hoping that somehow the feather will shed from his body. The spotlight strangely kept following him since there was no one was in sight. Finally, he stops because he felt something in his moving.

He was not sure what was happening inside of him, but he felt his bone changing to different shape to the point he could not hold his balance, and fell on the floor. The pain inside his body was excruciating and closed his eyes shut to subside the pain. He began to feel better, but to only open his eyes to darkness, and he could not see where he was. Then, there was beacon of light shined above him. Jerome looked up to see that clouds were departing, and a bright moonlight blanket his surroundings. He looked around to see that he was in some kind of mischievous and evil forest with hundreds of bare and naked trees, it was silent, no movement of any kind, and below ground, there was a low haze that covered the entire flood Wait Jerome thought Why I’m above ground?. He soon realized he was elevated above the ground floor on a small and delicate branch, but it was Impossible! I’m weigh over 100 pounds he thought until he saw himself. He could not comprehend what happened to him, but he spontaneously turned on to an actual bird! His legs had turned into sharp talons that grip, his arm turned into wings, and he had beak instead of human lips. He was so stunned that he let out a scream, but when his voice came out of his beak, it let out a croak that pierces the uneasy silence. Below him, he heard rustles from nearby shrubs. He saw a shadowy figure emerging from shrubs, and was frightened that it might be a predator. However, it was a man, about big as a truck, clothed in overalls. He has covered in a substance that made the moonlight glimmer off his body; maybe it was grease or oil, so Jerome decided to call him Greasy.

Greasy was holding a very small case for an instrument in his greasy hands. He props up against the tree where Jerome was sitting on, and puts case on the floor, opened it, and pick up the instrument. It was a violin, but very small, almost the length of his wingspan, yet the violin did not seem to be valuable since it had a hole on one side, and it covered in dark fingerprints, but it must have a sentimental value to Greasy because he cradled it in his arms like it was a day-old infant. Greasy bend down, and pick up a large bow from his case, and started to play. He played the D chord in a low a solemn tone, almost appropriate for environment, but the music Greasy played made him realize he was the only animal for miles, no companion to have a connect, so he focus his attention for a companionship. Jerome thought he would find companionship in Greasy since Jerome assumes that he did not have a lot of companions either. He could not wait to be with Greasy that his talons let go of the branch, and fell. He spread his wings to glide towards Greasy and landed on peg box of the violin. Nonetheless, Jerome’s weight actually tip the violin downwards and Greasy ended with a sour note. When Greasy noticed Jerome, he swung his large bow at Jerome that hit him directly on his talons and croaked loudly. Jerome narrowly missed another attack from Greasy and flew far away from him. Jerome was breathing heavily as he put all his might into flying to the nearest branch. He had to stand on one leg which was hard for him to balance, yet he managed. He felt even more alone when not even Greasy would befriend him. Jerome fell into a depression, thinking over and over what he did wrong. A gift from the gods came to him in the form of a companion: a bat. The bat was at the end of branch seeming to be getting ready to sleep. Jerome crept closer to him, but the bat did not notice. Jerome tried to say hello, but instead another loud croak left his beak that startled the bat. In retaliation, the bat fled, but he was not going to let another escape from his talons, so Jerome followed the bat until the ends of the earth . While Jerome was following the bat, he could hear Greasy playing his violin again, but this time, it was high tone with more intricate movements. The music played on the background of the chase while they flew across the forest., and then they crossed an enormous body of water. The bat was heading for a small opening in the side a cliff, Jerome thought he could fit, and when the bat went inside, and he tried to go inside then WHAM! Jerome lost conscious of the world and he woke by the sounds of clapping. He opened his eyes to see the director hovering above him. Jerome was back to his world: the theater. He laid his back on the stage, and the director was saying something to him, but he could only understand “You were wonderful darling…maybe your poise could have been better… could have been a tad more convincing in your transformation and playing the bird…now get up, the second act of La métamorphose d'un oiseau* … now stand up and get ready darling! Go! Go! Go!” Jerome stood up, and left the stage knowing that he became knowing one thing I’m going to be the best dancer of all time.

*The Metamorphosis to bird