The Soprano's Last Encore

It was a grotesque private show in the basement of an exclusive club. There were no actors on the stage—only a feral, disheveled woman bound by heavy leather straps, and three mute children kneeling beside her in burlap sacks. The wealthy patrons sipped their brandy, placing bets on exactly when the madwoman would snap and tear the small, living things beside her to pieces. As the night wore on and the children remained perfectly still, the bored audience grew restless. They began hurling heavy crystal glasses and shattered bottles at the stage to speed up the bloodshed. The woman let out a guttural, beastly roar. Her eyes locked onto the flying glass, and with a violent surge, she snapped the thick leather straps binding her wrists. Before a single patron could scream or flee, she made a sudden movement that cost every man in the room his bet. She died amidst the bloody wreckage, frozen in that final posture.