Row 18, Seat 1 chapter 3
by Kelly BlairThe Strange Audience
In the 21st century, the Starlight Cinema has been in a slump. The staff has changed like a revolving door, but Tom, the ticket – checker at the entrance, has been working here from the age of 20 to 65 and is still坚守岗位. And the legend of “Seat 18 in the first row” has gradually faded from people’s memories.
That night, it was drizzling, and there were even fewer people at the Starlight Cinema. Tom was checking tickets as usual. Suddenly, a spectator accidentally knocked his gloves off the table. Another spectator, a young and handsome guy named Mike, quickly picked them up for Tom. Tom smiled at him and took the movie ticket he handed over. At a glance, he gasped: Seat 18 in the first row! Tom took the ticket, his lips trembling, and the corner of his eye twitching involuntarily. He looked at the young man in disbelief. The young man smiled and asked, “Sir, is there a problem with the ticket?”
“No, no problem!” Tom tore off the stub of the ticket. Then he stopped the young man and whispered, “Don’t sit in that seat. Find another one, okay?” The young man pouted and said, “Why? Seat 18 is such a lucky number.” Then he walked in without looking back.
Tom was extremely puzzled. What was going on? Had the manager forgotten to tear out the ticket for Seat 18?
Just a few minutes after the movie started, Tom went to the front of the theater. He quietly lifted the curtain and peeked at Seat 18 in the first row by the dim light. This look made his mouth fall open in shock.
There were only about 40 spectators in the cinema that night, sitting sparsely. More than half of the seats were empty. But the young man somehow found a wooden board and placed it between Seat 16 and 20 in the first row, and sat himself firmly in Seat 18, watching the movie with great interest. Tom watched for a while and saw nothing unusual, so he quietly backed out. But then he sneaked back again. In less than an hour of the screening, he came back and forth more than ten times, nervously watching the young man.
Coincidentally, there was a scene in the movie where the protagonist was also watching a play, and the play on the stage was also “Fight in the Dark”. As the two characters were about to search for each other in the dark, Tom couldn’t hold it in anymore. He lifted the curtain and rushed towards the young man in Seat 18, shouting, “Get up! Don’t sit in that seat!” Before he could reach the young man, the young man suddenly let out a couple of screams, rolled his eyes, and slumped to one side. All the spectators were stunned by this sudden scene. The projectionist immediately turned off the projector and turned on all the lights in the theater.
The cinema manager rushed over quickly. He felt for the young man’s breath with his finger for a moment, then shook his head nervously and took out his phone to call the police. Tom grabbed the manager’s arm and said, “Don’t call the police!”
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