Moments later, she was being ushered onto the stage by someone in the dark. All was quiet. She was seated at the piano and left there. Her mind was still blank. She'd forgotten how even that 'Somebody' song that Zanity had tried to remind her of went.
A spotlight fell on her and the triangle's ting to cue her to start resounded. And still, Stacey sat there, staring blankly at the piano. At her fingers. Her fingers were trembling.
She remembered what that person had said.
"If you don't know what to do. Make something up."
Stacey closed her eyes and brought her breathing under control, playing a soft murmuring sound on the piano that mimicked the murmurs of the audience off stage. It turned into a series of runs and leaps, with crossing hands that turned into a semi familiar piece she was sure she had learnt and played before. A technical piano piece if her memory served her right. It was fast and nervous in energy.
Fair enough. A technical piece was ok. Better than nothing.
No wonder people had told her she could play piano like a professional. She had learnt it before. It was just that she couldn't remember it, but every time she sat in front of the piano, she could feel a leaping sensation in her heart that wanted to be let out.
The technical runs turned into a simple hopping tune and out popped an old nursery rhyme.
"Incy Wincy Spider, climbed up the water spout," Stacey sang into the microphone.
What was she doing? What song was this? A nursery rhyme? What the heck. Go with the flow and tell a story then.
Stacey's mind raced ahead to turn the nursery rhyme into a reasonable performance. She sang the simple song once through while she bought herself time to think.
Suddenly, her mind was somewhat clear. Clear enough to think, immerse herself in the moment and perform, all at the same time.
Multitasking. Yeah.
She played sounds that were meant to sound like a spider climbing a drain pipe. Once more she sang the first line of the nursery rhyme.
But then thunder rumbled and lightning struck in chords she played in the harmonic minor to her original major key.
"Oh no. There's a rain storm."
She added the wind sound effects into the microphone. It began raining heavily.
"Down came the rain and washed poor Incy out," Stacey sang the next line of the song, feeling slightly silly and a little bit proud of herself for coming up with this at the very last moment. She made sound effects that hopefully sounded like a gurgling gush of water.
Her fingers played what could be construed as the storm blowing itself out and then returning to the original major key with a happy tune.
"Out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain, and Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the spout again."
Stacey let Incy Wincy the spider climb up the drain pipe for a bit before the booming thunderous herald of another storm shook the piano once more.
"Oh, not again!"
Stacey ended her performance with Incy Wincy tumbling down the water pipe and landing on the ground with a final chord. Hopefully the whole thing hadn't been a total write-off. She wasn't sure.
Standing up, she bowed to the automatic, somewhat confused response of the applause audience and walked on shaky legs to the steps that led down the stage. There was some laughter among the audience. Whether at what she had performed or the weird, wobbly way she was walking.
Laughter was right. She had no idea what she had just gone and done either.
"That was something new, wasn't it?" said Hugh's voice through the microphone. "What an artful, storytelling piece. I'll bet none of you were expecting that either, were you? I'm sure that song is going to become a new nursery rhyme for the young children who have been learning and studying with her on her channel. I'll tell you all a secret too," Hugh's voice dropped, fading and becoming more muffled as someone came to support and help Stacey down the stage steps. Stacey allowed herself to be led away. "Stacey had a mental blank prior to going on stage and couldn't remember what she was meant to perform, so she made that all up on the spot. Isn't she amazing? She's not staying with us for an interview because she's not feeling well and is being taken to lie down. She still has to prepare for the elimination round she has to perform in, according to the rules of her participation. Online voting for her is now open."
Stacey let herself be undressed and laid back down in a bed. Someone washed her face and she felt the sting of another needle in her arm. She closed her eyes again.