I turned the dully gleaming key as the soft “click” of the lock turning over echoed inside my head. The mahogany door creaked open to reveal an inky blackness on the other side. “Wow,” I whispered into the waiting darkness,” this is it, huh?” I took that first, long step into my home for the last time and hit the recessed light control button on the wall. As the red indicator skittered along the panel, the cold Performing Arts Center welcomed me like an old friend embracing after a long separation. I inhaled deeply, detecting the familiar aroma of stone walls and the wooden stage. More than that, memories came flooding back; Blood, sweat, and tears I had shed on this stage making magic happen. “You tricked me,” I called to the dark, empty stage as if it could hear me, “into thinking that four years was a very, VERY long time. Guess not…” I walked onto the proper stage, my heels making a sharp “click, click, click” on the boards. I stepped out onto center stage and looked into the empty maroon chairs and imagined them filled with applauding people. I imagine myself in a low, sweeping bow to thundering applause and roaring voices all cheering my name. I sauntered over to the walnut banister, my face distorted in the highly polished, gently glowing surface as I rubbed my hand across its smooth, slightly warm surface. A sad smile cracked my face, like fissure in a granite cliff. A single warm, salty tear rolled down my face as I walked out of the door. I closed the door with a soft “thunk” and locked the door as I whispered, “Au revoir old friend.” My footsteps echoed down the hall with that sharp, familiar “click, click, click” as I walked into my new life. It was time for the next act to begin.