Stacey found herself being helped on stage to sit at the piano. There was a bright spotlight on her.
"What's going on?" she asked the women on either side of her who were gently helping her along. "Why am I here?"
"We wanted you to play something for everyone," the women told her. "You said that you wanted to play a piece for everyone."
"I did? When?"
"You don't remember?" the women looked as troubled as Stacey felt.
"No," Stacey said, sitting down at the piano and looking up at the women. One looked elegant with long golden, honey coloured hair. The other had short, spiky hair. "I'm dreaming, right? This is just a dream? If it's just a dream, it's ok. I can dream of playing. But what should I play?"
"You could play a classical piano piece," the woman with spiky hair said. "You know a lot of them, don't you?"
"No," Stacey replied, shaking her head. "Only a few. I would have known more but I quit. Someone told me most people find them boring, so I only play them for myself now."
"We won't be bored," the woman with blonde hair smiled. "We promise."
Someone in the dark expanse below the stage yawned. Another snored and then snorted in surprise as if someone had elbowed them.
"I don't like hearing people snoring while I'm playing," Stacey said, looking out into the dark and she heard snorts of muffled laughter. "It's disturbing. It's like," Stacey began playing a slow piece and then made a snoring sound at a random point. "It totally ruins the piece. Can't they at least snore in time to the music?" And Stacey gave a demonstration, making the audience laugh. She frowned at the women. "Are there people out there? Hiding in the dark? Why are they hiding in the dark? Are they playing hide and seek in the dark? What were they laughing about?"
"Your joke, Stacey. You made a good joke. It was funny."
"But I'm not laughing," Stacey pouted. "If I make a joke, I should know if it's funny. After all, I made the joke, right? So if I made a funny joke, I should laugh. Why am I not laughing but they are?"
"Funny people often don't laugh at their own jokes because it's less funny if they laugh," the woman with short, spiky hair nodded. "Have you thought of something to play now?"
"Hmm," Stacey scratched her head. "No. Do I need to?"
"We'd like it if you did," Telea told her.
"But I just did," Stacey told her. "Then someone snored and ruined it. They should try playing a musical instrument to professional standards after a brain injury and see how easy it is. I know I'm not as good as I used to be, but there's no need to ruin it for everyone."
Someone in the audience snored again and someone guffawed. Stacey pointed a finger in the direction of the sound.
"See? Like that," Stacey said. "Let's see if they can snore in time to the music this time."
Stacey played the slow piece again and scolded the person attempting to snore and snort in time to the music.
"If you're going to snore, stay in beat. Come on, snore, two, three. Snore, two, three. No good. You're useless at appreciating good music and snoring. You should quit snoring altogether. It's bad for you anyway. Why are you hiding in the dark? Do you feel like you're extremely ugly and so don't want anyone to see you? Who's trying to blind me with this spotlight? Who's in charge of the lighting? If you ask someone to play a proper piano piece, you can't turn off the lights. Of course people are going to fall asleep if you keep them in the dark. They'll have no idea what's going on because they can't see, They'll think nobody can see them if they take a little nap. Turn on the lights. I don't need to be blinded. What's the point of turning on a light if it blinds you and you can't see? You may as well leave the light off then. Thank you."
The spotlight faded and other stage lights turned on. The audience lights brightened.
"Now all I can see is giant white, green and red spots filling up my vision. I think I'm going to have to play blind," Stacey turned toward where the women were standing. "Will people mind if I have to play blind?"
"I don't think so," one of the women said. Stacey couldn't see her expression because of all the green, red and white spot filling her vision. "Will you be alright here now?"
"Will you give me an armchair to play in if I'm not alright?" Stacey asked and then laughed at the mental picture of playing the piano while sitting in an armchair. It was absurd. "I'm fine. I'm fine. You can go have a seat. Thank you for your help. I've thought of something now. There was once a deaf composer called Beethoven. He lost his hearing but he still continued to write and play music although he couldn't hear. Perhaps I'll blindly play one of his pieces that he wrote when he was deaf. It's not a classical piece though. It's romantic."
Stacey launched into a piano sonata, turning the imaginary pages in front of her. She was amazed that her fingers remembered how to play it. People applauded after the first movement, making her shake her head.
"Don't applaud," she frowned at them, holding up a hand, "there are still another three movements. I'll be done in another thirty minutes or so."
She played a few more notes but then a mischievous person started making snoring sounds. As a result, Stacey laughed and changed the piece into a little teasing song that she made up on the spot.
"People don't know classical from romantic music," she spoke to the rhythm of the tune she was playing, "because preferences for easy music gets stuck inside their heads. Baby, baby, love me, oh," she sang an example and transitioned between the one liners of various songs. "No, I hate you, you cheating liar. I'm breaking up with you. Let's meet up again - never. So just shut up and dance." Stacey returned to her bopping, teasing song. "It's a pity they'll never understand nor be willing to sit still and hear the grandeur of classical heights filling the atmosphere. They're like a kid eating cheap candy at a feast of fancy bites, or an eagle thinking it's been grounded and can never again take flight. Oh the pity and the sadness of the simple minded chorus, but at least here on the stage, blinded by the lights, I don't have to see the mugs of all you sorry sights. Never mind the chordal repetitions, because who cares about classical when I can give you… a perfect song that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on, my friends. Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was…"
Stacey gave them the irritating and neverending song that never ends.
After singing and playing it through and getting the audience to learn it and sing it along with her, Stacey stood up and walked off the stage, still singing the song with the audience.
She waved and said, "Enjoy getting rid of that, you snorers who sleep during classical music. You wanted me to play something and now you'll never forget it because it is the song that never ends…"
The audience burst into laughter, applauding as her voice faded off stage.