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Along Life’s Way
The No-show: A
Fable
© 2018 Lois E. Wilson
The ventriloquist had worked for years perfecting his craft. He
mastered not moving his lips when he spoke or sang. He developed
different dummy characters with different voices—females with high
pitch and males with low pitch ranges. He had Flirty Flora and Grumpy
Gus, each costumed appropriately to the character portrayed.
He first gained fame by winning a national television talent show. His
act was so entertaining that he immediately received many bookings for
appearances across the country. As his success soared, he added more
characters to his performances. There were famous stars and political
figures which he featured in his dummies. He was an excellent
impersonator of voices and his singing voice captured the essence of
the original personalities. His comedy routine was topical and made
audiences roar.
A Midwest, married couple had followed the ventriloquist’s career and
always made certain they watched him whenever he was featured on TV.
They learned he had a long-term engagement in Las Vegas and planned a
weekend flight to see his show live.
They arrived at the hotel, had a celebratory dinner, and headed to the
theater area. As they walked, they kept passing others going the other
way. They discovered why when they reached the theater door; it was
shut and locked. On it hung a sign which read:
“Tonight’s show is canceled.
The ventriloquist has laryngitis.
Ticket money will be refunded
at the office. We apologize for
any inconvenience.”
Moral: Those who dummy up and let others speak for them risk losing
their voices.
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