King and Jester - a joke on the verge

The next show came to an end, the filled hall gradually began to empty. For Mansle, there was no sadder picture than the stage and performance, because you don’t want to be left and it’s not even about the success of the show, but about the fact of universal attention, the eyes of hundreds of people being riveted to your performance. "But he’s not performing alone,” you say, well, you’re right, but doesn’t the star have the right to call the stage his own when he himself is the main character? Mansle sat in the wardrobe and put away his props, for him it was a pleasant job that did not stress him too much. What about his house? Does anyone wait for a negligent jester? Alas, he lives alone, the house is empty, all that helps him relieve stress after the stage is to talk with his friends from the theater, fortunately he had some. After today's performance, he met with one of the girls, Matilda. He entered her room with a knock, and sat down on her sofa, which she kindly offered him. - Hello Matilda! Dazzling as always, this evening. I still can’t understand how you manage to maintain such a cheerful smile when such terrifying, black jokes are shown on stage? Heh, I'm sure you're not happy with them. In turn, the girl giggled quietly, giving an answer. - Ah, it’s true, I really don’t like them, but I’m not asking you how you manage to act out your role as a jester, am I? It’s just a job, and we in turn are obliged to do it as best we can, don’t you agree? Sighing heavily, a slight manufactured grin appeared on the actor's face, after which he threw his head back and crossed his legs. — Actor... I’ve already managed to come up with so many synonyms, it’s becoming difficult to say them all. I like our work... An unexpected pause put the girl into a stupor; she looked at the guy in confusion and asked carefully. - Mansle? Ah... Is something wrong with you? If so, you don't need to hide it. If you really have any problems, then as always, I am ready to listen to them. -… I know After that, he left the room, Matilda followed him with her eyes, but still did not understand what had happened to him. The guy’s visit itself did not bother her; she knew perfectly well that he would come, as he always did. Suddenly the girl remembered something, she jumped up and called out to him, but unfortunately he had already left and she could not find him outside the door. Sighing heavily, she returned to the mirror, realizing that she did not have time to tell him her important news. .............................................................................. In the next morning. The actor returned to his theater again, but did not hear the hum of his colleagues; there was silence, broken only by quiet crying. Mansle went to see the director of the theater, where he eventually learned the sad news: the old director had died, dying of old age right behind his workplace. Mansle's hands shook. - “Dead?! I can’t believe it, he said..." And then he remembered the day before. .............................................................................. After talking with Matilda, as he was about to leave he had a strange feeling, as if he was in the wrong place where he shouldn’t be. Suddenly he was unexpectedly called over, it was the director. He was wearing a leather vest, and had polished shoes on his feet, a red tie and silk cloak completed the picture. Mansle had been told that the cloak was a gift from a friend, a friend who knew very well that the director was an extremely big fan of this accessory. The man himself could not but agree. Even now, it sparkled like new. The old man himself called the cloak a symbol of his youth. - Please sit down, we are talking. Don't worry, nothing bad happened, I just want to share a few thoughts with you. Mansle took a seat opposite his boss’s desk and then listened to him carefully. - I want to tell you this. You... You remember the play well, don't you? Heh... The fact is that, being old, the king wanted to have fun all the time. He believed that a good mood is the source of eternal life, because when you have a good time, you don’t have a moment to think that everything might end unexpectedly. It’s like putting on an invisible hat for death and old age, which is why the king ruled for a very long time, you know? Indeed, this story is not the most plausible, we all already understood that, but in this king I see myself. I also didn’t care for the time being, as long as my actors were around, I felt happy, and also, at least I hope, no one suffered because of the low salary. May eternal glory be to our author of the play... I don’t think that without her we would have been able to work for so long... After that, he fell silent, leaving a mysterious pause, before speaking again. - Oh yeah... I forgot my point, huh. So, I... I'm afraid to quit. But eventually there always comes a moment when it's the right time to leave. I have a similar thought right now too. I'm old, I'm weak, I'm probably already acting like someone's grandfather. I'll need to think about an heir, you know? Don’t be afraid, I don’t really plan to leave you yet, just the words of one old man, nothing more. Smiling, Mansle remembered how they smiled at each other. The actor never said anything more to him; it seemed to him that the man just wanted to talk to him, to pour out his soul. But how wrong he was, especially when he saw him again, dead, finally completely relaxed with a sad smile that he tried hard to portray as happy. Mansle cried, it was painful for him to look at the corpse, but he did not turn away, he wanted to see the man to the end, realizing that there would be a funeral soon...