The ceiling above the gallery

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The audience settled into their seats as the orchestra began. In the upper gallery, a thin line of dust drifted from the ceiling. A few people glanced up, then turned back towards the stage.

A crack sounded above them. The music stopped. Dust fell in a grey curtain, and a piece of plaster struck the empty aisle. The people nearest the gallery door pushed towards it; others called for them to wait. The manager hurried on to the stage, but his raised hand could not quiet the room. By the time the doors were opened, the audience had left their coats and programmes behind.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to show the audience’s calm changing to fear.

In your answer, you could consider:

• the words and phrases used to describe the ceiling and the audience’s actions
• how the beginning of the passage differs from the ending.

Support your answer with references to the passage.