so, this past summer. there's a story there. it took place sometime in august, close to the end of the season. at a party. a speak easy party where everyone dressed up in 1920s gear and danced the night away. Along with card tables and fully stocked bars. Myself and the boy did our usual. We dressed up a little bit and showed our faces at the shin-dig and not unlike every other party, after about a half an hour we got a little bored and tired and decided to head home. Besides, it's always better to go home earlier so you can get up early to head to the beach.
Anyhow, we left and went back to our apartment. As we were in our bedroom getting ready to jump in bed and read or whatever boring thing we do when we come home after a party, I heard a scream. But considering where we lived and who we lived with and the party across the way was still going strong, I just assumed it was a someone-poured-ice-down-someone-else's-back kind of a scream. However, I did mention it to the boy and he said he had heard it. We made the thoughtful face for a moment and then went back to getting ready for bed. Then we hear someone yelling up the path to our door. Cant really hear what they're saying until they bust in our front door and into our bedroom. It's that girl at every theatre who's a little over the dramatic side, you know, a little more so than any of the other actors, and she's screaming her head off. She tells us in broken words that we (the boy and I) must get down to the where the party was, something terrible had happened, something about the porch breaking, something about all the people who were on it.
We were up and running around our room like we were blind. Trying to throw on clothes but thinking maybe we should just run out without clothes. No, we need clothes....no we need to just run out the door...no we need to take the flashlight...why would we need the flashlight....wait I have one pant leg on but Im running out the door....wait should we bring this and that and the other. Finally after about a minute of this, we just ran out the door. Shock of some kind I spose.
So we take off down the path that leads to the center of the area where we all live together. Adrenaline pumping and totally confused, we round the corner and WHAM...there it is.
First let me tell you how these houses are. They're set up in a long building that fits 4 apartements, 2 on either side, one on top of the other. Each apartment has a large porch that could easily fit 15-20 people if you're pushing it. the top apartment's porch covers the bottom apartment's porch. Get it? Good.
So we rounded the corner and WHAM....there it is. The top porch on the building that was having the party had collapsed. Completely broken in half and laying on the porch below. All I could think about was how many people had been on that porch, and under it, at the time that it fell. Almost everyone was on the ground walking around near the porch at this point and the fella and myself had to take charge. I remember yelling something like "Dont be assholes, get away from the porch." Sadly that's the tone you need when you're dealing with tons of fairly tipsy friends. Eventually they all moved to the center of the living area and a few of us were left to check out the damage and figure out what needed to be done.
First we asked some people what happened. The same story from everyone. Heard a loud creaking sound and then bam, the next thing they knew they were either A.)left standing in the apartment looking down at the disaster B.) standing at the top of the wreckage on the piece of porch that was left standing or C.) at the bottom of the pile of people who fell with the porch. Then we asked if anyone was badly hurt. I tell you, the way that actress came screaming into our house, we thought there was going to be blood and guts and decapatations. Looking around though, after as thorough of a check we could make, there seemed to be no one caught under or on top of the porch. A of couple people who were injured prior to the accident were slightly injured again from this. Broken ribs, swollen ankles, but nothing more. Bad yes, but could have been much worse considering the damage and the amount of people who were up there.
Then the tipsy folks started to wander back up to the porch saying "we gotta get the booze" or "I live there and Im going up". that's when I knew I was destined to stand at the foot of those steps and keep people off the porch. A few of us decided that the fire department and the theatre management needed to be called. Someone called the fire department and they told us that if no one was badly hurt, the marshall would be there at 8am. (this being about 2am). Then we called the management but to no avail. No one was answering their phone.
So, to make the rest of the story short, myself and a group of other outstanding citizens (or somethin) stood outside on the porch steps with video camera, left over beer and eachother until 8am. We would get deep in story and then suddenly turn and remember why we were sitting out there and the whole evening would come rushing back. Finally, one of the heads of the theatre showed up at 8, then the fire marshall, then more management. We were told we did a good job and sent on our way to go to bed or do whatever it is us crazy theatre kids do at 8 in the morning.
