The Beat We All Live In

There’s often a voice that is destined to attract the eyes, and for Daniel, this is one of them. A voice so harmonious, that the sight of a man in full body tattoos snorting powder couldn’t distract him. It is a festival after all. Blonde, brown eyes, and a soft glare made Daniel knock over the box of 312 beers. 

Kevin rushes over, “Hey idiot, are you picking these up or what?”

“Yes. Are you trying to dip?”

“Go on break?”

“Yeah, but for like the rest of the day,” Daniel cannot look away.

Kevin gets up, “You do realize that in order to be paid we have to work. That means, ya know, actually being here and doing the job.”

“Listen, we are in the prime of our lives.”

“Yeah but ―”

“You want to sacrifice that for seven hours of minimum wage working?”

Kevin shrugs, “I don’t know ― since when did you become fractious?”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“Wait. Wh-who are you…, Kevin scans Daniel, “Ah, of course, of course!” he cheers.

“Shhhh! Don’t make a scene.”

Kevin smirks, “So this is what it takes for your ice to break?”

“You in or out?”

Kevin remains unsure but Daniel nudges him at what clearly is an opportunity. Their boss, a tub of lard with a horseshoe hairline, stumbles to the port-a-potty. An awful retching sound ensues. The orders and shouts of customers cover it up slightly, but not enough. Several heads turn and gift a moment for the two.

“This is so stupid. Let’s go,” and they dash out of the tent and into the festival’s main plaza.

They head directly to the fountain and then abruptly stop, “I-uh didn’t think we get this far….”

“Damnit, Daniel!”

“Screw you! We’re at a festival we can figure this out.”

“No booze, no weed, no nothing. What, we are just going to enjoy the music?―”

“Can you not jackass?”

“What!”

“Where did she go?”

“Who go?”

“THE GIRL! The one at the stand! She was standing at the stand and now is gone!”

“She probably left. I mean ―”

“Yes I know she left! Hence why I’m asking―”

“That’s not even the issue right now.”

“Kevin we are at a festival ― Here let’s ask this guy since it is that more important.”

“Wait, Daniel ―”

“Hey excuse me, sir?”

A tattooed gentleman with a top hat and lumberjack beard looks up, “Yes?”

“My friend and I need substances and were wondering if you had any?”

The man scoffs, “What made you approach me?”

“Yes or no sir that’s all," it is simply a gut-feeling.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out two baggies of dried mushroom caps. Daniel looks at Kevin with confidence, “Alright how much?”

“Free under one condition.”

“Yes?”

“You meet me by the end of the festival. That’s all.”

Daniel does not think twice, “Sure man you got it,” taking the baggies. 

Kevin is astonished, “No way!” 

“Eat these up. We got a girl to find.”

Kevin gags almost immediately while Daniel pinches his nose to ease the putrid taste. It takes about five gags each and one belch from Kevin to take down the doses. What the two are doing makes no sense, but does anything really make sense? 

"What made you ask that guy?"

"I don't know but it worked right?"

"I believe that call that fate," grins Kevin.

Next to the fountain, a billboard map of each stage gives Daniel some hope. If there’s a map, there’s usually a plan as well. Judging by each artist, Kevin and Daniel agree to see Lil AZ, more known as AZID. 

“AZID? You think?”

“Daniel my man, if there’s one thing people love, it’s a guy in giant clothes screaming at you to jump. Your gal should be there.”

Amidst the colleague of drunk teens, balding adults, and latex suits, Daniel and Kevin make their way. A 15-minute walk follows another 15-minute bathroom break, leaving 5 minutes of idling before the show. Daniel and Kevin find an open area near the back to lay down. 

“Damn….”

“Yup….”

“Damn….”

“Did you say something?”

“Kevin, I’m high as shit right now… like high as that plane….”

“Plane?”

“That… cloud.”

“Ah… yup. Yup is an interesting word. Y-u-p. Yu-p. Y-up. Yup.”

“Danish you think?”

Kevin shot up like a zombie, “Daniel! Daniel!”

“What?”

“Are we bad people, Daniel?”

“I...um…,” the tree’s swirling geometric shapes above take Daniel momentarily, “Wow…,” he’s enthralled, “Yeah maybe I guess. Why?”

“We left Daniel! Left all those people working while we are here. They could be on break, enjoying this day, this absolutely beautiful day, but they can’t now. They can’t because of us.”

“Yeah, so? We are we and they are them. It's not a great look but it happened to us. Us somehow...."

Daniel feels exposed. Kevin has a point but then again what is done is done. They can’t go back, especially like this. 

“Kevin this a rollercoaster ride. Once we are on, we can’t get off until the conductor says stop.”

