Lightship Chronicles Chapter 3 : The Fruity Dance

by Florin Nicoara

gently bumping Andee's waist, teasing him, playing a little mock seduction game at his expense. The bouncer is slapping his thighs laughing with joy.

  "Girl you're in. I wan'a see you move like that on the dance floor." The bouncer shouts at her excited.

  Nayaa stops dancing. "How much does it cost to enter my dear gentleman?" She asks with exaggerated innocence.

  "Nothing. You go right in girl." He responds between laughs.

  "Why thank you kind sir, you're so very generous." She exaggerates her polite good girl demeanor and reaches out for a handshake.

  "Ha-ha. I do like your style... Mi-i-ist. I'm Domie." Laughing he reaches out and shakes her hand. "Need anything in there just mention my name."

  "Alright Domie.... Domie-from-the-door, Domie-from-the-door." Nayaa repeats his name with a bit of a chant.

  "Lol, that's right girl, I'm Domie-from-the-door."

  "Lets go grandpapy. We'll find a seat for you inside so you can rest your old bones." Nayaa mocks Andee then walks into the club. Andee, unimpressed, follows somewhat begrudgingly.

  Domie is laughing and slapping his thighs as Nayaa walks through, but then suddenly gets serious when Andee steps up.

  "Wait!" Domie lifts his palm stopping him in place. "Wha'ca think?" Domie looks over to the other door guy. "Wrong age?"

  "Nah, wrong attitude." The other door guy replies nonchalant.

  "Sorry grandpop, but you... are too old." Domie states his words with a straight face, than busts out laughing slapping his thigh again.

  "Ah Domie, my darling, you're not gon'a let him in?" Nayaa responds stepping back out disappointed. "Thanks for letting me in, but I guess we'll have to leave."

  "Hold on girl. He's in, don't worry. You're cool enough for both of you." Domie than leans in towards Nayaa. "Be honest, he's a bit jovial, ain't he?" And flicks his head towards Andee.

  "Ha-ha-ha." Nayaa laughs out loud. "Yup, he sure is. Come on my jovial grandpapy. There's pretty lights in here. You'll like them." She mocks him as she grabs his hand and drags him in before he can respond. And of course Domie is laughing hysterically and slapping his thighs.

  "That was fun." Andee states sarcastically once past the door.

  "It was actually." Nayaa sincerely agrees.

  "And you weren't offended by what that guy said?"

  "No."

  "I though he was disrespectful."

  "He's a guy, he can't help it. You're all the same."

  "Please, we are not all the same. I am definitely not disrespectful like that..."

  "Excuse me!" She stops cold, snaps round, and shuts him down in mid sentence. "You? You, not disrespectful?" She accosts Andee, her eyes huge and tense. She looks beyond furious. "All my life you've been disrespectful! This morning you called me a little girl! You threw fruit in my face! You berated me in front of your mom! You're all the same! Men! You disrespect us and then you wonder why we give you a hard time?" She turns away but then quickly turns back. "And, and... I'm not finished! After all that crap this morning, I helped your mom clean out those jars... and then-and then, I helped you carry the fruit to market... and then, then sold all your damned fruit for double the price... and then, chased some lunatic... and-and, and then, caught him after you knocked me down... and-and, and then, shared my half of the money with you... and... and then I saved your life.. and... and then..." She freezes still for a moment and instantly calms down. "Well that's it."

  "OK-OK, I get it, sorry." Arms up in the air and extremely defensive.

  "And! And then..." Aggressively lifting her index finger into Andee's face she suddenly continues. "I got you into this kick ass party for free. And all because of my fruity dance on a stick. Are we not here because of my fruity dance? Hmm? Hmm?" She questions him pushing her finger and face into his causing Andee to lean back.

  "Yes, yes, we're here because of your... fruity dance, whatever that is." Andee replies defeated but with a smile.

  "OK then. And--and my fruity dance is a young woman's fruity dance. Got it? I'm not a little girl."

  "Got it."

  "Never forget that."

  "Never."

  "OK, follow me. I'll show you how it's done." She grabs his hand and drags him once again. As they step deeper into the club their eyes open up with awe.

