Screen 0

Felt.

That's it. Felt. Rubbing against your cheek. It feels soft. But you can't ignore that subtle scratching against your hands as you get to your feet. Rubbing your eyes, you feel the stiff textured imprints on your face from the floor. Your eyelids are heavy, but you're able to force them open, finding yourself in a large, strange, but well-lit room. You're stood on a dark red carpet. Tall black walls surround you. The light seems to be coming from a fixture hanging from the ceiling, but there's no ceiling in sight; it just keeps going into an endless black expanse. There's no sort of immediate exit. A strange smell lingers about the air.

Butter?

After a yawn and a stretch, you start to explore. There's not much to be seen. Tracing the edges of the room, You find the walls are also lined with felt. There's an awful lot of felt here. You find your steps feel lighter, easier than you remember. Not that you remember much. Your clothes are comfortable too, a perfect fit. They feel familiar. Then you see it. Tucked into a corner, out of your view from earlier. It's hidden so well, you can't even tell if it's in front of you now. A long, trundling escalator, steadily going upwards for what seems like forever. Beside it reads a sign. You almost missed it.

↑SCREEN 0

You look behind yourself. Nothing seems to be there now. Looking up, you take a deep breath, and step onto the escalator as it starts taking you up. It's slow, loud and rickety. After a while you start to walk up, just to save some time, before stopping and feeling a little guilty. It's trying its best, and you're not exactly in any hurry to get anywhere.

Finally, you arrive at the top. Two giant black doors wait before you. You push them open with effort, and make your way through. After walking through a small corridor, you see a huge screen on the wall in front of you. It's blank. Behind you are the seats, with almost every single one being occupied. A vast series of people is sat before you, watching both you and the blank screen with anxious anticipation. They seem happy to see you. You make your way up the stairs until you see an empty space next to an old man with a grey stubble. Sitting down next to him, you notice a large bucket of popcorn next to you. You have a mouthful; warm and buttery and delicious. Suddenly, the old man whispers to you, his eyes still fixed on the screen.

"Don't eat that all just yet; it's about to start."

"What is?" You're caught off guard by how young you sound. Before he can answer, the lights dim. You hear a projector start behind you. A movie begins to play on the screen, a blurry video of a woman's face. Wailing.

Congratulations, Miss Parker. You've just given birth to a healthy baby girl.

The old man whispers to you again. His eyes don't leave the screen.

"You're part of the audience now. Sit back and enjoy the show."