12-23-04 And a Little Child Shall Lead Them During this Christmas tour of his, Clay has been having a children’s choir from every city perform with him. I came up with a fool proof plan to get myself into the children’s choir for the chance to finally meet the one and only Clayton Aiken. The children were rehearsing early this morning at a venue in Detroit, so I headed down there in a pink sweater and a Hilary Duff T-shirt. With an exact tilt of my head and the right play of shadows on my skin, I could pass for 12. No one said a word to me when I walked into the venue, but as I headed down the hall, a nosy older lady stopped me. “Can I help you?” “I’m with the children’s choir.” I said, as innocent as could be. “Are you a chaperone?” I hadn’t thought of that. I liked her idea better, but it was too late to change plans. I had already bought the requisite uniform of white t-shirt and black pants, which were shoved inside the Hello Kitty backpack I was wearing. “No. I’m in the choir.” “Are you sure it’s the children’s choir?” She emphasized the word children’s. “They’re performing with Clay Aiken, right?” She nodded. “Then yes. The children’s choir.” She looked me up and down. “You look awfully old to be a child.” “You look awfully ugly to be wandering free.” I muttered. “What?” She snapped. “Uh… I said… I have a birth defect. I wish you wouldn’t draw attention to it.” “I’m sorry.” She sheepishly reached for a box. “Have a slice of pizza.” I took 3. I shoveled them in my mouth as she led me to the rehearsal room in the back of the building. All of the kids were at least 2 heads shorter than me. I felt oddly out of place, especially with pizza sauce all over my Hilary Duff shirt. “This must be how Clay feels amongst mere mortals.” “What did you say?” A little girl asked me. “Um… I said… I have to go to the bathroom now… to relieve myself of excess pressure.” And with that, I turned and walked out of the room. “Just using the washroom!” I said loudly as I headed down the hall. “That’s all!” I frantically tore around the corner and down the corridor, peaking in doors and throwing open curtains. I averted Jerome a few times and almost knocked over a couple of crew members, but I saw neither the sites nor the sounds of Clay. I headed back to the rehearsal room in dismay. When I stepped inside the door, I immediately picked up the scent of a light musk. I gasped loudly. A young boy tugged at my shirt. I knelt down in front of him. “Clay Aiken was just here.” His tiny voice was full of glee. “He gave us all hugs.” “Damnit!” I yelled. The little boy ran away crying. Hours later, we were on the stage facing a sold out crowd. They were all singing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, and since I missed most of rehearsals to go scour the building for Clayton, I was singing something different. Suddenly the music stopped and my voice alone was belting out. “I believe the children are our future.” I stopped when I noticed the silence. I blushed and tried to hide behind one of the taller kids. I heard Clay’s voice singing and I knew he was coming up behind us. I turned my head slightly to the left to get a peek. I caught a glimpse of his ethereal beauty out of the corner of my. He was getting closer and it made me dizzy. I fell forward off the stage, knocking myself out on one of the steps that lead up to the stage. When I woke up, I was still on the floor and my fellow Claymates were using my body as a foot rest for their nasty feet. I sat up and looked around. I realized that they were not Claymates, but rather a crowd of older people. I asked them what day it was. One of them said, “Why, it’s Christmas Day!” He handed me a gold coin and instructed me to go buy a goose. The biggest goose I could find. So I did. But then I couldn’t find my way back to the theater so I ate it and went home. Home | Entries | Previous |