POV Heaped.
“The thing is, the giant who’s looking after you is actually blind”, the ghostly Syrian admitted. “Bl-blind? What is that?”, I enquired. “Well”, Mother started, “It means he can’t see anything at all, not a single thing……. This means he might scare you sometimes because he will have to feel around to find you, he can’t just see you with his eyes and pick you up, because his eyes don’t work at all……”. “I think I understand”, I pipped, turning this all over in my head. “. Please remember. My little Harriet, please be brave and try to trust your giant, he really loves you…….”, and with that, I woke to the sound of voices, voices I now take for granted. I wish I could see my mother whenever I wanted… I miss her. Oh how I MISS HER!….
POV Raff.
I answered the door to my bouncy home helper, whose arrival had been announced by a most insistent “rat tat tat”…. Home Helper “can I see her, please, pretty please?….“
Raff “Sorry, I just checked on her and I’m sure she’s fast asleep.”
Home Helper “Oh, I’m gutted. Well. How have you been doing? I heard you’ve just about got your album done?….”
Raff “It’s out, I’ve managed to get it out on most streaming platforms….”
Home Helper “Well well…. You have been busy, haven’t you!. Are you going to be doing some promotion then?”
Raff “To be honest, I really don’t know where to start with promoting it, it’s not like i’ve got my own band anymore or anything……”
Home Helper “Can’t you play on your own at one of those open mic things you’ve talked about before?”
Raff “Hmmm, they’re always run by prima donnas who basically run these events because if they were to play normal gigs, they wouldn’t get half the people attending that turn up to their open mic events.”
Home Helper “Well, looks to me like either you play on your own, or try to put a band together.”
My phone rings, I answer it to -
Kit “Hi, how’s it going in the land of the furry monsters?”
Raff “Heaped is doing great…. I suppose I’m wondering whether to give that open mic at the Outland another go?”
Home Helper “I knew it! I knew he just couldn’t resist….”
Kit “I’ll take you there if you want to go, I fancy a run out….”
Raf “Ok, you’ve talked me into it. It starts at around 8:30 so could you come and fetch me for around 7:30?”
POV Heaped.
I hear the voices like I hear them every day…. I don’t see why they have to be so LOUD…. Hey, I think they’ve just mentioned me, I’m sure I just heard my giant say “Heaped”, I can just about make out some other words……. “…. Lovely…. …. Girl…. Heaped is my lovely little girl….”. Mother is right, he is a kind giant…,..
****
POV Raff.
Myself and Kit walked through the car park towards the Outland building. Gerry, an acquaintance of mine, asked us “what is new?” and I told him about me getting Heaped, my lovely little baby hamster…. he replied with, “Don’t you think it’s a little irresponsible to be in charge of an animal that you can’t even see?! I really don’t see how that’s supposed to work for you!”. Kit and I were totally stunned by this, and not feeling like I have to justify anything, I indicated to Kit that we should go inside…. On getting through the door, Kit remarked to me that Chuck Way was here, saying, “Shoot, that absolute idiot is here who’s always on for ages….”
“Yeah, I thought I heard his voice”, I replied, beginning to regret that we bothered coming here…. Siobhan, a singer who likes singing Adele songs, was sitting nearby with her boyfriend and waved us over.
Siobhan “Good to see both of you, are you going to sit with us?”
Kit “Sure, can I leave him with you and I’ll fetch.us some drinks…. Are you wanting your usual, slim Jim?”
Raff “Yeah, sounds cool, so, have I missed much in the world of open mic?”
Siobhan “.Same old, same old really….. Roddy isn’t down again this week, so that means I can’t do “Someone like you” again, I’ll probably end up doing “Sweet home Chicago”, because it’s the only song I do that this lot know…. I’m so bored with it…. Anyway, what are you up to these days?”
Raff “Well, I got the album finished and put out onto most of the streaming platforms, I decided I’d come out and play a couple of the songs on my acoustic, you know as a bit of promotion and that….”
Arthur, the open mic organiser suddenly put his hand on my shoulder….
Arthur “What are you wanting to do tonight, Raff?”
Raff “I was just wanting to do 2 songs on my acoustic.”
Arthur “Do you want backing?”
Raff “No thanks, I’ll be fine on my own tonight, you’re ok with that, aren’t you?”
Arthur “Yeah, of course it’s ok…. And what can we do for Siobhan today?”
Siobhan “I guess it’ll have to be “Sweet home Chicago” again, I mean, you lot don’t know any Adele, do you?”
Arthur “Er…. No, we don’t know any Adele…”
Kit had just returned with our drinks….
Kit “You should get some learnt then shouldn’t you?!”
Arthur “Umm er….”
Raff “What about Rita Ora “Radioactive”, and you could sing “Paws to the sky” to it in tribute to my new hamster, my lovely little Heaped.”
Siobhan “Heh heh……. That sounds like a good plan for the future, I’ll have to find people who know how to play it though, won’t I?!”
Arthur “So it’s “Sweet home Chicago” then?”
