The Old Cinema

"Grandpa, what is that building?" Chloe asked. They were walking along a quiet street in Hobart, Tasmania. There was an old building with a big door and the word STAR in red letters. "That," said Mr. Gray, "is the place where I used to work."

"It was a cinema," he explained. "I started there when I was seventeen. I used to sell the tickets, and later I used to work with the projector, the big machine that showed the films." "Was it busy?" Chloe asked. "Oh, yes. On Saturday nights people used to line up around the corner, in the rain, with their umbrellas. There was no television in most houses then."

"What films did they watch?" "Cowboy films, love stories, and films about the war. The children used to come on Saturday morning for the cartoons. They used to make a lot of noise, and I used to tell them to be quiet. It never worked."

"Then, in the eighties, people stopped coming. Everybody had a television, and later a video player. First the cinema closed on weekdays, then it opened only on Saturdays, and finally it closed completely. I remember the last night. There were only eleven people."

Chloe looked at the dark windows. "So it's dead now?" Mr. Gray smiled. "No! Look at the poster." On the door there was a new poster: STAR CINEMA, OPENING AGAIN IN MAY. "Some young people from the neighborhood bought it last year. They asked me to help with the old projector." "Can I come to the first film?" Chloe asked. "Of course. But you have to be quiet."