The lights turned off, and the curtains closed.
"....."
Aoife stood behind the stage with her eyes closed. She had poured everything she had into the performance and was mentally exhausted.
She couldn't see the audience, but it felt as though thousands of eyes were still lingering over her body.
'How did it go? Was my acting okay...?'
The silence that took over the theater made her nervous.
Immersed in her role, she didn't pay attention to the audience's reaction. All she did was act.
Act as if this was the last time she was ever going to act.
"....."
Just as her heart started to sink, she heard a small clap coming from behind the curtains.
Clap!
It was subtle, but within the silence, it echoed loudly.
Another soon followed that clap, and before Aoife knew it, the entire audience was clapping.
Clap, clap, clap—!