Grievances And Other Things

Macintosh Plus

"Pass the ribbon, will ya?" I do as I am told, like a good, productive member of society. The radio blasts the latest hits. Tonight's the night. The event of the year. And we're decorating the halls to make this school a palace. A monument to our youth. "You need to move that a bit, Chloe, it's not quite level with the ceiling." I stare over at the stage. The opening act will involve the band bursting through a massive fake TV Screen after a short piece of... I guess you could call it theatre. It's going to be a sight to see, I'm sure. "ÅLE! GET YOUR COLD ASS OVER HERE!" I come as Penelope beckons. "Does my dress look okay?" I nod. "Don't forget the fingerless gloves!" She stares at me with her eyes wide open. "Shit, where did I put them?" I shrug. "I'll have a look." I walk to the prop room and changing room combo, and scratch around for the gloves. I find them... Next to probably the world's oldest computer. I decide to drag it and all cables around it with me, for curiosity's sake. "What on earth is that?" I shrug. "I found it in the back. I'll have a look at it. By the way, here are your gloves." She takes them and stares at the computer. "It looks so odd. Do you have the cables?" I nod. "I'll put it on the table over there. Maybe I'll set it up when we take a break." No sooner than having said that, the beige box finds a new home on one of the school's most drawn-on tables. I plug everything in, find the power button, and walk off to help with some decorations. Our attempts at throwing a ribbon of roses around a pillar are interrupted by one of the cafeteria ladies, who brings us a surprise. "A little something for our busy little bees!" Some biscuits, cola and sweets. How kind. After thanking the lady and finally getting the ribbon around the pillar, we all have a break and sit down. I glance over at the brown box to see that it's displaying something. "Welcome to Macintosh Plus!" is displayed in a message box on it. This thing must be historical. I play around with it to see what's on it, a paint program, a text editor, the works, and walk away. "So who do you have to dance, Åle?" A curious Lyle glances at me. I don't know what to say. Did Chloe tell everyone? Does she want others to know? I think I know what I'll say. "It's a surprise!" Skyler nudges him. "He has nobody, hehe." I roll my eyes. "Who do you have, Skyler?" He puffs out his chest and a massive smile creeps onto his chin. "A certain special madame that I hold dear to me..." Penelope laughs. "Skyler, you smug twit, just admit that it's your girlfriend, don't spice it up too much, ya Spice Girl!"

~~~~

Backstage is an absolute mess. The band is ready for the curtains to open, and I'm going to be on my way out to watch it unfold. As I find my way out to the Audience, the speaker crackles. "Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to a new episode of 'Holdton Manor'!" An announcement in the style of old TV announcements. The curtains open to much applause. The band is sitting in a black and white home, with Chloe vacuuming, Skyler reading a newspaper, Lyle typing at a typewriter, and Penelope cooking. "Say, Agnes, what is for dinner tonight?" Penelope twirls around. "Just as Sir wished earlier, a delightful assortment of miniature lasagna, cannelloni and a salad, my lord." Lyle looks up. "Lord Holdton, to whom must this letter be addressed?" Skyler shrugs. "I do not know, Hamish, I do not know. I just feel so..." Everyone turns their head to the Audience and screams: "SUFFOCATED!" The backing music starts, they grab their instruments and jump through the makeshift television set, tearing down the transparent plastic film simulating a screen. The now-broken television set gets wheeled off the stage and the backing music is replaced by harsh electric guitars and drums. Penelope sings. "The world around me is so perfect, nothing's ever not what you expect, but there's a thing that kills my buzz." Chloe grabs her mic. "Everything's the same, and we're all to blame, but still I feel so..." All the band members shout. "SUFFOCATED!" This song is a bit harsher than their previous material, but still incredibly powerful. Every audience member puts their fist up in the air and fist pumps. I join in, not wanting to be left out of the fun. The crowd stomp their feet to a beat, I don't join in, because I'm not that good at getting into a rhythm on a whim. I'm sorry. The song's really good, and as it ends, Penelope makes a surprise announcement. "Our first CD is available for purchase outside the hall, thank you for watching Holdton Manor!" As the curtains close, a closing credits image is projected onto them and the old announcer comes on through the speakers again. "You have been watching: Holdton Manor! With Chloe Andrews as Priscilla Holdton, Penelope Grayson as Agnes Fonderley, Lyle Carterlon as Hamish Mulholland and last but certainly not least, Skyler De Larson as Lord Winston Holdton!" They really went the extra mile for this, I can't believe it. Not bad in the slightest. I'm impressed. A mass of applause shows that I'm not the only impressed person here. I rush backstage to chat with the band. "You were great, gu- what do you think you're doing?" A deflated band lies scattered around multiple sofas. "Sorry, Transcendence is currently out of order." Penelope sighs and rolls off the couch. "That was great, but I'm exhausted as fuck now. Would you be a dear and get some Coke cans from the fridge over there?" I nod and get five of those red cans filled with brown, fizzy goodness. With a more or less skilled throw, I pass them to the exhausted band members. Penelope catches it, Chloe catches it, Lyle's can lands on the sofa and Skyler's can lands on his face. Oh well, not all throws can be perfect. Not all throwing arms were created equal. 

~~~~

The moment's arrived where we can dance. I take Chloe by the hand to the dance floor, where Skyler and his dearest darling, Penelope and Brendan and Lyle and some dude stand. "Oh, Åle, didn't expect you to have Chloe!" Skyler looks surprised as I smirk at him. "So who's this, Skyler?" Skyler looks at his love. "My girlfriend... We met a while back..." I roll my eyes. "And I find this out today. Lyle, who's that?" Lyle points at the young man. "This is Chester. He's on his last warning, so his behaviour should be top notch, or else!" Chester blushes. "Yeah, hehe..." We split up and dance with our partners. The music is somewhat calm, and the dancers are slow, possibly because slow dancing is easier than fast dancing. Chloe and I start slow, moving to the rhythm of the music. "This is kinda nice, huh?" I smile. "Yeah, it is, Chloe." She's a pretty girl, no doubt about it. The music's pretty nice too, slow and enjoyable. But... I don't feel a spark. I don't want her to be upset, though. I think she knows, but I'm not sure. I try to focus on just living in the moment, and suddenly,  everything in this world seems peaceful. No wars, no bombings, no corruption, nothing can stop this moment of pure bliss and freedom. For once, I feel... I don't know how to describe it. I feel like there's nothing to worry about. There's nothing to be scared of. Is this what pure freedom feels like? I think so.

~~~~

"Thank god we don't get to clean everything up afterwards!" After a long evening, Penelope breathes deeply, delighted in the knowledge that the cleaning personnel will clean up the mess left behind. I had such fun, and it seems everyone did. "I'm just somewhat miffed that we couldn't do the thing with the candles, but it was good either way." I remember that I wanted to ask her something. "Penelope, how come you got the CDs done? Did you burn them all on your own?" She shakes her head and laughs. "No, I'm not that insane, a friend of my mother owns a CD-pressing plant, and she asked him if he could do a few, like 50 or so, and he said 'sure', so we quickly designed inlays and what should be on the cover and on the disc, et voilà!" I pick up one of the cases marked "Transcendence - At Last!" and smile. "So you're almost official now, huh?" She nods. "Just need a record label and a nationwide audience now." The others wave at us and we come with, bags and instruments in tow. "That was a great night, but little ol' Chloe Andrews is a bit deflated now!" Chloe smiles a tired smile. We say our goodbyes and discuss a date to meet up again, get to our parents' (or in my case aunt and uncle's) cars and drive home, tired, but happy.