Inside the tent was busy. Many people were walking around the
place, either heading towards or away from a seat, meeting other people or just
wrapped up a conversation. A stage stood at one end of the tent where someone
was performing some rather neat tricks with a football. A panel of four judges
sat with their backs to the audience, watching and studying the routine with
professional eyes.
I followed Tom
through several rows of chairs before he stopped beside the one and only Amy. A
very vivid thought popped into my head, making me think about the time I met
Amy in that other universe. Well, a parallel universe counterpart of Amy. In
that reality, she owned the house that I currently live in in this one, and
everything was and felt normal in every way, except I was in a different
Universe.
Despite there
being many versions of Amy in many universes, I am in love with this Amy,
sitting on her chair, with her blonde hair tied back and watching the
performance with a warm smile on her face, making me smile as well. To me, the
Amy sitting in front of me is unique in every single way. Nothing and no one
can replicate her and that is why I am feeling nervous about talking to her
right now.
Tom would obviously break the ice
and introduce me to her, and then leave me to carry on whatever conversation he
starts, if he actually does. I hope he does since I have no clue as to what to
say. I’ll probably just sit there in silence, trying to think of something
sensible to say and when I actually manage to pick a suitable topic, I’ll flub every
syllable, making me blush a very bright red, making her not want to talk to me
and walk off. I would then become a laughing stock amongst her friends who will
laugh at me whenever I walk past. The story would then somehow spread
throughout the college until everyone is laughing at me, forcing me to quit
college altogether and move to somewhere else.
‘Sebastian…’ a
distant voice said somewhere very far away. ‘Sebastian…’ It grew louder each
time my name was said until it snapped me out of my train of thought and I
realised that I was staring into space whilst Tom was talking to Amy.
‘What?’ I said
automatically.
‘I’m going to the
Haunted House to meet someone. I’ll leave you here to talk and I’ll see you
later,’ and before I could say anything in response, he walked off, leaving me
with Amy who was waiting for me to sit down, I presumed.
‘Er…’ I said,
‘may I take this seat,’ I said.
‘Of course,’ Amy
said smiling at my ridiculous question. She watched me settle myself down. Does
she know that I like her? What has Tom said? Should I admit my affection
towards her or not? What the heck should I do and talk about? I guess I’m going
to sit here in awkward silence for the rest of eternity until Tom comes back,
even though I know he won’t. Should I ask her what her favourite colour is? No,
that would be a stupid question, why would anyone consider that a good question
to start a conversation with. How about what her hobbies are? No, I don’t want
this to be a simulation of a speed dating program. Should I say something about
what’s happening on the stage? About the fair? That would be good. Start a
conversation about something relevant. I can do that. Can I do that? I don’t
think I can do that? No, I can. But what do I ask? About the fair itself or
about this talent competition. Well, considering that we’re sitting inside a
talent competition tent, I think it would be preferable for me to ask a
question about that.
But why does it
have to be a question? How about a statement instead? Maybe I could start off
with something witty? No, I can’t say something witty for it may backfire and
make myself look like a complete idiot, even though I think I am successfully
achieving that by just sitting here in silence.
‘So, come here often,’
I said without thinking. Why did I say that? Amy looked at me with a confused
expression. That told me all that I needed to hear. Of course she wouldn’t have
come here before because this is the first ever time this fair has been here.
Her confused expression
slowly moulded itself into a smile and she started to laugh. Yep, becoming a
laughing stock is all what is in front of me now.
‘Tom said you’ll
be nervous, but I didn’t know you’ll be this terrified,’ Amy said regaining
herself.
‘Sorry,’ I said.
‘What you saying sorry for?’ she asked me. I shrugged my shoulders. ‘Let’s change the subject.’
I couldn’t be more relieved. ‘Are you planning on performing?’ she asked me.
‘No,’ I said, ‘I
don’t really have a talent,’ I said.’
‘You must have
some talent,’ she said, then quickly looked away as she thought that she had
said something offensive.
‘Well,’ I started
to answer shrugging off how she said that and moved on, ‘I can recite the
recite the entire Elements Song.’
‘Awesome. I’m pretty
handy with a knitting needle, although I haven’t done any knitting in a long
while, must be a few years now. But it’s nothing that would be suitable for this
kind of place. Yours might be, though.
‘I doubt I would
be able to get up there and perform even if I was paid a lot of money,’ I said.
Of all the things I could have said to describe how nervous I am, I said that.
‘I know what you
mean,’ she said, nodding. ‘There’s no what I will be able to get up on stage
and perform. I did so once before when I was younger and hated the entire
experience so much I vowed never to step foot on a stage again, unless it’s for
any reason that doesn’t involve me performing in front of a large crowd. I
shudder every time I think about all those people staring at me, waiting for me
to make a complete fool of myself. You know what I mean?’
I nodded. ‘I had
never performed before, but I freeze up whenever I’m asked to talk in front of
people. Speaking of talking to people,’ I tangent off slightly, ‘I liked your
speech about time travel the other day. You didn’t seem scared about talking in
front of us lot.’
‘That’s because
I’m familiar with all of your faces,’ she said, ‘if I had to do that speech in
front of the entire school, I would run away faster than a Cheater after its
prey. Anyway,’ she said after the football act had ended and the show went on a
break whilst it set up the next act, ‘I fancy getting some coffee. You want to
join?’
‘Sure,’ I said.
‘Cool,’ and we
both stood up and both walked towards the exit at the same time. ‘I know of a
stool that sells the best coffee in the world. They ground up the beans right
in front of you so to keep them as fresh as possible. I had a cup when I came
in and fell instantly in love, but that’s probably because I was half asleep at
the time.’
‘Awesome,’ I
said. Anything else… no… OK. So, I guess I will just follow Amy out of the tent,
then.
At least I can
say that this is going better than I had expected.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Antony Hudson
(TonyHadNouns)
My book, Sector 22: Zoey, is now available on Amazon, eBay, and SkyCat Publications' website:
Amazon:
eBay:
SkyCat Publications:
Ask me anything at:
ahudsonpresents@live.co.uk
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