A Visit With the Theater Gods

"What's that vile sound? Never heard I such a noise."

"The Dreaded Fat Geeky Mortal has just been told by his lead that she must work the first day of rehearsal. Heh, heh, heh."

"Oh! And after he spent this morning and the night before drawing up a schedule."

"Yes. Delicious, isn't it?"

"Such language! Is that supposed to be directed at us?"

"No, just at you."

"What!?! How come you don't get cursed?"

"Quiet! Quiet! It gets better. Behold as we move forward a few hours to the next day. Now all he's thought about since last night is how three weeks of rehearsal time will have to be rescheduled, all those scenes and players refitted together, all those conflicts renegotiated. Okay, he's been dreading this moment. He's sitting down ..."

"What's he doing?"

"He's trying to see if there are enough scenes without the lead to fill the first night. Struggle as much as you want, little fish, your hopes are in vain! There is no quick fix, no swift unravelling of this knot!"

"Look, he's given up."

"Yes! Yes! He has accepted that his cause is hopeless. Now he must start over and reschedule from scratch! Oh, the beautiful misery! Squirm worm! Squirm before the fickle might of the Theater Gods!"

"Wait, he's stopped. His phone rings. Now what?"

"That would be the lead calling to tell him that miraculously she has found coverage for her shift and will be able to make rehearsal."

"Well, well. To dash his hopes and then to snatch him back from the abyss. Truly you wield our influence like a fine blade."

"Not really. Her call was supposed to come after he had erased everything. Oh well, always room for improvement."

"Is he really prostrating himself to us."

"No, just to me."

"What?"

"Heh, heh. It's good to be the god."