  From the outside, the club's walls looked like impenetrable black glass, but once inside, the glass is transparent. The silhouette of the mountains in the purple horizon is visible almost all the way around, except where the stage and DJ booth are. On that side the octagon is partially embedded into dome rock itself. The club has no roof. It is completely open air except for the four high glass floored mezzanine that runs all the way round the glass walls. It ends and begins with two glass staircases down on either side of the DJ booth and stage.

  In the center there is an octagon shaped dance floor, about a meter below regular floor level, with four scaffolds around its perimeter. Each scaffold supports either four or five platforms spiraling around the vertical structure like an oversized artistic staircase. Each platform is a meter higher than the next with enough room for a dancer or two to fit on each. All four scaffolds have the same basic spiraling, or alternating platforms, which makes it easy for the dancers to climb from one level to the next. The platforms vary in shape from round and square spiraling up, to triangular and oval alternating up.

  There are two large bars on opposite walls and one on the mezzanine. On both floors and tucked close to the outer wall there are sofas, ottomans, high tables, lounges and chairs, each on their own slightly higher platforms. They have good visibility over the crowds into the club, and also out thought the glass wall at the mesmerizing glowing dark purple horizon.

  The decor and transparency are elegant, but the real draw of this club is the light show. The projectors are well hidden. None are visible but their 3D animated images are everywhere. They are not projected on a screen of any kind, rather, they are free floating three-dimensional colorful neon shapes that live in the space of the non existent roof. The space above the dance floor is filled with a myriad of 3D light displays in all colors. Most are animated creatures such as pixies, insects, animals, birds, and even plants and flowers. They look like living cartoon characters dancing in rhythm to the music, but also flying and zipping around back and forth like a living ceiling of light. There are also light ribbons, swirls, sparks and other animated shapes that meander above, but also down into the crowd. The ribbons swirl around the dancers. Light bubbles pop in and out, and grow engulfing people within them. Sparks of light fly like fireworks over peoples heads, and geometric shapes like boxes, triangles, discs and spheres, both solid and grated, expand and contract across the whole club, sometimes virtually trapping people within as if they are in a transparent cell made from walls of light.

  The lights in this open air and transparent club are not just a show but a living spectacle. They don't just shine over the crowd but actually interact with them. The bubbles play with the people sitting in the lounges. Many reach out to catch them, but they burst, bounce, or expand, or just whisk away. The bright ribbons of light swirl and whirl around both dancers and those standing still. Light sparks fly from person to person, and the light creatures from the ceiling, zip up and down and interact with the crowd so that everyone is having fun.

  On the dance floor there is one added feature. 3D anthropomorphic light dancers. They are human sized, but with large heads, big eyes, some with human faces, while others with animal faces but human-like features. They are transparent light projections glowing in color on the dance floor, yet they are dancing with the people as if they were real. They are not just inactive projections, but in fact interactive. When a person makes eye contact, the projected dancer will respond by complementing the person's dance moves, keeping in rhythm with them. All across the dance floor there are people dancing with people, but also some dancing with these animated 3D light beings.

  Both Nayaa and Andee walk around the club in awe. Th
e light spectacle above, and all around them, has got them entranced. Andee is just looking enjoying the sights, but Nayaa is bouncing, jumping, reaching out trying to catch the bubbles and ribbons of light as they buzz around her. She is laughing and clearly enjoying herself as her hands pass through the 3D lights. She looks at the dance floor and points excitedly at the 3D animated beings.

  "Look! Light ferries! You think they came here from the Moon?" She asks with a big excited grin. Andee smiles and shrugs his shoulders. She smiles giddy, she knows they are not real moon ferries, but it is fun for a while to think that it could be so.

  "Come on lets go." Nayaa grabs Andee by the hand and tries to drag him to the dance floor but he is reluctant, when suddenly he feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns around.

  "Oh look who's here. Isn't your mom worried you're out past last horizon?" Dirin smirks mockingly towards his friends, one of which is Gono.

  "Oh great." Is all Andee says.

  "Go away Dirin." Nayaa snaps at him.

  "Awe, and look who he's with. I recognize you from school. A sophomore." Dirin looks at his friends laughing dismissively. The friends laugh but Gono steps aside. He wants no part of it. "Is this why you dropped out of school, to hang out with little girls?"

  Nayaa's eyes tense instantly. She frowns, and before Dirin's can think of the next insult, she swings her right leg forward with a beautiful front kick right