Cameron in the Paperverse: The Talent Show

I waited just offstage, wringing my hands and really cursing myself for getting into this predicament. I hated - absolutely hated - being in front of a crowd of people. I’d been a little arrogant the day I volunteered, though. The Parchment Imp Inn had opened a tab for me pending my acceptance into the Adventurer’s Guild, and they have this fizzy drink that’s like soda, but sooo much better. So between the sugar and caffeine and the ability to order hot food whenever I wanted, I was riding high when the guild announced its newest challenge: a talent show.

 

Everyone wanted in on it! Spots were filling up fast, and after a certain number of encouraging claps on the back and shoulders, I signed up, too. I’d been all riled up with the excitement of seeing and hearing talents from all over the Paperverse. I didn’t think too hard in that moment about what I’d have to offer when they called my name on stage.

 

Now I was minutes away from being called up, and I wanted to sink into the floor. Don’t get me wrong - the talent show itself was fantastic! Apparently Goan throat-singing is my jam, and I wanted to portal out to the Ruined Kingdom in Aruna as soon as I got the chance. From Avangard dancing to Kahari opera to PaperDemon pop-rock, the show was enthralling. Right up until I heard…

 

“Cameron? Cameron from Earth, you’re up.”

 

Literally shaking in my boots, I climbed the few steps up to the stage. The crowd seemed to have tripled in size compared to when I was faceless and lost in it.

 

I leaned forward to the microphone. “Soooo, hey. I’m Cameron, and I’m -”

 

“Louder!” Someone shouted. “Can’t hear you in the back!”

 

Deep breaths, I told myself. Deep breaths.

 

I started again, much louder this time. “Uhm, hi, I’m Cameron. This is better, right? So I come from a place called Earth, and I’m going to sing a song from there. There’s a man named Elton John, and he sings some of the best love songs on our planet. I mean, I’ve never been in love, but I’d like to be someday. And, you know, maybe romance isn’t for you, and that’s okay, too. There are lots of kinds of love, and they’re all worth celebrating. So here goes, I guess…”

 

I took a deep breath, swallowed my panic, and managed the first few lines. “It’s a little bit funny, this feeling inside. I’m not one of those who can easily hide. I don’t have much money, but boy, if I did, I’d buy a big house where we both could live.”

 

The crowd fell silent, and I closed my eyes. It was so much easier to sing without seeing all those faces. I imagined what it would be like to have someone to sing a love song to, and I sang to him. Mostly I just tried to stay on tune and get the words right. I was a little surprised how well I remembered it all. I could feel my voice strengthen as I progressed, as I became more sure of myself.

 

Finally I opened my eyes as I brought the song to its end. “I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words… how wonderful life is while you’re in the world.”

 

The audience exploded into - and I don’t mean to brag - enthusiastic applause. For me! For my performance! I bowed and laughed and bowed again and thanked them all.

 

“Wow, if you guys like that, wait until I tell you about Dolly Parton -” and then I was rushed offstage for the next performance. Which is okay because I can’t sing Dolly Parton to save my life. Instead, I made my way to the bar and ordered another one of those sweet, fizzy sodas that got me into trouble in the first place.