Margaret McKenzie
Sitting on the
upper stair in the magnificent concert hall, Maggie (Maj ie)
stared down at the stage in awe of the high red curtain and the
intricate architectural design that gave the place a godly air.
She noticed the pillars half carved into the wall that reached up
to what seemed to be the heavens with the ceiling's stained
glass dome, decorated with clouds and angels, looking down upon
the world. All this was what she had always dreamed of, to
finally perform among the great musicians of her time and with a
famous orchestra in the background. Of course, this wasn't
everything she wanted. She wished for fame and fortune, letting
the dreams in her vast imagination come to pass. Pulling out her
instrument, she began to play with her eyes closed, letting the
mellow tones fill the empty theatre, which produced an echo that
would have astounded the world. She let her emotions spill
through the instrument, which was in truth empty, but when one
pulls the long bow across the string that gap is filled and
complete. Maggie often wondered why she began to play. Somewhere
along the line it fit and was a part of her.
She shrugged as she checked the gold pocket watch. It was still 8
hours before her musical debut and she had time to have a bite to
eat and try to forget the thing she had to do. Maggie scolded
herself severely for letting nerves and worries swirl around her.
It was at least her 19th year of performing in front of people,
if you counted when she was three and recited a short poem, which
she despised, in front of a few people.
God I hate poetry, she said under her breath, It
needs to be burnt up into shreds of
Oh you do? I rather enjoy the flow of words, it's very
interesting, but you're right, it does get rather tedious at
times.
Horrified for a moment, she located the source of the voice. The
man was standing in the shadows of a pillar where the sunlight
didn't hit. She could see as he stepped closer to her that
he was wearing a black leather jacket and had spiky black hair.
She laughed and gave an exasperated sigh, Roger, you really
need to lighten up. You didn't just come from a funeral by
any chance?
..What, did I scare you? I think you've
been reading too many horror novels. he said, with a hint
of a smile and a wink.
well, yesI have nothing better to do, do you
want to do lunch? she said, still not realizing that the
taller Roger was having trouble keeping up with her brisk pace.
Suddenly Maggie's cell phone rang. Crud, where did I
put it? She checked her pockets and finally found it in the
back pocket of her jeans where she had placed it so as not to
lose it.
Where are you? We've been waiting at the restaurant
for over an hour!
Oh! Sorry Pat, it completely slipped my mind. Anyway, don't
wait for me, go ahead and tell everyone to order and I'll be
there ASAP. Also ask the waiter to make room for another person,
I invited Roger to come since I forgot about our plans.
Don't worry, we didn't. We'll see ya in a
bit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By this time she had hailed a Taxi and they were on their way.
The conversation wasn't that interesting in the car and
eventually became an elongated silence, which Maggie absolutely
could not stand. She felt a little motion sickness from the drive
on the curvy country road so decided to try to enjoy the scenery.
It was a beautiful day. The cumulous clouds seemed to be lower
than usual, making the curving blue sky more noticeable and
surreal. The light of the bright sun on the trees made everything
appear even more colorful than it already was. When the day
looked like this, Maggie felt like she was trapped in a fairy
tale and couldn't get out. She shuddered and slowly drifted
into asleep.
Roger shook Maggie gently and then harder when she didn't
wake up. He didn't share her quick temper or impatient
streak, but was worried that she was sick or something. Lately
she had been acting even more nervous and forgetful, but he
decided that it was because of stress. She was working too hard,
no matter what she claimed.
Hey Maggie, Maggie! We're here; you have to get up.
Why didn't you tell me this place was so far away? As
she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as well as her mind and
ignored Roger, Maggie began to notice that darkness had already
begun to descend over the landa land she didn't know.
Roger, what time is it? I didn't know, Sammy and Pat
just said the place was good and I took their word for it.
The driver laughed
impatiently. How much? she said, curtly, after
getting out of the taxi.
It's on me, suckers, he said turning to look at
the two. Her eyes widened and she shuddered. A smug sneer was on
his pale face and his eyes were so deep-set you'd think he
hadn't slept in weeks. The teeth that were left in his mouth
were rudely stained and his outfit seemed to be worn down to
worse than rags. Soon Maggie came out of the trance sort of thing
and realized the driver had sped off, his sick laughter echoing
in their ears. same to you jerkoff! she
yelled. They both just stared after him for a while, taking in
the simple scene of a few desert trees and rocks. To their left
was a mountain range that appeared to rise up out of no where, as
the Rocky Mountains tend to do. Before the monotonous range was a
small diner where she hoped her friends waited inside.
Oh good, you're finally here! What took you so long?
Pat said in a sort of quiet way. He never raised his voice, nor
did he have a lack of confidence. That's why she liked the
tall guy who had dark brown hair and spoke with an English accent.
He could always stand up for himselfthat's also the
reason she hired him as her agent. Sometimes it was hard to tell
who was the boss, Patrick, or Maggie. His girlfriend, Sammy, was
also there.
As Rog pulled a chair up for Maggie he grasped her hand in his
own and to his surprise, Maggie didn't protest, the truth
was that she actually needed his support. The two shared a look
and she raised her eyebrow at him.
So after today you're going to go on tour around the
country, that is, if it works out. I can get the Carnegie theatre
in Pittsburgh and
As Patrick spoke Maggie smiled, staring off into nothingness and
envisioning the world as it is.perfect. That is, except for
the government, and the starving people, and overpopulationshe
mused.
Maggie, it's time to go. Margaret, Margaret!
What? Huh? Oh, right Pat. Of course. After tonightOH!
I've got to get ready! They got into the car and drove
off, barely arriving in time for the people to do her make-up and
hair. Where's my banana?
Right here, Ms. Mckenzie.
Someone handed her the banana and she quickly ate it. The
number one cure for relaxation and stage fright are bananas,
she told one of the stage directors, Forget anything anyone
has ever told you about pretending the audience is naked. All
that does is make you feel like the only one dressed.
Lifting up the instrument, Maggie was doing everything in her
power not to think about the concert, that this was what her life
led up to. She knew that after this everything would be normal
again, or at least easier. Recalling how stressed and worried she
was when she won her first competition, Maggie smiled. It's
time to wow em,' her teacher had said. Perhaps
it is time to do it again,' she thought.
The first note rang out through the concert hall and after three
she was in sync with the orchestra, or vice versa. Her music was
so different and beautiful, that the audience was transfixed with
the movement of her instrument and body in an odd sort of swaying
motion. No one could say that it matched that of the master, Yo-Yo
Ma, but her different styles and smooth vibrato was enough to
hold anyone's attention. The second piece she performed her
own composition. Thankfully everyone seemed to like it. In Maggie's
world time didn't exist. She discovered different dimensions
of her mind each time a note was struck in tune, and for her that
was nearly each one. Soon the applause came and a standing
ovation, for half of the audience happened. Bravo! Encore!
Maggie grinned and bowed low, and as she did her Encore, she
wondered why the two TV stations weren't free. She would
remember every moment of this day for years to come. Not until
later did she notice the odd presence that appeared almost every
moment of her waking existence