“And who’s the conductor.”

“These shrooms my Brotha… these shrooms and this life.”

Kevin abruptly coughs a sound so horrible that Daniel is surprised to see Kevin rather than a choking chicken. 

“Oh shit!” 

A mudslide of vomit floods from Kevin’s mouth. Luckily, Kevin knew best to lean over and avoid himself. Daniel watches in awkward confusion, wanting to look away but also wanting to see this play out. 

“Kevin are you good?”

“Yes,” Kevin happily sighs next to the pink puddle, “That felt so good….”

Besides the acidic smell, it is simply not a good look to be sprawling bedside to a pile of puke. Daniel helps Kevin up and leads the way into the crowd. Then, like closing one door to only open another, Daniel finds himself in a purple, orangish haze of bliss. Some type of thump beat-boxes in his head as well. The shapes before now flourish rhythmically to each bass drop Daniel feels. He's in it.

“Daniel,” echoes a distant voice, “Daniel….”

A thing is happening. Something of nature and of this world connects Daniel. His joints and muscles fuse into one fluid motion with every move. One. O-ne. O-n-e. On-e. One. Won. Done. 

“One… won… done,” giggles a new voice. 

“Yes,” Daniel thinks back, “What’s up?”

“Nothing much… not a whole lot. Not ―”

“― Anything!” the two synchronize.

“Are you in my head?” Daniel dances, “Because if you are, then who are you? Or why are you?”

“Why are you?”

“Hm?”

“Why… are you?”

Daniel smiles, snapping his figures, “Ah, okay I see you.”

“Do you see me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe….”

The trees begin waving like proud parents with their leaves. The haze remains, and the heat wraps Daniel up like a blanket. People bobble in and out of his view. Some people seem lost, throwing their heads in search of something. One guy in a Michael Jordan Jersey particularly stands out. 

“Yo MJ,” greets Daniel.

“What?” shoots the kid back.

Daniel can sense an energy pulse, “What’s wrong?”

“Leave me alone!”

“Alright, will do Mike,” Daniel politely responds, “Here if you need anything?”

Daniel’s unstoppable positivity catches Jordan off guard, “Are you high?”

“Tell him,” echoes his head, “Follow the beat.”

A calming bass guitar riff hits, “Jordan my man you are looking and focusing on the wrong shit right now!”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re young, at a festival, and that dude on stage wearing XXXL pajamas is putting on a show. Yet, I can see you want something else? Cierto?”

The kid’s grimace relaxes a touch, “I see my ex here.”

“I see x’s too.”

“What?” Jordan finally chuckles.

“Seeing. Observing ―No... Feel my man. What do you feel?”

“Well, sad. Super sad. I guess I miss her. We broke up a couple of months ago.”

“Why?”

“She didn’t see it going anywhere.”

Daniel hits a spin and struts, “And did you?”

“Ah, I don’t know… we just finished high school and college is coming.”

"See, how he's choosing to talk Daniel."

“Then my friend let it come. If you are genuine, if you are patient, the future will come into the present without you ever knowing. She may be gone in your life, but your life is your life. Keeping living that life. Ya feel?”

“Sure?” a lighter force now comforts the MJ imposter.

The words were said and now heard. Daniel trusts Jordan and the soft whisper. Quickly, Daniel finds himself another soul to vibe with. This time a lady about the same age as Daniel. Unoriginally, she wore regular jean shorts and a tank top. Yet, like Jordan’s stare, this woman’s smile has one too many cheek muscles in use to be true. 

“EVERYBODY PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND JUMP!” 

As though AZID personally choreographed the fans, thousands of arms and head violently bounce. 

“Eh-yo!” chants Daniel, throwing his long arms like a conductor. 

“Huh?”

“What brings you to AZID?”

“Is this your way of flirting?”

“Nope. It’s my way of talking.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“A regular person.”

“What do you want?”

“I think the question really is what do you want?”

She steps back to full-body scan Daniel, taking particular time on his face, “That scar? Are you a fighter? You think I'm into that.”

Daniel almost chokes a rib he laughs too hard, “Me? Oh, no I’m no Apollo Creed though that would be cool. Got it playing kickball-baseball with my brother.”

“Huh?”

“Instead of a baseball, we used a rubber kickball. It's called fun. He loaded up and I swung full speed with an Ezone metal bat. The bat ― BOOM― deflected and took out half my eyelid.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am and I’m alright. I got through with some glue and a smart doctor.”

“Is this a place to be having this conversation?”

“Nope but is any place a place to have a conversation?” Daniel stupidly shrugs.

“ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I WANT YOU TO START RAGING!”

“Why are we talking?”

