The Last Showing

Text 1: The Lantern Room, by Miriam Vale

An original novel extract.

The notice had been taped to the glass doors for three weeks. CLOSED FROM MONDAY, it said, in letters so neat they seemed almost pleased with themselves. Elsie unlocked the cinema anyway, though the keys felt heavier than they had in June.

Dust drifted through the beam of the projector, turning slowly in the empty room. She climbed the aisle, counting the seats without meaning to: twelve, thirteen, fourteen. In the front row, a red coat had been left behind. It lay folded over the armrest, bright as a small flame in all that dark. Elsie touched the sleeve. The cloth was cold.

Outside, a bus sighed at the stop and pulled away. She could hear its engine fading along the high street, past the boarded bakery and the new flats. On the counter, the ticket machine still held a roll of unsold tickets. Elsie tore one off and folded it into her pocket. She switched off the projector, then the aisle lights, one by one. At the door she looked back once, as if someone might still be sitting there. The room gave no answer.

How does Miriam Vale use language and structure to show Elsie’s sadness about the cinema closing?

You should use relevant subject terminology to support your answer.