After a long shift at the fancy restaurant in Manhattan, New York where she waits tables, serves drinks, and sometimes fills in on the mainstage when the musical act can’t go on, Ariel Baxter’s big eyes are usually half cocked, and her dark brown skin shines with sweat that beads on her forehead and glistens her long legs and forearms.
“Don’t even try it,” Ariel says as she approaches the bar with an empty serving tray in her hand. The music from the live band fills the room, but it is not so loud that she has to yell.
The bartender has a bottle of seltzer and he aims it at a patron at the end of the bar with his mouth wide opem, ready to pull the handle and arc the seltzer across the length of the bar to splash down in the patron’s mouth.
“Everybody’s cheering for it…” the bartender, Bell, says and looks at Ariel with a pout on his face that makes him seem much younger than her, though he is about a decade older.
“Put it down and make me two long islands,” Ariel says, “I’m not gonna let you mess up my tip ’cause you over here playing.”
“You got a good table?” he says as he waves the bar patron off and starts making the drinks.
“My regular ballers,” Ariel says and smiles in the direction of a table of early thirty-something business types celebrating promotions and more disposable income. “I’ll be glad when this day is over. I’m so tired.”
“Your shift is almost up, you can hold out. Here you go,” Bell says as he puts the drinks on her serving tray.
Ariel throws her head back and laughs.
“Don’t you know I live here?” she says. “I don’t know nothing about shifts.”
“That’s ’cause you’re the best, Ariel,” Bell says. “I hate coming in when you’re not here.”
“You’re sweet,”she says as she takes the drinks to her table. They all look happy to see her and after she distributes the drinks, one of the females at the table waves her over to her seat.
“I just wanted to make sure you knew this was from me,” she whispers to Ariel. “We all love you and of course we’re leaving a generous tip, but this is a gift. You were right about that anniversary gift. My wife flipped when she saw it and it’s all thanks to you.”
Ariel looks wide-eyed at the wad of bills that the woman slips into her hand, and then Ariel into her pocket. She can’t help herself but to hug the woman.
As she squats next to the woman, she feels a tap on her shoulder. It’s the floor manager and Ariel follows him to the bar.
“We need you up on stage,” the manager, Fred, says.
Ariel’s eyes go big with enthusiasm and she smiles.
“For real? What’s up with the band?”
“They have to leave after this set, and since your shift is supposed to end soon anyway, I can spare you on the floor.”
“What about that new girl that’s coming for training tonight?”
“I’ll put Amber on it,” Fred says and waves a hand. “The new girl is really good, I interviewed her myself, she’ll be fine. I’m hoping she teaches Amber a thing or two. Everyone loves the live music, and you’re an angel behind a mic, so can you help me out?”
“What’s the pay like?” Ariel asks as she shoves down her excitement at the thought of performing.
“We’ll give you the set fee,” Fred says and pats her shoulder. “You know I look out for you, no more waitress pay for performing. You can do two sets tonight if you want, until the dining room closes.”
Ariel hugs Fred and then runs to the back to change her clothes. She always keeps a spare outfit in her locker in the break room for this very occasion.
Before long, she is saying good night to the band as she adjusts the microphone. She sings without a band, Bell plays instrumentals for her songs over the speaker system and he has no qualms making patrons wait for drinks while he cues up Ariel.
Her first set is about an hour with a break in the middle, and it goes by so fast for Ariel. One minute she is adjusting the microphone and giving a sign to Bell to start her music, and the next, she is thanking the audience over the cheers of a standing ovation. She has flashes of the show as she takes in the applause, the faces in the crowd, the eyes glued to her. She can remember the feeling of the crowd, too, the warmth they gave her as the show went on. She remembers coming back to the stage after the break midway through and the warm love seemed to rush to the stage at the sight of her.
She sits at the bar after the first set, and people in the audience congratulate her for about ten minutes.
“You were so amazing up there,” Bell says. His shift is over by this point, but she had agreed to tip him for staying to dj her second set. They both sip drinks. “I found the instrumental for that song you asked about. Should I add it?”
“Take off the last song and add it to the middle,” Ariel says.
“That gentleman over there,” the bartender says as she places a cocktail in front of Ariel, and then she points to a table at the back of the room.
“Holy shit,” Ariel says when she sees the man at the table. The man waves at her and Ariel waves back nervously, then turns back to the bar. She slaps Bell on his shoulder in her excitement. “You know who that is? That’s Jess Mess, the producer!”
“That’s him?” Bell asks skeptically. “He’s skinny, and I heard he was white.”
“He from Israel I heard, but what is he doing here? Was he here to see the band?”
“I don’t know, but he’s coming over here,” Bell says and nods his head in the direction of the approaching man.
Ariel stands from her stool and smiles as the legendary Jess Mess kisses the back of her hand and introduces himself.
“You were something else,” he says. “I want you to become one of my angels.” He produces a card that Ariel takes. Apparently his real name is Jesse Mizrahi. “Call my assistant on Monday and set up a meeting. I’m looking forward to it.”
Ariel keeps her cool as Jess and the few people with him leave, and when he is gone, she jumps for joy.
“You hear about stuff like this happening, but I can’t believe it’s happening to me,” she says.
“You deserve it,” Bell says and they hug, before Ariel rushes back up to the stage to start the show all over again.
– – –
from the Manual and Reference of the Fonlands
The existence of the Fonlands predates the existence of Earth in Universe Prime 5. The collision of the Fonlands with the pillar of the superstructure also predates the Earth of Prime 5 and the Fonlands have encroached on Prime 5 for a very long time. The exact age of the Fonlands and Prime 5 has not been determined, but the Fonlands seems to be further along in its universal development and is closer to the end of its life cycle than the beginning.
Since the first breach of the Fonlands into Prime 5, the Mawu-Lisa and the thirteen Vodun have been able to access and dwell in Prime 5, though the actual interaction of Mawu-Lisa and the Vodun with Prime 5 has not been documented.
It is believed that Lêgba traveled to the planet Earth well before the first portals opened between the Fonlands and Earth because of all Fonlanders, he has traveled and explored Prime 5 extensively. He did this work at the behest of Mawu-Lisa and he carefully documented his travels in a work that can only be found on the Lofted Disc.
The other Vodun are not as knowledgeable about Prime 5 as Lêgba, though Xêvioso has studied Lêgba’s work when he travels to the Lofted Disc.
PRL Serials 