Daniel claps his hands, “Listen! We are at a festival, on a beautiful Saturday, a day that won’t ever ever ever happen again. Yet,” Daniel performs jazz hands, “you are not enjoying this day. Que pasa?”

The woman shrugs as though her shoulders hurt, “My friend brought me along. She thought this would be good for me… My Dad passed away….”

Daniel losses his composure, “Oh Jesus Christ! ― I mean… yeah that’s not good. Was he a good person?”

She scoffs, “Yeah. He was a firefighter."

"And yet even though he's gone you still remember him. That's all a person can do."

But I'm sick of that! He'll never come back!”

“And that’s totally fine! For this to happen there has to be an end. But you will need to talk this out with someone. Hint! It's not me."

“Who?”

“Yourself. You never, no matter what, can ever leave yourself. That’s the person you need the most. And the rest, well, will be the rest ya know.”

She doesn’t smile. Daniel hopes she doesn’t smile and neither does the voice. Though, her brown eyes took in as much as they could.

Another seismic bass drop shakes the crowd and Daniel to a new spot. AZID is on stage, strobe lights and all at his back like a pharaoh. Daniel follows his heart, the beat, and gets to the front of the entire crowd. Kevin is only God knows where but he’s fine, hopefully. 

“I NEED SOMEONE ON STAGE RIGHT NOW! SOMEONE! WHO! WHO WANTS TO GET DOWN WITH A-Z-I-D Y'ALL!”

Daniel isn’t even paying attention, “I DO!” he sings, “I DO! I DO I DO!”

“YES, Y'ALL! YES! THIS TALL ASS MAN RIGHT HERE!”

“Are you ready,” encourages his friend, “This is it.”

“What do you mean,” laughs Daniel, “I’m only getting ―

“STARTED! BOUNCE BOY BOUNCE!”

Several hands grip Daniel and place him up. The sky is a crisp indigo blue, ready to turn into dusk. A moon hovers and stares at the sequences of events. Daniel is uncontrollable. Laughing, smile, and sucking up all the connection this moment brings. 

“WHAT’S YOUR NAME, FELLA?”

“D-A-N-I-E-L. Daniel!”

“You feeling good Daniel.”

“Feeling God’s greatness.”

“ARE YOU READY?”

Daniel cracks his neck, grabs a mic, “I do what I do!” 

“GET THIS PLACE BUMPING!”

“Just listen,” instructs the voice, “Take up the scene.”

The city skyline is mountainous, both pretty and protective. Lowering his eyes, it is now the crowd and only the crowd. Girls from dresses to bikinis to no tops teeter-totter on the shoulders of others. One man on the left looks as though he left his banking job early, while another is confused as to how he even got here. How did all these people get here ― here to this one spot in this one city within this one country? Nothing was forced, but rather, completely natural. 

“Human… Humans are natural!”

“YESSIR!”

Daniel begins tearing up. All these people have good, have bad, but meet solely at this concert to live. 

“It’s not just a concert. It’s more than that.”

“RIGHT ON!”

This happens in the classroom, during an exam or a presentation on Newton’s 1st law. In the bathroom, one man will be pissing and another will be washing hands. On a Wednesday evening, an elderly couple walking their golden retriever down the block.

“ENERGY IS WHAT WE ARE!” embraces Daniel, “ENERGY IS WHO WE ARE! SO… FEEL EVERY CORSE IN YOUR VEIN, EVERY MUSCLE WITH A TWITCH, AND SHARE THIS ENERGY!”

A techno bass explodes with flames and a rhythm kicks in.

The voice smiles, “You understand don’t you?"

“There’s a rhythm, there’s a beat… there’s a size we all seek… humans are what we are… so all a man can do is sign a bar… to seek pleasure we need failure… I won’t lie, we all die… but there’s now, only now… so don’t frown… perk up, smile, look around….”

“YESSIR!” heckles the most familiar voice of all, “That’s my guy Daniel and he’s my friend” he pushes to the front, “Look who I ran into!”

The goofy old man who snorted powder earlier this day, shinning a smile brighter than any laser light. He gives a crooked thumbs up and smokes a joint in his praise, “You,” he mouths, “You and her.”

“THE GIRL!” but she’s not there. She’s somewhere here or maybe elsewhere, who’ll ever know. Hell, it could've been that firefighter's daughter. But maybe that’s not who the man is talking about. Her… there’s only one other character. 

A cognitive lock clicks. Daniel fist bumps at the hobo and his red-headed friend. Kevin salutes Daniel and the two lock eyes from afar. That job is gone but another one will come. This experience is worth more than any amount of money in the world. Daniel did what he done and won.