Silent Laughter

By: @Lymmerik

Arthur Bayliss hit the stage snickering as he was introduced that night at the Comedy Spotlight; a hole in the wall bar on my side of town. There was immediate laughter from the audience as he stumbled his way up to the microphone. He looked out at the hundred or so of us in the crowd, raised his hand...and froze.

Arthur was the funniest man I have ever known. I had coaxed him into doing stand-up that night. He was nervously anxious, but I didn't think he would freeze up on stage.

"Boo, Boo..." Heckled the crowd.

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Arthur turned and disappeared behind the blood red curtain. I thought that he'd join us for a drink and laugh off his embarrassment. The next morning, I called him to bandage his pride. His phone...disconnected. I called again and again, to no avail. I called our friend Michael to go downstairs to check on him. His apartment, abandoned. I never saw him after that incident, until years later.

What ever happened to Arthur Bayliss?

As time marched on, I called his phone, hoping that he had just not paid the bill; I visited his apartment...nothing. One day Michael called me. He was frantic for me to come over. Arthur's things were at the curb. He was nowhere to be found.

I was hurt, insulted, and sad that my friend had just vanished without a trace. He never called to let us know he was safe. I checked the hospitals, jails, city parks, everywhere. After a few months, I wrote him off as an inconsiderate loser.

Michael and I slowly forgot about Arthur. His name came up fewer and fewer times in our conversations. Eventually he became a ghost.

6 Years Later...

Michael invited me to go on a cruise with him on The Caribbean Voyager Cruise Lines for a seven day, six night adventure. We went to the tanning salon religiously for three months bronzing ourselves. I had never been on a boat, let alone a ship!

Finally sailing day came. We boarded ship, found our cabins, unpacked, and went topside to wave at the losers wishing us bon voyage. Once we had gotten underway, we went on a tour of the ship so that we'd not get lost at sea!

Our first four days and nights afloat, we had done everything imaginable; salsa dancing lessons, crafts, eating, drinking, laughing and nursing a hangover or two. The days were filled fun and playing Marco Polo in the pool. The nights were spent on deck watching the stars and snoozing in lounge chairs with gentle trade winds wafting through our hair.

By the last night of our cruise, exhaustion had set in, but damn-it, we paid for the full ride. Dinner was wonderful, a buffet of Thai food.

With our bellies full, we started back to the cabin to shower and change for the evening. In the corridor, I saw this sign advertising that night's event in the Voyager Lounge.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings!

@Lymmerik

@OriginalWorks