by Unknown
Going through the dining room, Jena walked toward a light coming from the room on the other side of the stairs. There he found Olan sitting on a couch staring at the dried and mummified remains of a man seated in a reclining chair. Dressed in working clothes but clean and neat, the man stared with unseeing eyes toward the ceiling. His head was laying gently in a rest on the back of the chair while his arms lay at his stomach, on top of a book he had been reading. He had an almost peaceful look, as if he had known the end was near and had faced it calmly and with great patience. The hair still clinging to his head was blond like the little girl’s, and neatly combed.
Olan let out a sigh. “I don’t know what happened here, but I feel sorry for them,” he said.
“It looks almost like they were buried alive by some kind of mud flow,” said Jena studying his father. He had never seen Olan with that look - a tired, woeful look, like a man who had shouldered the weight of the world for a long time.
“Except there is no place for such a flow here,” Olan said sadly. He stood and walked over to the man in the chair. “I am sorry to have disturbed you, and sorry that I must bring more here. Rest easy my friend. I will take care of your family,” he said to the man. After a moment of quiet he turned to Jena. “Let’s leave them a while longer till I get someone from town,” he said. “Then we will prepare their graves on the top of the hill.”
Jena looked a little surprised. “But that is where our family rests,” he offered.
“True,” Olan sighed as he placed his arm around his son and held him close. “But I believe they were here long before we came. Probably picked this place for the same reasons we did. I think there is room with our family,” he said with a slight smile.
The two turned to head back up the stairs when they heard a curious noise coming from behind the large door. Olan’s face screwed into a mask of curiosity, as he looked first at Jena, and then at the door. He reached for what appeared to be a knob and turned it. Without a sound the door opened and the two stepped onto what was a front porch. The words would not come as they watched a small machine scurry along the edge of the street and back along the opposite side of the road. Streetlights lit the darkness and they saw several more homes along the street inside a huge dark cavern. Sitting in front of the house was some sort of vehicle. Everything looked like a cozy residential street, when in actuality it was a tomb.
The crowd had begun to gather the day before, and as the ticket counters opened thousands had poured past purchasing anything they could to get in. Michael had made the announcement for this special concert weeks in advance and there was a flurry of excitement to get to the new Alliance amphitheater to hear what they were calling Mike’s music. The crowd was mostly young people from the mid teens through the 20’s dressed in all ranges of clothing, from plain working fare to expensive attire. But all had one thing in mind - to hear music from another world. The music Mike and his wife had played since they had been here was very similar to what the orchestras of their world. But through the programs that had been introduced through the television, other music had been introduced that was very different from anything they had heard. When Mike’s announcement had gone out, there had been a mad rush to attend.
Mike and his assistants from the consulate had been working overtime to make sure everything was ready. It had taken a star fleet cargo vessel four months to bring the Stagesim and all accompanying hardware to Thera, and another two months to install it. The programming for this opening night had been especially written for the event by a very old firm called Industrial Light and Magic, and was promised to be the most life like ever devised.
Mike stood in the middle of the stage with the props and decorations in place and studied the layout. Just to make sure things went well, he was not going to tax the equipment this first night, so the stage was set with real props and lighting. Bill walked out to join him.
“Want to see the full effect?” Bill asked.
“Give it the works,” Mike said.
“Computer, enter magic program two,” Bill said.
In the twinkling of an eye the back of the dome suddenly changed into an ocean beach at dusk, complete with waves, people on the beach, the sound of distant surf and a breeze. One second later six young guys materialized in beach clothes carrying their instruments.
“Hello Bill,” one of them called out.
“Hi Brian,” Bill said extending his hand. “How are you guys doing?”
They all responded in a friendly manner, taking their places around the stage.
“Guys, this is Mike, the fella who brought you here,” Bill said.
“Hi Mike,” they all said shaking his hand and then moving around the stage.
“It’s not quite time yet, but I wanted to let you guys see the final results,” Bill said waiving his hand around.
“Nice job man,” Brian said. “Is the crowd here yet?” he asked heading toward the curtain.
“Have a look,” Bill said.
Brian peeked through the curtain at the already burgeoning crowd in the amphitheater. The place was packed full already and there were still people coming through the gates. Brian turned and looked at his brothers rolling his eyes.
“That’s more people than I have ever seen in one place,” he said. “We may set a record.”
“Don’t worry,” Mike said. “These people are going to love you guys. I guarantee it.”
“Gluttons for punishment, huh,” Carl said. They all got a chuckle out of that.
“Look guys. I have lived among these people for the last six years. Trust me; they are just like to teenagers back home. Heck, they even have surfboards here. It’s the latest thing,” Mike said reassuringly.
“Then it will work guys,” Mark said to the others. One by one they nodded in agreement. They could hear the crowd growing beyond the curtain. It almost looked to Mike like they were getting excited, except for Brian who was holding something back.
“We’ll be ready,” Brian said setting down his guitar.