****
I stood on the Outland’s stage and introduced my 1st song, “Still have a chance”, adding that it features on my debut album…. There seemed to be a mildly positive response so, feeling encouraged, I began to play. The 1st verse seemed to go well but, when I got to the 1st chorus, my heart totally sank…. Someone, on a loud electric guitar had basically “gatecrashed” my performance and it looked like they thought I wanted lead guitar playing over my entire song, verses chorus, everything…. Most of the time it sounded like whoever it was, wasn’t even playing in the same key that the song was in, and after this idiot had totally ruined my 1st song, I decided that I would quit while I was behind, and leave the stage without playing my 2nd song. When Kit had brought me back to my seat, Arthur came up to me, saying -
Arthur “I thought you were doing 2 songs?”
Raff “I was gatecrashed, wasn’t I?! Who the furry cushion was that who decided to make my song sound horrible?”
Arthur “Oh, that was Dave, you know what he’s like, I thought you were ok with him?!”
Raff “I did say last time, he’s never ever asked to play guitar with me, he just gatecrashes. I’m not the only person he does it to, either. He’s upset a lot of people here, why can’t you just tell him that he needs to wait for his own turn, and if he wants to have people play music with him, he’s got to ask them first?”
Arthur “You know, it’s not half as easy as you think to run these nights you know, there’s always something that people wil complain about.”
Raff “I could have a word with….”
Kit “Or I could…. He simply needs to be told that this gatecrashing thing he does is just not on!…..”
Arthur “No…… no, I’ll have a word with him tonight…..”
****
Kit “Ok, here’s the bathroom, are you sure about just trying to get someone to bring you back? I don’t mind waiting you know…..”
Raff “I’ll be ok, you sit and enjoy yourself, I’m sure I can sort myself out……”
I decided to use a cubicle, as in my condition I’ve just found it’s usually easier… I heard footsteps, followed by -
“…… well he just sounded terrible tonight didn’t he?!….”
I realised the voice was Chuck Way’s voice. A stranger replied with, “Nobody would ever sound any good with that idiot Dave playing all over them though, would they?”
Chuck “Well, he’s supposed to have got an album out…… I doubt if it’s any good though!….”
Stranger “Well, have you actually heard any of it?……”
Chuck “No, but I don’t have to hear it, it can’t possibly be any good because raff is blind and he’s just not got it anymore….. I really don’t know why he doesn’t just retire, I mean, I would if I ended up in that state like he is……..but no, he keeps on coming here…”, the footsteps announced that the pair had left the bathroom and I tried to get myself together, wave after wave of emotion was kicking me, punching me, crushing me!……….
****
I came to my senses……. I realised that the WC I was sat on was closed, and at least I’d “put myself back together”. I heard Kit’s voice, “Raff, Raff, are you in here?”, I opened up the cubicle and hugged her…. “What’s up?”, she asked, I replied with, “I’ll tell you in a bit, I just need to sit and calm down first…….”
****
Chuck had started to play his set, so I asked Kit if we could talk outside, as I really didn’t want to watch Chuck’s set after the way I’d heard him talk about me behind my back…. I told Kit about how he’d been blackening my name to someone who it seemed to me, was a complete stranger.
Kit “Who the furry cushion does he think he is? Some kind of rock star? All he ever does is hog the stage playing the same 5 songs and taking other people’s time up while he does it!”
We notice Siobhan exit the building and walk over to us…..
Siobhan “Well it’s all running late, as per normal, Chuck’s managed to bag the prime spot as usual and Arthur is letting him play for far too long, just like he always does…… I don’t think it’s gonna be worth me going on as all the audience will have left by the time I’m due to go on…. I mean, it’s kind of Jackie to keep the place open till we’re all done, but people don’t want to be here anymore at 12:50AM, they want to be in bed……”
Arthur walks over…. “Is this the place where all the super cool hang out then? Siobhan, are you ok with going on at around 12:30ish?”
Siobhan “To be honest, no! It’s only running so late because people are told far too late that they’re due onstage, do you realise that at 10PM you’d only managed to get through 2 acts? And you always let Chuck play for half an hour, when most others get 15 minutes if they’re lucky. I don’t think I’ll bother coming back here unless you’re going to start organising it better….”
Arthur “Well, lady….”
Siobhan “Don’t you “lady” me!”
Gerry comes running up, with -
Gerry “My wife Julie is just on the phone with Dave’s girlfriend, she’s absolutely distraught. Apparently he’s gone home, slammed a few doors, said things hadn’t gone very well at the open mic, said he was probably going to give up guitar forever and then sped off in his car.……… She’s really really worried!.……. I saw you talking to him earlier, and he didn’t look happy. What did you say to him, then?….”
Arthur, looking down…. “I told him it would be better if he didn’t come to our open mic anymore…..”
Raff “WHAT!!!!!……. We only wanted him to wait his turn!!! Who the furry cushion do you think you are banning him?!……”
Edited by Paws to the Sky, 05 April 2022 - 11:26 AM.
