A Star is Born

It’s been a few weeks, but I’ve written another piece of flash fiction, again for one of Chuck Wendig’s challenges. This one was particularly interesting to write; I used my recently acquired set of Rory’s Story Cubes to help me along.

Arturo Fuego, who in ten years would be hailed as the greatest dramatic tenor of his generation, stood in the wings with a frog in his throat.

The opera-goers had just discovered Enrico Arboles would not be performing his most famous role, having developed a severe fever an hour before. The theatre was deeply in debt and so had not cancelled the performance. Bringing in the understudy was a risk they had to take.

“The audience expects nothing of you,” his father had said over the phone. “Forget Arboles. Be Fuego.”

The orchestra started to play, and the legend began.