Saturday, March 14, 2009

"The Alex Show" Episode 6

FLASH FLASH FLASH SPIN SPIN SPIN

Why is this line taking so long? I wonder, selfish and impatient. There are only two people in front of me, a stranger and the girl who brought me to this place nearly two weeks ago. She had not come in until today, so since I was here before, I should be first. The classroom is familiarly foreign and I dislike standing in it. The chairs are carefully paired in rows of eight, round in number like a plate, while their state is squared and naturally bare. Every sound moves too quickly, and diction is muffled in the mist of its travel. A bumblebee would not be bumbling. A nightingale would not sing gaily in night. I cannot tap my foot on the floor or whistle while I wait. Fuck it, I am not standing any longer. I step to the side and interrupt the current conversation.

"Hi, my name is Alex McCurdy. I think you remember me," I tell the lady in the blue suit.

She looks back at me with a halfhearted smile. Evidently she does not remember nor is she pleased with my lack of courtesy.

"I sang for you the first time I auditioned here," I continue frantically. "You then sent me to Ms. Haight. She said I passed, and that I can continue. I was just wondering where I go from here."

She nods her head and hands me a blank piece of torn paper.

"Here, take this. Put your name atop and write down one sentence that best describes you as a person aside from your musical standpoint. We want to know what it is that you do, whether it is your greatest achievement to date, or the thing that defines you most. Remember, though, it cannot be anything in regard to music. We already know about that here."

I take the slip from her as she ushers me to any open seat in the room. I find one, third row, third chair from the front desk. I do not bother to eavesdrop my way into the latest gossip. I do not care to know how far others have passed or what they are working on. I merely want to finish this part of the challenge. I begin writing my name: alex mccur. I now realize I will have nothing to write after it. Aside from my audition, my name is all I have. I erase it.

I look around the room to see where she went. She must have answers to her questions by now, and maybe she would have some for my own. She is seated first row to the door, first chair from the front desk. She is ready to go, and must have been watching me already. She waves, and in return I give her two thumbs up and flash my cheesiest smile. I glance back down at the paper, blank like it was in the beginning, and I wonder why a prestigious place such as this would tear it. Surely they have scissors or even one of those colossal cutting machines used to make gigantic letters and stars. It just does not seem professional.
I will ask where they hide the ants.

FLASH FLASH FLASH SPIN SPIN SPIN

My throat hurts. It appears to have developed another hole. This one feels like it is located behind and above my left tonsil. I do not understand why these misfortunes keep happening when I do so little to provoke it. Perhaps I was never meant to audition after all.

to be continued...

- Alexander McCurdy

5 comments:

hayley said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
edukateyourself said...

is this the one i appear in? am i supposed to be a lady in a blue suit? that doesn't sound right :P

Alex McCurdy said...

yes, this is the one. you're actually the girl.

edukateyourself said...

i don't really get it, but i'm waiting for the next episodes in hope it will all clear up :)

k said...

i don't think i know what defines me.