Bill clapped his hands together. “Ok guys, I’ll call you back when it’s time to go on.”
“Ok man” said one of the guys.
“Computer, end program and store,” he said. All the young men and the background went away, leaving the two men standing alone in the set.
“Gee,” said Mike, “I could have sword that Brian was sweating when he shook my hand,”
“Amazing isn’t it. They can even sign autographs on stage if you want. No one will ever be able to tell the difference,” Bill said with a reassuring grin. “Are the cars ready?”
“Yea, they’re stashed on the stage wings with the keys in the ignition.
Mike gave a sigh and then looked at Bill. “I guess we’re ready then,” he said slapping him on the shoulder. They both began walking toward the stage wing, only taking a short moment to glance at the crowd out front.
Chapter 4
Cultural Exchange
Jo was watching the same crowd. In all their performances together or apart, they had never seen an audience as large as this one. All the seating was taken and young people were stuffing themselves in every corner of the amphitheater to try and get good standing room. Looking at the entrance, there were still people trying to get in.
“I’ve never seen such a big crowd in my life,” the doctor said as he took some readings. They were all out on the balcony of Jo’s room on the 5th floor of the building.
“They are eager to hear Mike’s music,” Shala said staring over the railing. “I hope they like.”
Jo sat back in her chair and adjuster her hold on little Mary who was already busy nursing. “Oh they will,” she said. “In any case we will find out soon enough.”
The doctor finished his scans and smiled at Jo. “Healthy in all respects, both mother and child,” he said. “I guess you’ll go home tomorrow. In the mean time, sit back and enjoy. I’ll join you after I make some more rounds,” he said patting her on the shoulder. He looked over a
t Shala. “Don’t let her get too tired, now,” he said to her.
“She follows directions well. I’ll make sure she does,” Shala smiled back.
The doctor made his way through the room and back into the small ward. It wasn’t a busy place, and he figured he’d be back before the main event anyway. He headed to the nurse’s station.
The sky was already dark and the lights around the amphitheater twinkled in the night. The searchlights positioned around the perimeter of the theater were pointed straight upward into the night sky. On cue they were all switched on forming a wall of light around the area adding to the visual effect of the new theater. The crown began to cheer as the curtain lights went down. A single white spot opened on the left side of the stage and Mike stepped out into it.
“Hi guys,” he said in the same manor as he had addressed young people since his arrival on the planet.
With those two words everyone was on their feet clapping their hands and cheering wildly for the young man that they all considered one of their own. For several minutes Mike stood there waving his hands and trying to calm them, but to no avail. As the cheering started to subside, he looked up toward the balcony Jo and the others were sitting on. He waved at her and then blew her a kiss. Suddenly one of the spotlights trained on her and she squinted slightly, and then waved back. Again, the crowd cheered, knowing Mike’s wife and deepest love was with them. Something special, since they all knew of little Mary’s birth. After a few more minutes they quieted and Mike motioned for them to be still.
“Thanks guys. For a long time you have been asking what kind of music young people like us listened to from my home world, Earth. Well, tonight you get your wish,” he said. The crowd broke into applause and cheers again. “More than that, you have asked to hear what our music sounds like in my native language, so tonight,” he said tapping his translator and continuing in English, “Tonight you will hear our songs the way they were written, in our own language,” he said, motioning to a digital screen above the stage that was instantly translating the words to Theran. “If you want to see what it means, just look up.” Again the applause was genuine. Mike was constantly being asked to speak in English so that Theran youth could hear the new language. Some had actually been picking up on some slang and phrases and using them in their Theran speech.
“Tonight I have asked two groups to perform for you and they play popular music from what we call big band jazz and rock and roll. I hope you will like it as much as I do. This first group is the biggest on the music charts in a place known as the United States. Please welcome them,” he said.
The crowd broke into applause again as Mike waved to them and left the stage. Suddenly the lights came up illuminating a group of about twenty five people. Almost immediately the sound of a big band filled the night air. The harmonies of the saxophones was accented by muted trumpets and a spotlight appeared as Benny Goodman added his own personal touch to the song ‘Let’s Dance.’ The band was sitting behind their music stands dressed in white dinner jackets. Benny was standing out front dressed in dark blue pants and his own dinner jacket. All of them wore bow ties.
The effect was hypnotic. No one on Thera had ever heard music like this before and the smooth beat and sharp notes of the brass section soon had them all swaying back and forth and patting their feet, much as it did three centuries before. Unlike those on Earth, the Therans began moaning along with the music and adding their own harmonies to it.
