Audition-Story for CLASH Tournament 4

Audition--Maddie's Story

Maddie sat in the bar, looking over the discarded paper, "Boring, boring, bor--wait." She lifted the paper to get more light from the gas lamp behind her. She read eagerly, after all, it's not every day you know someone in the newspaper. The letter took up the top half of the page, written in large, bold, unavoidable letters, was a plea for help.

Maddie had met Dr. Plumpocket once several years ago when she's been selling various springs to raise money for a school function. He'd generously bought three of the most expensive ones she had. At the time, she felt excited and had talked about it to her family all evening, then to her friends the next day until everyone finally told her to be quiet about the event. Upon reflection, she now realized it was simply kindness and generosity that had caused him to buy the overpriced, under performing springs, but she appreciated that.

Maddie had been on the outs with her family ever since "the Ralph incident" as her mom referred to walking in on Maddie and her boyfriend. A very conservative family, she wasn't to have boys over and certainly, they shouldn't be alone with her in her room, never mind that they were putting together a new toy steam engine for her baby brother, Patrick. She felt her parents had held the grudge too long and constantly sought opportunities to get back into their good graces. She'd once asked her older brother, Freddie, how she could do it, but he just tousled her hair, and told her she'd made her bed...then made a smart remark about how she'd already been lying in it. "Besides, you're too smart for that weasel anyway," was the only slightly helpful thing he had to say. For that matter, it was the most helpful thing he'd had to say in quite some time.

"Alright! That's it," she said to herself, for she often talked aloud to herself, or to anyone else in the vicinity for that matter, acquaintance or not. She pushed the paper aside and stood up, smoothing her always rumpled clothes in an effort to look the part of Heroine. "Dr. Plumpocket helped me out, now I'll help him out. How hard can it be? I'm smart." She threw a couple of copper coins on the counter for the service and headed out. She had a new sense of purpose and held her head high. After she saved Dr. Plumpocket and his family, her family would have to accept her back again. She'd be the hero of the town. Her parents wouldn't be able to refuse her if she approached them in public, and as a town celebrity, she'd always be "in public." This was the right decision and she knew it!

Her swift and purposeful gate began to slow as she approached Clockwork Manor. It was larger than she recalled. Given she was younger at the time, she was sure the house should look smaller now, not larger. And it seemed as if more had been added to the security system. "No, this isn't right. This can't be right." But she knew it was by the growing crowd...