Whispers from Plano's Past and Future

An actor from the 1890s travels to 1980 to guest star on a TV show. (Contest submission).

I submitted this short story for a contest. The rules were to write a fictional story about the history of Plano, TX. The word count had to be less than 2,000 words. You had to mention a real person from Plano's past, and a building. I mentioned the mayor and the Coit Opera House. As of the end of May 2025, the winner of the contest has not been announced.

I feel my story could have been a lot better if there hadn't been a strict word count. My original draft was over 2,000 words, so a lot of my story had to be cut out.

If you haven't guessed it, the television show is "Dallas," which was filmed in Parker, Texas. Plano is only a short sixteen minute drive from Parker. I don't know if I can legally use the name of the TV show in my story.

*****

“Whispers from Plano’s Past and Future”
By Katrina D. Miller
Word Count: 1,736

Plano, Texas, 1890

Cleophas Woodford II, or Cleo as you please, stepped off the train onto the platform in Plano, Texas—a creak emitted from the wood as his boot made contact. A porter appeared, took his trunks, and whisked them away to be delivered to his father’s house on the outskirts of town. With a sigh, Cleo tugged at his linen shirt and began the long walk. Leave it to his father not to have a servant meet him at the train station with a horse and buggy.

The midday sun hit hard, and Cleo dug into his pocket for his handkerchief. He was on break from law school, and his father allowed him to come home. Alexander Woodford may be one of the richest men in town, but he was stingy with his pennies, especially to his only son, who would rather be an actor than a lawyer.

Cleo never wanted to be a lawyer, like his grandfather, whom he was named for—a stern man with a booming voice and sharp intellect, admired in the courtroom and feared at the dinner table. He wanted to be a stage actor. “Law school pays the bills,” his father boomed last year as he instructed their servants to pack Cleo’s trunks. “An actor sleeps on the ground and begs for pennies.” Cleo sighed. A newspaper article he’d cut out from a Dallas paper stated that a famous NYC acting troupe made twenty dollars a month! How he longed to be an actor in New York City, instead of a lawyer in boring Plano, Texas.

In the distance, he spotted the new Coit’s Opera House advertising A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was about time Plano built an opera house! Cleo stood beneath the marquee and read the flyers.

“I never expected Plano or the surrounding area to become a popular location for a theater,” he said aloud.

Turning around, he caught a flash of light in the mercantile window next door. There, nestled in a bed of velvet, lay an exquisite jade necklace. He longed to buy it for his fiancée, Rebecca, but he knew he couldn’t afford it.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Cleo jumped at the raspy voice.

An older man wearing a tattered shawl stood in the shade beside the Opera House. His gray eyes studied Cleo.

“Your sweetheart would love it,” the man said with a nod.

Cleo laughed and placed his handkerchief back in his pocket. “When I become a famous actor someday, I’ll be able to afford it.”

A smile formed on Cleo’s lips at the lie. This man didn’t know Alexander Woodford. Cleo could be anything he wanted in front of this mysterious stranger.

“Not everything you want is out of reach,” the man said with a mysterious smile. “Sometimes what we crave comes when we least expect it.”

Cleo found himself stepping backward into a mud puddle. “Are you a preacher?” he asked.

To Cleo’s astonishment, the older man threw his head back in laughter. “I travel far and wide. I grant wishes to people who are living in the wrong time.”

Cleo narrowed his eyes. “So what are you—some kind of fortune teller?” he said with sarcasm dripping from his voice. “Tell me, will I ever be a famous actor, or will I follow in my grandfather’s footsteps and become a lawyer?”

“Time whispers to me,” the man said with that mysterious smile. “I can travel far and wide. I can sense when a person has been born at the wrong time. I can grant their wishes, but only for a short time.”

Reaching into his pocket, the old man pulled out a ruby ring and handed it to Cleo.

“Wear this tonight,” he said. “Sleep with it on, and when you awaken in the morning, you will see how Plano and the surrounding area will become the stage for an admired show.”

“Show?” Cleo asked as he took the ring from the man’s gnarled fingers. “You mean like the opera?”

“A different type of opera,” the man nodded and disappeared down the dusty street toward the saloon.

“Figures,” Cleo smirked. “A drunk.” He slipped the ring into his pocket and raced toward his father’s estate.

At the house, Cleo learned his father was out having drinks with Mayor W. B. Blalack. He wasn’t disappointed. His grades had been mailed home, and Cleo was dreading the lecture from his father about the “C” average in his mathematics class.

