Childs play

"I'm here! Don't start, just wait a- a moment," I say as I sprint into the office. I try to catch my breath as I lean over with my hands on my knees. I'm fairly certain I have huge black bags under my eyes because I did not sleep a wink the night before.

Usually writing a song is easy, mere child's play, but for a reason I couldn't fathom the lyrics just would not come to me last night. The songs that I had created flowed just fine, but the words (oh gosh) they just did not sit right with the music.

And when words did come, they were not the words that the boss was looking for. Damn that red eye and gold eyed Emperor and his Generation of Miracles! They just would not leave my mind! I felt like a bloody love sick teenage girl drooling over her favourite band.

Of course I looked them up, I couldn't help myself! I mean, the guy was practically within kissing distance and I had no idea who he was. I felt quite stupid.

"Right then, Furihata-san, please show me what you have come up with," the white suited boss said with a grin as the rhino manager huffed in his seat. The boss was a complete contrast to the manager. Where the manager was large in waist and small in brain, the boss was small in waist and large in brain. He always reminded me of an owl, his eyes always watching and his head cocked to one side as he listened. His walk is also quite graceful.

I hurriedly handed over the flash drive that contained the new songs; the boss plugs it into the USB port on his stereo and turns the volume up until he is satisfied. "Have a seat and let's take a listen to your newest creations," he says as he plops elegantly into his chair. I slide into the dark leather seat next to the manager and hug my bag to my chest. My heart is racing, as it always does when I present a new song.

Song writing is a lengthy process; it often takes two weeks to sort through the notes, tunes, harmonies and lyrics. It was like a game of tennis: I serve the ball, the boss examines my serve and then lobs it back at me to show me all my faults, and I hit it back after correcting everything and if he is satisfied then I score points. If he is unsatisfied he hits it back at me again and so the process continues.

I watch silently as the boss picks up the remote and presses play. The chords of my new song fill the room and I stop breathing.

This is not the song that I wanted the boss to hear. The blood drains from my face and I wish the floor would swallow me whole.

The boss turns to look at me; he doesn't say anything until the last chords fade from the speaker.

"I knew you had it in you!" he says with a grin as he stands up and comes to pat me on the shoulder. "That was just the sort of emotion I was looking for! It's excellent!"

"Thank you sir," I say in a daze.

"This is just the sort of music the Generation of Miracles is looking for! Yes, the Emperor was right, you would make an excellent addition to his team," the white owl says with enthusiasm.

"The Generation of Miracles? What are you talking about? Furihata is my song writer!" the rhino says as he stands up. His face goes red with fury and he towers over the boss in a frightening manner.

"Sit down," the boss hisses. "I am promoting you, Furihata-san. You are to write songs for the GOM from now on. Here is the contract, please sign along the bottom," snowy owl says.

"You pick up that pen and you are banned from my studio," angry rhino hisses like an angry snake.

"You do not have the authority to do that," the boss says with his head high.

I look between the two of them as they stare each other down. The blush seeps over my cheeks and into my neck and I do the only thing I can think of, I pick up the pen and sign…