The Fourth Wall

End of the play. I close the book and place it on the shelf. The clock strikes 2:30 in the morning. I walk over to the window. The fog has crept in, absorbing the sounds of the neighborhood, like the fourth wall in a darkened theater.

 

The stage has three walls, the back wall and the two sides. The fourth wall is where the audience sits. Actors are trained to blot them out, like the fog, so they can deliver their performance and not be distracted out of character.

 

                                        climbing into bed

                                        I tell you

                                        I love you