He ate supper alone, bathed, and retired to his childhood room early. Settling down in the feather mattress, Cleo stared at the ring he’d plunked on the nightstand. Picking it up, he marveled at how heavy it felt. The gem seemed to glow. Slipping it on his finger, he felt a jolt of electricity course through his body.

“I wish I were an actor, if only for a day,” he whispered before closing his eyes.

Plano, Texas, 1980

“Mr. Woodford, you’re on in thirty,” a voice boomed in the distance.

Cleo grunted and rolled over in bed. His body felt like he’d been run over by a train. The last thing he remembered was slipping the ring on his finger and closing his eyes. His body had felt like it was vaporizing and moving through time.

Opening his eyes, Cleo was in disbelief. The walls of the room were lined with strange, color photographs! Climbing from bed, he peeked out of the small window and saw electric streetlights glowing brightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a stack of papers on his nightstand.

“Episode 10 - Scene 7. Date at Plano’s Opera House,” Cleo read aloud. “Sherman Montgomery, played by Cleo Woodford, is a middle-aged, successful lawyer who takes the lead female character on a date to Plano’s old opera house, which has been converted into an upscale steak restaurant.”

“Oh, my goodness.” Cleo put the papers down and turned toward an expensive-looking suit and tie. He instinctively took his old-fashioned bedtime clothing off and slipped the costume on. It was as if an unseen force had taken over. The gypsy’s ring had taken him through time. Cleo found himself in Plano’s future as a successful actor. He opened the door and stood on the streets of downtown Plano. His father’s house was gone, and in its place was a strange building on wheels. A dressing room. The gypsy’s voice echoed in his head.

“Ready for rehearsal?” a chipper female voice called out. Cleo turned around, and to his astonishment, a young woman resembling Rebecca walked over to him.

“Here, drink some coffee,” the strange woman said, handing him a paper cup with steam drifting from the top. “You look exhausted. The time difference between Hollywood and Texas is not that much.”

Cleo did as he was told. It was as if another person had taken over his body. The gypsy was correct. The ring had the power to transport him through time. According to the bundle of papers on his nightstand, the year was 1980, and he, Cleo Woodford, was an actor! The hot liquid swished down his throat as this new identity took over. He was middle-aged, a successful actor, and had flown from Hollywood to guest star on a popular television show filmed a few miles from Plano. Cleo didn’t know how long the gypsy’s gift would last, but he was determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

Inside the opera house, Cleo spotted the television show’s leading lady. She was gorgeous, professional, and talented. She was also wearing the jade necklace from the mercantile.

“I—I—where did you find the necklace?” Cleo asked as he stepped over to introduce himself.

“The strangest thing,” she said after introductions. “The crew came up here a few days ago to start construction on the set, and they found it hidden under a pile of broken lumber in the old adjacent building next door. The owner thought it would be a perfect accessory for our scene.”

Cleo could only stare.

“So, are you ready for our big scene?” she asked, breaking the awkward silence. “It was nice of you to fly down to Plano.”

Cleo felt himself nodding as his alter personality took over. He and his leading lady spent the day rehearsing and signing autographs between takes. His character was the leading lady's current love interest. At the end of the episode, he decided to return home and marry his one true love. How fitting.

As the lights around the opera house began to dim, Cleo felt himself walking back to his dressing room. He opened the door and found himself back in 1890 wearing his old night clothes. Glancing down at his finger, he discovered the ring to be missing.

“I didn’t leave it back in 1980?” Cleo gasped as his body filled with panic. Without the ring, he had no way to return to retrieve it. A sharp knock echoed throughout the room. Cleo opened the bedroom door and discovered his father’s butler holding a wrapped package.

“The delivery boy from the mercantile dropped this off for you,” he said as he handed it over. Cleo accepted the package with a small thank-you. Removing the string and tissue paper wrapper, Cleo pulled the lid off a small box. Inside was the jade necklace and a note. He placed the box at the foot of the bed and unfolded the paper.

I’m honored to make your wish come true if only for one day. Give Rebecca the necklace and live happily ever after like your character. She deserves to see the future you glimpsed, and perhaps you'll find a way to shape it together.
—The Gypsy

At that moment, Cleo knew he had to finish his law degree and marry Rebecca. But now, he saw the law in a new light, not as a punishment, but as a stage of its own. He could manage both worlds: the order of law and the passion of acting.
In the future he’d glimpsed, some lawyers worked in entertainment; they protected actors, wrote contracts, and negotiated stage rights. Perhaps he wasn’t meant to be on the stage, but behind it, shaping stories differently. With Rebecca by his side and the jade necklace as a reminder of the gypsy’s gift, the future was wide open, and this time he knew his true destiny.