Lord of The Dance (Voices, Part 2)

When Paul Castle’s first album “Voices of Fortune” was released Mason North had anticipated the great success and sent Paul away to a cabin in Northern Finland for a few months to write more. Mason also needed Paul to disappear for a while so he could manage the musician’s career without upsetting the artist’s delicate constitution. Mason needed Paul away so he could build up the necessary myths.

Paul was walking along a lake gathering mushrooms for his dinner, the small light yellow ones with the frilly bottoms. Kirsti, the woman who took care of the cabin, had been quite clear about this. The other mushrooms would kill him dead. He was already into his second song about saving the planet.

“There is nothing here that needs controlling. You are free,” the angels had told him, whispering to him in the wind, clattering to him through the rain on the rooftops.

He saw a squirrel. It came next to him and froze, watching. He stood motionless, hoping the moment would never end. His pocket began to ring. The squirrel skittered off. He fumbled the phone out and awkwardly unfolded it.

“Mason?”

“How the Hell is my favorite person in Finland? Everything OK, Paul?”

“I’ll never get used to a phone that’s just like a Star Trek communicator,” Paul said, trying to adjust the distance between his mouth and ear. The voices of the forest muttered disapproval and withdrew.

“Cool, huh? Just like in the original series. I know what you like, Paul. Just looking out for your interests. How is the songwriting going?”

“Don’t you have your spies, Mason?”

“You don’t like the phone. I’ll get you one of those Ipods with the big screen.”

“It’s not the type of phone. I want one that stays on a wall or a table, Mason. How the Hell do I get away from you now?”

“Cell phones are what they use over there, Paul. They told me they didn’t have a land line in the cabin. I’m just trying to look out for you, sport. But if you want a land line I’ll have them rip up half the Finnish countryside for you to install one-”

“Mason!”

“Anything you want. Anything you want.”

Paul threw the phone in the lake.

To be continued…