Goodman looked out at the crowd and then looked back at his band members, smiling and winking his eye. At the end of the song the applause was deafening. Smiling broadly, Goodman introduced himself and his band. “I understand you folks have never heard music like ours before,” he said. “Well, tonight we’ll try and give you a good sample of it. We’ll start off with this next little number called “And the Angels Sing.” And here to help us out is a very dear friend of mine, please welcome Miss Ella Fitzgerald.” Ella made her way from the stage wing and gave Benny a peck on the cheek, then took the microphone and stood beside the band. The music of the second piece was even better than the first. A little slower but with a dramatic swing, the audience listened as Miss Fitzgerald sang the words. Then, in the middle of the song, she began improvising – not singing words, but her own rhythmic tune. The Therans were captivated. Her second song was “A Tisket, A Tasket,” which the Goodman band played with a quick swing beat.
After her songs, the Goodman band started in earnest. They kept the audience spellbound, playing things like “Down South Camp Meetin’,” “Shine,” "One O’clock Junp," "Don’t Be That Way,” “Goody- Goody", "Bugle Call Rag", and "Sing, Sing, Sing." The last one almost literally had the young people jumping in the aisles.
Some fast, some slow, the music left everyone in the audience spellbound. At one point, Benny was joined by two others beside the piano. One carried a double bass and the other some sort of instrument with a keyboard and long tubes. The first song for the Benny Goodman Quartet was “Avalon.” Lionel Hampton started the song off. No one had ever heard a vibraphone before and Hampton made sure it left an impression. Each song brought cheers and the audience drank up the new sounds.
The orchestra and the quartet played for an hour and a half before Benny finally said good night while the band played “Let’s Dance” one final time. Mike thought the people would storm the stage. So enthusiastic was the response that Mike knew he would have to bring in more bands. But the next group was the one Mike was counting on.
As the applause died out, Mike stepped up again. “So you liked big band music, huh?” he asked. As one, the young people began to cheer. When they settled again, Mike continued.
“Well this next group is made up of some young guys a lot more like you - particularly since they made songs about being a teenager in a place called California. And as a surprise, I think you will find they have something special in common with you. The music they play is called rock and roll and it is all about being young. Please welcome a group we call The Beach Boys.
Immediately the band started playing “Surfin’ Safari” as both sets of curtains opened to reveal the beach set. The young men were dressed in aloha shirts and shorts surrounded by palm trees, the beach and sand, not to mention strategically placed surfboards around the stage. The effect was electric, not only because of the harmonized sounds of the group, or because they were teenagers, but surfing had only caught on with Theran boys over the past six years and everyone wanted to spend the day on a beach learning to surf. Now these guys from Earth were singing about something they all had in common. Mike had also made sure that the songs were played not in the shallower early 60’s style, but the way the band played them in later years with a richer background and harmony. The air was filled with music and the Therans remained vocal through the whole thing, clapping and cheering the band on.
The third song was “Fun, Fun, Fun,” and during the instrumental part of the song a car horn was heard and five teens in swim wear, Earth swim wear, drove onto the stage and stopped in the sand. The teens got out and started dancing to the music.
At first, the audience immediately recognized Mike’s Carolina Blue Thunderbird and made the connection with the song, but it was the swimwear that caught their eye. These were young men and women from Earth and there was nothing hiding their mid sections. On Thera, this area of the body was never shown in public. Some were shocked, some actually gasped, but the rest stared in awe as these young people danced and had fun to the music. The dancing itself was different, not holding hands and both making planned moves, but a more natural, interpretive dancing that moved in all directions. Only during later slow songs did they touch, and then, horror of horrors, their bodies met. Yet, they could also see that due to differences in the anatomy between the people of Earth and Thera, this was not something vulgar. It was actually close and intimate, allowing an expression of affection between the two. Young women in the audience actually started holding the hands of their dates a little tighter wi
th excitement.
Then came even more excitement. The band started playing “Tach It Up,” a song about a race between two cars, one of which was a Corvette. Again, during the instrumental, a car horn was heard and Mike’s new car, a 1964 Chevrolet, Corvette Sting Ray convertible, in a metallic blue, shot onto to other side of the stage opposite the Thunderbird. A scream erupted from the audience as the young men laid their eyes on the car. Then, on cue, the lights were turned off and the headlights flipped over on the front. Mike would swear that he heard a collective “WOW” from the audience and the Sting Ray’s occupants jumped out and joined the others dancing in the sand.
From her balcony Jo listened to the music and watched the reaction of the audience. She heard the gasps from the swimwear and the cheering for the songs. This was what cultural exchange is all about, she thought. She even felt tears running down her cheeks at the thoughts of the new experiences for all these young people.
For over an hour they danced and played until everyone was exhausted. Therans were not used to an encore, so Brian Wilson announced the last song and the band played “Kokomo.” The cheering lasted nearly 10 minutes and both bands appeared on stage to take a bow. It was then that the young people began to swarm onto the stage to greet the members personally. For over an hour they made their way to shake hands and to gaze at the cars. Mike was there too and his hands ached from all the shaking before the last person left the stage. The curtains closed and he thanked both bands before ending the program. It was a weary man that climbed behind the wheel of his Corvette and started working his way home through the traffic jam outside the amphitheater.