I still think about what would have happened if someone had been horribly injured or worse. This is a true story. Ive never seen anything like it. Imagine yourself immersed in a group of actors and actresses who had all been drinking and had just fallen off a porch. I tell you, I hope to never see it again in my life time.
Anyhow, we left and went back to our apartment. As we were in our bedroom getting ready to jump in bed and read or whatever boring thing we do when we come home after a party, I heard a scream. But considering where we lived and who we lived with and the party across the way was still going strong, I just assumed it was a someone-poured-ice-down-someone-else's-back kind of a scream. However, I did mention it to the boy and he said he had heard it. We made the thoughtful face for a moment and then went back to getting ready for bed. Then we hear someone yelling up the path to our door. Cant really hear what they're saying until they bust in our front door and into our bedroom. It's that girl at every theatre who's a little over the dramatic side, you know, a little more so than any of the other actors, and she's screaming her head off. She tells us in broken words that we (the boy and I) must get down to the where the party was, something terrible had happened, something about the porch breaking, something about all the people who were on it.
We were up and running around our room like we were blind. Trying to throw on clothes but thinking maybe we should just run out without clothes. No, we need clothes....no we need to just run out the door...no we need to take the flashlight...why would we need the flashlight....wait I have one pant leg on but Im running out the door....wait should we bring this and that and the other. Finally after about a minute of this, we just ran out the door. Shock of some kind I spose.
So we take off down the path that leads to the center of the area where we all live together. Adrenaline pumping and totally confused, we round the corner and WHAM...there it is.
First let me tell you how these houses are. They're set up in a long building that fits 4 apartements, 2 on either side, one on top of the other. Each apartment has a large porch that could easily fit 15-20 people if you're pushing it. the top apartment's porch covers the bottom apartment's porch. Get it? Good.
So we rounded the corner and WHAM....there it is. The top porch on the building that was having the party had collapsed. Completely broken in half and laying on the porch below. All I could think about was how many people had been on that porch, and under it, at the time that it fell. Almost everyone was on the ground walking around near the porch at this point and the fella and myself had to take charge. I remember yelling something like "Dont be assholes, get away from the porch." Sadly that's the tone you need when you're dealing with tons of fairly tipsy friends. Eventually they all moved to the center of the living area and a few of us were left to check out the damage and figure out what needed to be done.
First we asked some people what happened. The same story from everyone. Heard a loud creaking sound and then bam, the next thing they knew they were either A.)left standing in the apartment looking down at the disaster B.) standing at the top of the wreckage on the piece of porch that was left standing or C.) at the bottom of the pile of people who fell with the porch. Then we asked if anyone was badly hurt. I tell you, the way that actress came screaming into our house, we thought there was going to be blood and guts and decapatations. Looking around though, after as thorough of a check we could make, there seemed to be no one caught under or on top of the porch. A of couple people who were injured prior to the accident were slightly injured again from this. Broken ribs, swollen ankles, but nothing more. Bad yes, but could have been much worse considering the damage and the amount of people who were up there.
Then the tipsy folks started to wander back up to the porch saying "we gotta get the booze" or "I live there and Im going up". that's when I knew I was destined to stand at the foot of those steps and keep people off the porch. A few of us decided that the fire department and the theatre management needed to be called. Someone called the fire department and they told us that if no one was badly hurt, the marshall would be there at 8am. (this being about 2am). Then we called the management but to no avail. No one was answering their phone.
So, to make the rest of the story short, myself and a group of other outstanding citizens (or somethin) stood outside on the porch steps with video camera, left over beer and eachother until 8am. We would get deep in story and then suddenly turn and remember why we were sitting out there and the whole evening would come rushing back. Finally, one of the heads of the theatre showed up at 8, then the fire marshall, then more management. We were told we did a good job and sent on our way to go to bed or do whatever it is us crazy theatre kids do at 8 in the morning.
I still think about what would have happened if someone had been horribly injured or worse. This is a true story. Ive never seen anything like it. Imagine yourself immersed in a group of actors and actresses who had all been drinking and had just fallen off a porch. I tell you, I hope to never see it again in my life time.
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